HELENA - The process for instituting a hunting season for wolves will be discussed during a work session May 17 in Helena by the Fish, Wildlife and Parks Commission.
Any wolf-hunting season in Montana is contingent on gray wolves being taken off of the list of threatened or endangered species. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service hopes the delisting will take place in Montana and Idaho early in 2008, but officials expect that action to end up in court.
Whenever the wolves are delisted, FWP wants to be ready to manage them as it does other wildlife, said Tom Palmer, an FWP spokesperson. He said Senate Bill 372 gives FWP the authority to create wolf licenses and authorize a wolf lottery or auction.
"This was something that was important to the Legislature but more importantly, this is part of Montana's wildlife conservation plan," Palmer said. "It has always been a part of the idea, to have wolves receive no more and no less management than other Montana wildlife."
No action on a wolf season will be taken at the meeting, and this isn't the time for the public to comment on the state's plan or on whether wolves should be delisted, Palmer said.
He anticipates that during the next few months, FWP representatives will meet with the public to gather input.
"In September, FWP will summarize those discussions and seek additional advisement from before setting procedures," Palmer said. "But a final decision probably wouldn't be made by the commission until 2008, maybe in late February."
In Montana and Idaho, state agencies have been managing wolves since 2005 under a cooperative agreement between those states and the Fish and Wildlife Service. Under those plans, hunting could be allowed, as long as the wolves meet minimum population requirements of 10 breeding pairs and 100 wolves.
At this point, Montana has 316 wolves that roam in 60 packs, with 21 breeding pairs.
Palmer said many decisions need to be made before any plan is set. Those include what type of management tactics would be implemented, whether to create management units and hunting districts, whether to establish quotas, and what the criteria would be on deciding how many tags to issue.
"So this is kind of the first step to see what the seasons would look like," Palmer said.
The reintroduction of wolves to the Northern Rockies began in 1995. Their numbers in Montana, Idaho and Wyoming now total at least 1,243 wolves with 89 breeding pairs, far exceeding the recovery goal of having 300 wolves and 30 breeding pairs.
The proposal from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service calls for the continuation of full protection for wolves in Yellowstone, Grand Teton and Glacier national parks.
In Montana and Idaho, state agencies have been managing wolves since 2005 under a cooperative agreement between those states and the Fish and Wildlife Service.
But in Wyoming, the debate over wolf management is ongoing, leaving delisting up in the air.
Published on Saturday, May 05, 2007. Last modified on 5/5/2007 at 12:28 am
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P.E.T.A.
wrote on
May 05, 2007 6:43 AM I like wolves.........in the crosshairs of my scope. Come on, you wanted 100 wolves and 10 breading pairs and now there's 1243? I think it's time to shoot as many as we can! Help our ranchers and shoot a wolf!
hunter
wrote on
May 05, 2007 7:21 AM There already is a hunting season for wolves. See `em--Shoot `em-Shut up and Shovel.
MTOutdoorsman
wrote on
May 05, 2007 7:25 AM I can't wait to hunt these wolves. The reintroduction of wolves into this area was the worst thing our government could have done for Montana, Wyoming, and Idaho. If I were a rancher I would kill every wolf that stepped on my property.
redneck
wrote on
May 05, 2007 7:37 AM MFWP knows no bounds to its greed-meeting to discuss how much money to charge people to do MFWP's job? You want wolves- you kill wolves.
Joe
wrote on
May 05, 2007 1:11 PM This is the best news. Get rid of them...
Shoot shovel and shutup
wrote on
May 05, 2007 1:20 PM Time to make some moola for the fish and Game.Imagine that,one day they plant them in yellowstone,the next is to hunt them down,all of it with tax dollars.What a waste of inteligence.
MTnman
wrote on
May 05, 2007 1:52 PM The MFWP must not hire one additional bureaucrat with our money to monitor the "killing zones;" they must reallocate resourses rather than grow the department at our expense. MFWP created the problem and now had better handle it with present manpower.
