The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on Feb. 2 rejected requests from conservation groups to restore a ban on the hunting of gray wolves, allowing state-sanctioned wolf hunting season to continue in Montana and Idaho.
Federal officials concluded the wolf population was sufficient to overcome any natural changes. In a statement, the agency said, “the population maintains high genetic diversity and connectivity, further supporting their ability to adapt to future changes.”
Meanwhile, this year’s wolf harvest in the area is on track to meet state quotas. In Hunting Region 3, which runs from Lewis and Clark County to the state’s southern border, including Jefferson County, 42 wolves had been killed this season, which runs through Mar. 15 for rifle hunting and Feb. 15 for trapping and snaring.
The state-determined quota for Region 3 is 52 wolves. In the 2022-2023 season, the full quota was met.
In Hunting District 335, a subset of Region 3 that includes much of the northern part of Jefferson County, five animals had been harvested through Feb. 5, according to the state dashboard. The district extends south of Helena to Jefferson City along the Continental Divide; the eastern boundary is just outside of Rimini, and the western edge is Interstate 15. Four animals were trapped, while the fifth, one of two females, was snared. Exact location data of the trappings was not available.
In Hunting District 318, just south of District 335 along the county’s western border, two wolves — one male and one female — had been trapped as of Feb. 5. No wolves were reported harvested in Districts 350, 370 and 380, which extend to the east and south of the county.
Wolf hunting season remains open in western Montana, but the season has closed in regions 5 through 7, in the eastern part of the state, because the annual quotas there have been met.
The International Wolf Center says that there are an estimated 900 gray wolves in Montana, mostly in the northwestern portion of the state. Montana FWP has been managing wolves for the state since 2011. Its 2021 estimates indicate the wolf population in Montana remains stable.
