There’s no doubt wolves are a controversial topic in the outdoor community. That fact was highlighted during a Wednesday Environmental Quality Council meeting in Helena when Fish, Wildlife & Parks updated the group on its annual report of the species. Wolf populations in the state have dropped, thanks in large part to the loosening of regulations for hunters and trappers. Yet interest in pursuing wolves seems to have plateaued despite a reduction in the price of wolf tags for residents and nonresidents. Wolf advocates insist the way FWP is counting wolves isn’t accurate, and wolf populations are actually lower than what’s being touted by the agency. The Fish and Wildlife Commission, at its next meeting in August, will consider lowering the annual harvest quota to 289 wolves to match the average take over the past five years. That concerned legislator Paul Fielder who has advocated for increasing the wolf harvest. Previously, the quota has been 450 animals across the entire state. To learn more about the issues and concerns, check out my story at https://billingsgazette.com/outdoors/montana-wolf-report-spawns-debate-over-population-hunting/article_ac71dae8-2c0c-11ee-889d-1bbed5bc2735.html.
Feature photo: Swan valley Connections, a nonprofit in Montana, captured this grey wolf on one of the organization’s trail cameras. The actual video was shared on Facebook with the accompanying message: “Gray wolf territories are dynamic and shift throughout the year. Here is a screenshot of the video.
