Quota set for fall wolf hunt

Montana's Fish, Wildlife and Parks Commission last week set a quota of 220 wolves for the upcoming hunting season. The quota is spread over 14 wolf management units, generally across western Montana.

The wolf harvest is expected to drop the population of wolves statewide by 25 percent to a minimum of 425 wolves. Wildlife officials estimate about 566 wolves inhabit the state in 108 verified packs with 35 breeding pairs.

According to a 2010 wolf report, about 35 wolves live in Glacier National Park, where they are wholly protected while inside the Park's boundary.

Wolf management unit 110, which includes the North Fork just outside Glacier Park, has a quota of two wolves - the same as 2009. That quota was set low in deference to Park wolves, which were the first to re-establish populations in Montana in the late 1970s.

In 2009, in the state's first and only regulated wolf hunt, hunters took 72 wolves across the state, less than the set quota. In 2010, the state set the quota at 186 wolves, but the hunt was blocked by a lawsuit that returned wolves to the federal endangered species list.

A congressional measure passed April 15 removed gray wolves from the endangered species list in Montana, Idaho and parts of Oregon, Washington and Utah. The measure has been challenged in court.

The federal recovery goal for the northern Rocky Mountains is 30 breeding pairs and a minimum of 300 individuals. That was achieved in 2002.

The FWP commission received numerous comments before reaching its decision. Some hunters and livestock groups wanted a higher quota, while wildlife advocates wanted it lowered.

"We learned from the 2009 hunt that there was a need to be more surgical in directing the wolf harvest toward areas where elk, deer and livestock depredations are an issue," said Ken McDonald, FWP's wildlife chief. "So we made adjustments and developed smaller-sized wolf management units each with their own quota."

The wolf season also includes an archery season which runs from Sept. 3 through Oct. 16. Those dates correspond with deer and elk archery seasons.

Wolf hunting seasons correspond to Montana's early backcountry big game hunting season, which runs from Sept. 3-14 for archery and Sept. 15 through Nov. 27 for rifle hunting, and with the big game archery and general rifle seasons, set for Sept. 3 through Oct. 16 and Oct. 22 through Nov. 27 respectively.

FWP officials note the wolf hunting season in some areas could run through Dec. 31 if quotas are not reached. Hunting licenses are $19 for residents and $350 for nonresidents. License sales should begin in August.

For more information, visit online at www.fwp.mt.gov and click on "Montana Wolves."