Montana man shoots 2 wolves on property

For the second time in five weeks, a sheep rancher shot and killed wolves threatening his livestock within 300 yards of his home just northwest of Hamilton. Julie Schram said her husband, Dave, knew something was wrong early Monday morning when the couple's older Australian shepherd refused to go outside. "He just went stiff and wouldn't go out the door," she said. "Dave knew that something was going on." From a window, Schram spotted a black wolf standing a few feet away from a large pile of rocks where 10 goats and some sheep had taken refuge. "The goats were all standing together facing the wolf and the sheep were on top of the hill," she said. "They were obviously scared." Schram's husband grabbed his .22-250 rifle and ran to the nearby corral. "The spooky thing for me is the black wolf looked right at him and then continued on with what it was doing," Schram said. "If it had been a coyote, it would have been long gone. It didn't show any fear." Schram's husband killed the black wolf with a single shot. He then spotted a lighter-colored wolf about 50 feet farther away. When it turned broadside to him, he shot and killed it, too. The black wolf was male. The lighter-colored wolf was a female. Both appeared to be yearlings. Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks Warden Joe Jaquith investigated the incident and said it appeared to be a legitimate shooting. The Schrams own 120 acres off Mill Creek Road. For the most part, the property is surrounded by subdivisions and small farms...more