By TOM HASSLINGER/Staff writer
So far, 151 wolves have been harvested across the state.
The Panhandle, which encompasses the five northern counties, has produced the second most wolves per region with 25, according to Idaho Fish and Game’s website.
The Dworshak-Elk City region has yielded 28 wolves as of Tuesday. The wolf season opened Aug. 30, and runs through March 31 in the Panhandle. It doesn’t have a harvest limit.
Phil Cooper, Idaho Department of Fish and Game Panhandle Region spokesman, said the current pace is only slightly behind 2009’s inaugural season, which harvested 186 wolves.
“I’d say it looks like we’re just about on par with what we saw in 2009,” he said.
Unit one, the northern most portion of the panhandle, has produced around 10 of the 25 kills, the office said.
The harvest could slow down too, since many of the other hunting seasons are over, meaning less hunters are typically walking the forests.
Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks has closed wolf hunting in a district covering areas east of Kalispell and in the Swan Valley because the allotted quota was recently met.
The quota for District 130 was 12 wolves, and over the weekend the state announced that the quota had been met and the district would be closed as of sunset Monday.
Wolf hunting remains open in other districts in Northwest Montana.
Across Montana, a total of 104 wolves have been killed by hunters this season. The combined quota for all districts statewide is 220.
The Montana wolf hunt is scheduled to continue through Dec. 31. A proposal to extend it one more month is under consideration.