"The bottom line is, Idaho wants to manage for as few wolves as it can get away with," said Suzanne Stone, a field representative for Defenders of Wildlife.

Natural resource groups were more supportive of the state's plan.

"We were adamantly opposed to their reintroduction," said Wally Butler, a livestock specialist with the Idaho Farm Bureau. "We now know they're here to stay. So it's very important to get them delisted and under state management, so we can have a sustainable population."

Some hunters blame wolves for killing or chasing elk and mule deer and making them more difficult to shoot.

Fish and Game officials follow hunter sentiment closely, largely because the agency gets about $33 million annually from general licenses, including for deer and elk, most from out-of-state hunters.

"They're going to start losing big money," said Tim Baldwin, a Boise hunter who attended Thursday's meeting. "I'm very concerned about big game hunting and the way we're heading with the wolf."

Twelve years after wolves' reintroduction, Rachael said the debate in Idaho continues to be a "careful dance," one that pairs off the federal mandate to ensure the wolves' survival with the competing interests of a public that either loves or hates the animals.

"We've got the social values of an extremely diverse public," Rachael told the group. "This is the start, and we're going to have to learn as we go along."