Wolf hunt an orderly success

It was historic, to say the least, that Montana just completed the first regulated wolf hunt in the lower 48 states this week. Montana’s Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks deserves kudos for managing the hunt to a tee, closely monitoring it with a reporting system that ensured that the statewide quota of 75 wolves would not be exceeded. To be sure, many believe more wolves could have been harvested. But there were specific reasons for the conservative quota, amounting to about 15 percent of the state’s estimated population of 500 wolves. Even with the hunt, Montana’s wolf population is expected to grow next year. Even though Montana and Idaho wolves were removed from protection under the Endangered Species Act early this year, the two states must show the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service that they can maintain sustainable wolf populations. “This was the first year in a five-year period we have to prove ourselves, and I think we have to prove ourselves well,” Ream said. Not to mention demonstrating the viability of the hunt in court. The delisting decision has been challenged by a coalition of environmental groups, and the state of Montana is rightly defending its authority to manage wolves. The regulated hunt is a big part of that program...read more