Wolf poached on Rocky Mountain Front

Fish, Wildlife and Parks is seeking information on a year-old wolf that was shot and killed in November on the Rocky Mountain Front three weeks after it had been fitted with a radio collar so the pack to which it belonged could be better monitored. The Crown Mountain pack lives at the edge of the Lewis and Clark National Forest in the Benchmark area and also uses private land, according to Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks. A rancher previously shot another wolf in the same pack for harassing cattle in the spring. It is legal to shoot wolves in defense of property, but authorities most be notified. In the case of the young wolf that was shot in November, FWP was not notified. Ty Smucker, a FWP wolf management specialist, said the wolf had just been fitted with a collar so the Crown Mountain Pack could be monitored because of its proximity to livestock. If wolves are suspected of getting into cattle, FWP puts more effort into trying to fit a member with a radio collar, Smucker said...more