SALT LAKE CITY(AP) — Even though Utah has no established wolf packs, a lawmaker intends to introduce a bill next year that would reclassify wolves as a game animal and help pave the way for a sanctioned wolf hunt.
Wildlife managers told the Deseret News that the legislation sponsored by Sen. Alan Christensen of North Ogden would help prepare Utah for the day that wolves appear in greater numbers here.
Division of Wildlife Resources legislative liaison Robin Thomas says the bill is a long way off from establishing any sort of wolf hunt, and such a hunt would have to be established by the Utah Wildlife Board.
With the wolf population now recovering, Congress voted earlier this year to permanently delist wolves in many Western states, including a small section of northern Utah.