Montana has low tolerance for wolves by Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online! September 13, 2012
Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks (FWP) recently conducted four separate surveys of resident Montanans regarding Montana's wolf hunt. Survey findings revealed that tolerance with wolves being on the Montana landscape was quite low. At the same time, there was considerable tolerance for the concept of wolf hunting in the state.
Of note, tolerance for wolf hunting was not just limited to those survey respondents who reported they were intolerant of wolves in general. Other survey findings revealed that public satisfaction with wolf management in the state significantly improved as a result of the 2011 Montana wolf hunt. While there was little agreement among survey respondents regarding whether or not the regulations for the 2011 Montana wolf hunt were satisfactory, results suggest support for a more aggressive approach to wolf harvest regulations considering the fact that wolves are elusive and difficult to hunt even under the best of circumstances. These findings support the FWP Commission's recent decision to implement a more liberal wolf harvest package for the 2012 season.
For details on the survey results, click on the link below.
MT Fish Wildlife & Parks Summary of Research
http://www.pinedaleonline.com/wolf/pdf/montanansandwolves.pdf