Launchpad
wrote on
May 05, 2007 5:57 PM Wolves were brought in to replace ranchers with want to be montanas. the liberals and greenies have declared search and destroy tatics on hard working people of MT.Wolves are just one of there weapons but they cry foul when we defend ourselves. It is time for the conservitive minded people to get up and go on the OFFENSE! Remember the wolf that is in neighbors today that does not bother you will be at your house tomorrow along with any other liberal issues they promote. GET INVOLVED AND FIGHT BACK!
Shane Jackson
wrote on
May 05, 2007 7:13 PM FWP should put a $250 bounty on wolves. I doubt too many would be in cattle herds after a short while!
Learning curve
wrote on
May 05, 2007 8:13 PM If you haven't hunted wolves yet, they are much more difficult than you imagine. The first year will be a fairly good harvest because the wolves are used to having Carte Blanch on everything. As soon as they figure out they are being hunted like their ancestors in their NATIVE Alberta, they will be scarce and running when they detect humans are present. ... . In Alberta you can shoot as many as you like $5c a tag. Hunting doesn't even come close to management goals. Trapping takes far more. Wolf trapping is a real art.In spite of unlimited hunting and trapping, the Province will use helo-hunts in areas that are overrun. ..... . The time to begin the season is this fall/winter. The sooner, the better before they get to Fort Peck. If you think that hunting wolves is just a big coyote shoot, you are in for quite a surprise. A wolf taken with by archery will be the most difficult hunt in Montana.
redneck
wrote on
May 05, 2007 9:54 PM Back again about MFWP's greed. Fiscal note on SB 372 (signed into law by Governor 5/03/07) shows projected INCOME to MFWP at $734,686 per year for "wolf management" That's a lot of $19 wolf tags! FWP Commission: get out the rubber stamp for May 17th!
Ranchers Paradise
wrote on
May 06, 2007 4:03 AM Yes, let´s build our West the way we want it. Only we ranchers and our cattle. No bears, no coyotes, no bison, no lions, no indians, no latinos, no blacks, no canadians, no californians, no politicians, no greenies, no scientists. Who needs all this garbage. Only we and our cattle and of course our elks to kill shall remain! After all, this is America and we are the nations pride and glory! Now let´s go and shoot a wolf or two! We will not falter, will not fail!That´s why they love us all roud this globe! Mission accomplished..
Property Rights Researcher
wrote on
May 06, 2007 6:03 PM Why is it that no one ever mentions the two-legged predators that used Canadian gray wolves (as they use other poster species) as de facto real estate agents, the goal being to STOP RANCHING and RURAL LIVING? Why does no one see the job security using your taxpayer dollars that Ed Bangs & Company continues to receive? Okay, so he's getting ready to retire. Do you think there aren't a horde of other such employees, also drawing paychecks and job security from these "re" introductions? Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks is another bunch of unelected-by-the-voters bureaucrats feeding at the taxpayer trough.
Focus on the wolf if you wish, but all it does it bring the two-legged predators the anonymity they crave, while so many vent their spleens on the wolves, which had no say in the matter at all. propertyrightsresearch (dot) org maintains the focus on the "re" introducers and other abusers of the Endangered Species Act, Clean Water Act, Clean Air Act and other legislation being used to decimate people's ability to responsibly utilize private property and live rural. Think Wildlands Projet and study the particulars.
me
wrote on
May 18, 2007 11:23 AM It is the ignorant, uneducated redneck remarks such as you have above...that makes the greenies and wolf lovers angry (not that you care how STUPID you sound). Just as long as you get things YOUR way...no one else matters. Perhaps the greenies can convince the rest of AMERICA to stop purchasing ANYTHING from Mt, Wy and Id unless they "behave" when it comes to MURDERING animals that do not belong to YOU!
Would that make you feel any better?
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A work session to discuss the process for establishing a hunting season for wolves will be at 9 a.m. May 17 at the Fish, Wildlife and Parks Helena headquarters, 1420 East Sixth Ave. Other discussion items include Fort Peck Hatchery funding, urban deer, a fish virus that could be spread by imported fish, and new river recreation projects.
The FWP regular commission meeting will follow the work session at 1 p.m. For information, contact Diane Tipton at 444-3079, or visit the FWP Web site at fwp.mt.gov.
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