HELENA, Mont. (AP) — Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks commissioners are being asked to give initial approval to a wolf-hunt plan that would allow trapping and eliminate quotas.
Thursday’s commission meeting in Helena will lay out the agency’s plans for the state’s second wolf hunt since Congress lifted federal protections for gray wolves a year ago.
Last winter, hunters killed just 166 wolves out of a quota of 220, and the population rose an estimated 15 percent.
FWP officials are seeking to reduce the wolf population by expanding the hunt through lifting quotas, allowing the trapping of wolves and extending the season to the end of February.
If the commission gives its tentative approval Thursday, the proposal will go out to public comment before commissioners make a final decision in July.