A government official estimates Russians killed about 15,000 wolves this year

VORONEZH, Russia (CNN) -- Farmer Nicolai Vassiliev said he recently killed a fourth wolf right in front of his house. In the last nine years, he said, wolves have killed six of his dogs. Now he always keeps his rifle loaded, waiting for the wolves.

Thousands of wolves roam in the taiga forests of western Russia, feeding on small game as well as moose, deer and wild boar. In the villages of the region, among people whose ancestors have lived in the area for centuries, the wolf is a feared predator that must be controlled.

And lately that fear has increased. The difficult economic times in Russia have caused many people to hunt wild game, cutting back on the usual prey available for wolves. So the wolves are becoming more daring, coming into the villages to kill geese, sheep and cows.

Some parents fear that wolves will attack their children on the way to school, and forbid them to walk alone in the forest.

Wolves can be hunted year-round in Russia, and are only protected in national parks and reserves

In Russia, wolves have no legal protection outside of national parks and reserves. They can be hunted year-round, without limits.

One hunter boasts that he has killed more than 100 wolves during the last 50 years and was actually awarded a medal for it by the former Soviet government.

It is almost as though Russia has declared war on wolves. One federal official has suggested raising the bounties on the animals and sponsoring helicopter hunts. He said 15,000 wolves will be killed this year, but that Russia's total wolf population of 45,000 will remain stable.

Some wolf experts doubt that assessment. They say that a heightened campaign against wolves could wipe them out across vast areas of Russia.

Correspondent Gary Strieker contributed to this report.