Hunters in northwestern Montana can take more than half of the 75-wolf quota in the state's upcoming hunt.
Hunters bought more than 4,000 wolf licenses over the first two days of sales.
The state set a quota of 75 wolves out of a population of about 500 at the end of 2008.
Federal Judge Donald Molloy is weighing a request to stop the hunt. If the hunt goes forward, it will start September 15th in back-country areas, and October 25th for the general rifle season.
There are three wolf management units in the state. Northern Montana gets 41 of the quota of 75 wolves statewide, but the North Fork of the Flathead is managed a little differently.
"The North Fork itself we're managing a little more tightly than the rest of the state and is where the packs originated, there was a connection there with British Columbia, and the majority of wolves there are within Glacier National Park, so it's a little different situation, it has a small sub-quota, that's outside, that's not part of that, it's only one wolf from that area," explains Fish, Wildlife and Parks, John Fraley.
Hunters must report a kill within 12 hours to safeguard against exceeding quota.
(from September 1, 2009)
The nation's first legal wolf hunt in decades is off to a slow start.
Hunters in Idaho began tracking and shooting wolves just before sunrise on Tuesday in select hunting districts in the state's central and northern mountains.
By midday, state officials were still waiting for the first wolf kill report, as well as an estimate of the number of hunters who set out to try their luck bagging the predators.
Idaho set a quota of 220 wolves this season as part of its plan for managing the population.
Meanwhile, license sales for Montana's first legal wolf hunt surpassed 3,000 in the first day as Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks reports that 3,400 wolf tags were sold on Monday.
Montana's hunt is slated to begin on September 15th in four wilderness areas, while the regular wolf hunting season statewide begins October 25th. The state has set a quota of 75 wolves out of a population of about 500.
The sales are continuing even as Judge Donald Molloy weighs a request from animal welfare and environmental groups to block hunts in Idaho and Montana.
If the hunt is halted before the season starts, then Montana license holders will be refunded their $19 license fee.
(from August 31, 2009)
Sales for Montana's first regulated wolf hunting season licenses started up on Monday and we talked with hunters and Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks officials about the historical day.
Florence Resident and hunter Kurt Solari said this was the day he's been waiting for. "The chance to pick up a wolf license in Montana is a historical event."
Staring at 5:00 in the morning the licenses could be purchased online and starting at 8:00 a.m., they were available at license providers around the state.
FWP Regional Information and Education Program Manager Vivica Crowser says they expected to see more people line up for licenses, adding that about 50 hunters showed up at the Missoula office to purchase a license in the first 90 minutes.
"It wasn't as large maybe as we were prepared for because we weren't really sure what to expect."
Crowser added that in the past 10 years there's been a lot of wolf recovery efforts made, and now is time to celebrate. "We've reached the point where we are able to have a management season for wolves, and so it's a big day it's an excitement for a lot of hunters who want to have a wolf license in their pocket."
Officials set the statewide harvest quota at 75 wolves for hunting seasons that are set to open September 15th in select backcountry, or wilderness areas.
Hunters must obtain permission to hunt on private lands and have, or also purchase, a valid 2009 conservation license. The licenses are valid within three specific wolf management units. The wolf hunting licenses cost $19 for residents and $350 for non-residents.
However the wolf-hunting season could still be blocked by groups that recently sued the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to prevent wolf delisting. U.S., District Court Judge Donald Malloy is expected to issue a ruling on a request by wildlife groups to block the hunt in the next few days (see related story).
