Wolf Management

[bearpaw]

Somebody said they wanted to go wolf hunting??

http://www.helenair.com/articles/2009/07/09/top/60st_090709_wolves.txt

Quota Set For Montana Wolf Hunting
By EVE BYRON - Independent Record - 07/09/09

Barring legal intervention, Montana will have its first official gray wolf hunting season this fall, after the Fish, Wildlife and Parks Commission unanimously agreed Wednesday to a 75-wolf quota.

State officials said the historic decision represents a victory for wildlife conservation in Montana and for the often maligned federal Endangered Species Act.

“Today, we can celebrate the fact that Montana manages elk, deer, bears, mountain lions, ducks, bighorn sheep, and wolves in balance with their habitats, other species, and in balance with the people who live here,” said FWP Director Joe Maurier. “Montanans have worked hard to recover the Rocky Mountain wolf and to integrate wolves into Montana’s wildlife management programs. That’s always been the promise of the Endangered Species Act, and we’re pleased so see it fulfilled here in Montana.”

However, wolf advocates already have filed two lawsuits in federal court contesting the removal of gray wolves in Montana and Idaho from the protection offered by the Endangered Species Act, and say they expect to ask a judge to intervene in the wolf hunt.

“We’re looking closely at what Montana and Idaho do regarding hunting,” said Doug Honnold, an attorney with Earthjustice. “Montana has acted and Idaho hasn’t. We haven’t filed papers yet (seeking an injunction) but I expect that we will.”

Mike Garrity, executive director of the Helena-based Alliance for the Wild Rockies, added that Montana shouldn’t have a wolf hunting season until the population is fully recovered.

“To do that, wolves need to expand out of Montana. So they need the population to increase until it forces wolves to move out the state,” Garrity said. His is one of 13 groups represented by Earthjustice, which filed the federal court lawsuit in May.

A majority of the 180 public comments submitted to the commission, however, stated that not only should a hunting season take place, but the proposed range of a 26 to 165 wolf quota was too low.

“Even with a quota of 165, it is very unlikely that the kill will be reached,” wrote John Backs of St. Ignatius. “We are tired of wolves hammering our moose and elk herds in many areas. Tell the pro-wolf crowd to go bark up a tree. Stand up for the sportsmen of Montana, not a bunch of East Coast and West Coast wolf lovers who don’t have to put up with the wolves in their back yards.”

Montana is home to at least 500 gray wolves, with another 846 residing in Idaho and 302 in Wyoming. An estimated 1,000 wolf pups were born in the Northern Rockies this spring.

Wolves in Wyoming remain under federal protection. But with the removal of wolves from the list of endangered species in Montana and Idaho, those states officially took over their management from the federal U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Part of the management plans call for wolf hunts to keep the population in check.

Idaho is expected to set a wolf hunting quota in August, according to Ken McDonald, FWP chief of wildlife.

In recommending the 75-wolf quota, McDonald said Montana is performing a balancing act. The state needs to learn how successful hunters will be to incorporate that into wolf management plans, but he didn’t want a quota that’s too high, which might prompt a judge to order an injunction stopping all hunting.

“The higher the (quota) the higher the risk for an injunction,” McDonald said.

He added that even if they went with the highest suggested quota of 165 wolves, the population is still expected to grow. If all 75 permits are filled, the wolf population in Montana would still increase from 500 to 665, based on FWP models.

“We think (75) is enough to give us an understanding of the effectiveness of hunting while still leaving room to address concerns,” McDonald said. “This will be a one-time decision, too. We’ll be coming back in December for the biennium season setting process, and the following year, about this time, we’ll be redoing the quota.”

Hunting licenses will cost $19 for residents and $350 for nonresidents. License sales are set to begin Aug 17.

The state is separated into three wolf management units, with individual hunting districts starting and ending in conjunction with other big-game seasons.

Montana’s back-country big game hunting season runs Sept. 15 through Nov. 29; and the general big game rifle season is set for Oct. 25 through Nov. 29. If certain quotas in units aren’t met, the wolf hunting season could be extended until Dec. 31.

Wolf kills must be reported within 12 hours, and the state can shut down hunting in any of the units with 24-hours notice once the quotas are met or if too many wolves in an area are shot for preying on livestock.

Wolves were hunted to near extinction in the United States, but were reintroduced in the northern Rockies in 1994 by the USFWS. At least 1,645 are now present in the West.

The Bush administration took gray wolves in Montana, Idaho and Wyoming off the endangered species list in 2008, and a hunting season in Montana with a quota of 75 wolves was tentatively approved last year. However, a lawsuit by groups opposed to the delisting resulted in an injunction, and the USFWS pulled the delisting plan to revise it.

A new plan, approved by the Obama administration, delisted wolves in Montana and Idaho, but kept them protected in Wyoming because of the liberal proposed laws in that state that would allow most to be shot on sight.

[WDFW-SUX]

$350 for a wolf tag....thats just plain stupid

[bearpaw]

Unfortunately MT is just like Washington, and Idaho, and every other state. The residents all hate non-residents and want them to pay more. Most all states have legislation put in place by legislators who are representatives of the people which forces Game Dept's to charge 10 times as much for any non-resident license as what residents pay.

All you have to do is go through the threads on this forum and you will find the same hatred of non-resident hunters. This baffles me as far more WA residents hunt out of state than the other way around.

I always try to remind hunters that it is a hypocritical outlook because most sportsmen almost always eventually want to go somewhere else and then can't understand why it costs so much. You ought to go to a game meeting in these other states, you are afraid to say you are a non-resident....

[Michelle_Nelson]

So how many of you guys are going to be wolf hunting in Aug?  Only 75 permits, they will go fast.

[WDFW-SUX]

Im not paying 350 for a wolf tag

[270Shooter]

Its a quota I think Michelle, so anyone can buy a tag. They just shut it down once 75 wolves are killed. Thats how I see it anyway. And 350 bucks is too much money. Might as well get a deer license over there.

[bearpaw]

Unlimited permits....season shuts down when 75 are killed....check on a hotline before going hunting to be sure season is still open.

[bearpaw]

mulehunter think about this.....you and i both know how to go and very successfully hunt these wolves......

[mulehunter]

Bearpaw,   
 
350 dollar Ouch.. But LEGALLY. I wish I am in MT!   UNLIMITED  whoa... Do you mean UNLIMITED all Year around but Not need to report?  I am sure people in Mt wouldnt report to reduce harvest quote Keep it above 75? 
MT fish and Game might start to wonder why no one report after the season OPEN.

 
Mulehunter 

[bearpaw]

I'm not sure of all details....but I think they will sell a tag to as many people who want one....and the season stays open until 75 are taken. That's how they do it with cougar and they said they were setting it up the same way in a previous news release.

[bearpaw]

Anyone wanting to purchase a wolf call???   

[mulehunter]

I'm not sure of all details....but I think they will sell a tag to as many people who want one....and the season stays open until 75 are taken. That's how they do it with cougar and they said they were setting it up the same way in a previous news release.

Nah I wouldnt Report it. Keep buying more bullets!

Mulehunter 

[bearpaw]

You are too bitter, we need to make the system work if we want them to let us hunt and manage these wolves....but I do understand your feelings.

[mulehunter]

Ya I know I was joking... I would report it no matter what!

Mulehunter 

[Timberstalker]

So who is gonna start the "Wolf Madness" thread