Rockies states including Montana, Idaho and Wyoming. Fish and Wildlife Service said it would examine whether federal endangered species protections should be restored for more than 2,000 wolves in northern U.S. The changes came after hunters and ranchers successfully lobbied to reduce wolf populations that prey on big game herds and occasionally on livestock.īut the states' increased aggression toward the predators has raised concerns among federal wildlife officials. Montana's efforts to make it easier to kill wolves mirror recent actions by Republicans and conservatives in other states such as Idaho and Wisconsin. The original quotas were meant to protect packs that draw tourists to Yellowstone from around the world for the chance to see a wolf in the wild.
The quotas, which Sholly asked Gianforte to reinstate, allowed only a few wolves to be killed along the border annually. They also eliminated longstanding wolf quota limits in areas bordering the park. Urged by Republican lawmakers, Montana wildlife officials last year loosened hunting and trapping rules for wolves statewide. "Allowances for trapping and especially baiting are a major concern, especially if these tactics lure wolves out of the park," Yellowstone spokesperson Morgan Warthin said. Under new rules, Montana hunters can use bait such as meat to lure in wolves for killing and trappers can now use snares in addition to leghold traps. The most recent wolf killing along the Montana-Yellowstone border happened on New Year's Day.
Sixty-four have been killed in that region to date this season, out of 150 wolves killed statewide, according to Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks. March 2019 file photo provided by the National Park Service shows the Junction Butte wolf pack taken from an aircraft in Yellowstone National Park.įor southwestern Montana, including areas bordering the park, that threshold is 82 wolves. In his response to Sholly, the governor said Montana protects against overhunting through rules adopted by the wildlife commission, which can review hunting seasons if harvest levels top a certain threshold. Gianforte last year received a warning from a Montana game warden after trapping and shooting a radio-collared wolf about 10 miles north of the park without taking a state-mandated trapper education course.
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