Following a decision by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service that gray wolves do not need federal protections under the Endangered Species Act, conservation groups filed a lawsuit in June.
The Montana Fish and Wildlife Commission has approved new regulations for wolf hunting and trapping, inching closer to a statewide quota as part of ongoing legislative efforts to decrease Montana’s wolf population.
This decision, made after six hours of intense debate and passionate public commentary, saw many participants urging the commissioners to reject the Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks’ proposal for a 500-wolf quota that would cover nearly the entire state.
Critics of the proposal questioned the methodology behind the current wolf population estimate of 1,091 wolves, as reported by FWP. They argued that political motivations, rather than scientific evidence, have influenced the conversation. Additionally, opponents highlighted the ecological importance and economic benefits of wolves, especially in regions outside Yellowstone National Park.
Organizations opposing the regulations included the Wild Livelihoods Business Coalition, Park County Environmental Council, Gallatin Wildlife Association, and Trap Free Montana.
In contrast, supporters of the regulations, such as the Foundation for Wildlife Management, the Montana Stockgrowers Association, and the Montana Trappers Association, contended that wolf populations have remained stable for years. They argued that to meet legislative goals for population reduction, it is necessary to increase the quota, expand bag limits, and allow additional hunting tools like infrared scopes.
Comments from both sides largely mirrored those made earlier this spring when lawmakers discussed two proposals aimed at halving the wolf population.
Three Republican representatives—Paul Fielder of Thompson Falls, Jedediah Hinkle of Belgrade, and Shannon Maness of Dillon—also voiced their opinions, urging the commission to consider the intent behind legislation passed in 2021 and again in 2025 to reduce the state’s wolf population.
“I think we’re just tiptoeing in the direction that we need to be in to follow (Montana Code Annotated),” Maness stated. He had sponsored a bill during the 2025 Legislature that aimed to create an unlimited quota for wolves until the population dropped below 450.
On the other hand, State Rep. Jamie Islay, a Democratic lawmaker from Park County, argued that imposing quotas over such a broad area is misguided, especially since livestock depredations by wolves have decreased and “most ungulate populations are doing well.”
“There’s really no reason that I see that we have to necessarily bring our wolf populations down to the levels that these quotas are asking for,” he noted. “We don’t do [statewide quotas] for deer, we don’t do that for elk, we don’t do that for moose—we do that by area. Why? Because of the diverse ecological environment that our state provides.”
The commissioners debated ten amendments to the proposed regulations from Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks, with only a few passing. The regulations unanimously adopted by the Fish and Wildlife Commission include:
- A statewide quota of 452 wolves
- A 60-wolf quota for Region 3 (southwestern Montana), with two separate three-wolf quotas for two wolf management units north of Yellowstone National Park’s boundary
- A “bag limit” of 15 wolves per hunter or trapper, with the stipulation that at least five of the wolves killed must be from Region 1 or Region 2
- The use of infrared scopes for hunting wolves on private land
- A general season running from September 15 to March 15, and a trapping season from December 1 to March 15 (with certain regions opening later and closing earlier to avoid conflicts with federally protected grizzly bears)
- The removal of wolf-trap setbacks for Mineral County, building on similar regulation changes in Sanders and Ravalli counties. The setback requirement has also been lifted in the Spotted Bear Ranger District, a remote area of the Bob Marshall Wilderness.
The commission plans to revisit the wolf hunting and trapping regulations at the end of next summer.
Source: https://www.bozemandailychronicle.com/news/montana-fish-and-wildlife-commission-moves-closer-to-statewide-wolf-quota/article_38462558-bdd5-4fab-a336-1f62f05fb14d.html
