GREAT FALLS — With almost two months remaining, this season’s wolf harvest in Montana is on par with past seasons in the state.
A total of 166 wolves have been harvested during the current hunting and trapping seasons as of Thursday, a number similar to that of previous years. The general hunting and trapping seasons are open until March 15.
“I know we’ve had many people watching Montana’s wolf hunting and trapping season this year,” said Hank Worsech, director of Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks (FWP), in a news release. “However, harvest numbers in the state are very similar to years past. We’ll continue to monitor these numbers closely as the hunting and trapping season continues.”
After the 2021 Legislature passed legislation requiring FWP to make efforts to reduce Montana’s wolf population to sustainable levels, the Fish & Wildlife Commission implement several changes for the 2021/2022 wolf regulations.
The changes included eliminating quotas, increasing the number of wolf trapping and hunting licenses allowed per hunter, extending wolf trapping seasons, and allowing snares for trapping wolves.
While there are no quotas, the commission established harvest thresholds in each of FWP’s administrative regions, which total 450 statewide. If harvest meets any of these thresholds, the commission will convene to revisit the regulations and season structure.
FWP has created a "wolf dashboard" with more information, including an interactive map that shows the number of wolves harvested by region and wolf management unit.
