A wolf hunting district covering the North Fork Flathead drainage has been closed by the state because the district’s wolf quota recently was reached.
Wolf Management Unit 110 had a quota for two wolves to be harvested by hunters with wolf permits. Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks announced the closure Tuesday.
Only one other wolf-hunting district in Northwest Montana has been closed. District 101 covering the Salish Mountains west of Kalispell had a quota of 19 wolves that was reached Dec. 29.
Other districts in the region are getting close to closures. Fifteen wolves have been harvested in District 100, covering the extreme northwest corner of the state, where there is a quota of 18.
There have been 12 wolves harvested in the Sanders County District 121, where there is a quota of 17.
In District 130, covering the Swan Mountains and Swan Valley, there have been 11 wolves harvested, nearly reaching the quota of 12.
There has been one wolf harvested in the Bob Marshall Wilderness District 150, where there is a quota of three.
The Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks Commission recently extended the wolf hunt through Feb. 15, unless quotas are met for individual districts.
Hunters across Montana have shot 145 wolves since the season opened in early September.
That’s out of a 220-animal statewide quota that wildlife officials say could reduce the statewide population to about 425 wolves.
Idaho hunters and trappers have killed 269 wolves since August.
From Sept. 30 through Jan. 20, the Idaho Department of Fish and Game conducted 27 classes around the state and certified 577 individuals to trap wolves. Interest has been high, and 10 additional classes have been scheduled for the end of January through mid-February.
IDFG sold 32,273 wolf hunting tags for the 2011 hunting season, and 7,057 tags for the 2012 hunting season, as of Jan. 30.
IDFG has sold 416 wolf trapping tags for the 2011-2012 trapping season.
As of Jan. 30, 264 wolves had been legally harvested – 204 by hunters and 60 by trappers.