Everything to know about MT wolf hunt
Resident tags $19, non-resident $350
by Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks
August 26, 2009
Montana Wolf Hunt News:
Scroll down for these items:
• Montana Prepared for First Wolf Hunt
• Montana Wolf Hunting Licenses Available Aug. 31
• How to Purchase a 2009 Wolf Hunting License
• Wolf Hunt Refunds Planned if Lawsuit Blocks Season
• FWP FACT Sheet—How to Hunt a Wolf
• FWP Fact Sheet—Montana Wolf Conservation and Management & the 2009 Regulated Wolf Hunt
MONTANA PREPARED FOR FIRST WOLF HUNT
Montana's first-ever, fair-chase wolf hunting season, set to open Sept. 15 in some areas of the state, is the culmination of one of the fastest endangered species recoveries on record, wildlife officials said today.
"Montana's approach to recovery has always been open, balanced, and based on science," said FWP Director Joe Maurier. "Montanans have lived with wolves since the mid 1980s, about 10 years before wolves were released in Yellowstone National Park. We've all worked long and hard to reach the day when Montana would fully bring wolves into the state's wildlife management programs."
In the mid 1990s, to hasten the overall pace of wolf recovery in the Northern Rockies, 66 wolves were released into Yellowstone National Park and central Idaho. The minimum recovery goal for wolves in the northern Rocky Mountains was set at a minimum of 30 breeding pairs—successfully reproducing wolf packs—and a minimum of 300 individual wolves for at least three consecutive years and well distributed throughout the recovery area. The goal was achieved in 2002, and the wolf population has increased every year since.
FWP recently intervened in a federal lawsuit aimed at turning back a recent decision to remove gray wolves in the northern Rocky Mountains from the federal list of endangered species. FWP will also oppose a preliminary injunction to stop planned wolf hunts in Montana and Idaho.
In March, Montana wildlife officials praised U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar's announcement that affirmed an earlier decision by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to remove gray wolves from the list of threatened and endangered species in Montana, Idaho, and parts of Utah, Washington, Oregon.
"That was a great day for Montana and a great day for the Endangered Species Act," Maurier recalled. "It's what we worked for and we were happy to see that officials in far away Washington, D.C. agreed that Montana did its part to establish a secure place for wolves. It was a recognition for a job well done and recognition that Montana earned the right to take over management of this wildlife species."
In July, Montana wildlife officials set a state quota at 75 wolves for hunting seasons across the three specifically defined wolf management units. Hunting license sales are set to begin Aug. 31.
Maurier said the quota of 75 wolves is a conservative approach to hunting a prolific species like the wolf, whose numbers in recent years have increased about 20 percent annually in Montana.
"The quota limits the total number of wolves that can be taken by hunters and it ensures that FWP can carefully monitor the population before, during, and after the hunting season," he said. "We want to take it slowly, learn from the experience, and ensure that we do this right."
At the end of 2008, about 500 wolves lived in Montana in about 84 packs, 34 of which were breeding pairs. Some 1,650 wolves lived in the northern Rocky Mountain region, where wolves can travel about freely to join existing packs or form new packs.
"In Montana, we finally have the full range of tools to manage wolves along with elk, deer, bears, mountain lions, grouse, bighorn sheep, and some 600 other fish and wildlife species. Our goal is to manage all Montana wildlife in balance with their habitats, other species, and in balance with the people who live here."
The recent removal of the wolf from the federal endangered species list allows Montana to manage wolves in a manner similar to how bears, mountain lions and other wildlife species are managed, guided completely by state management plans and laws.
MONTANA WOLF HUNTING LICENSES AVAILABLE AUG. 31
Montana's Fish, Wildlife & Parks will offer hunting licenses for the state's first regulated wolf season on Aug. 31.
Officials recently set the statewide harvest quota at 75 wolves for hunting seasons that are set to open Sept. 15 in Montana's select backcountry, or wilderness areas.
Licenses will be valid within three specifically defined wolf management units. Hunters must obtain permission to hunt on private lands.
Wolf licenses can be purchased online at fwp.mt.gov, or from any FWP regional office or license provider. Hunters must have, or purchase, a valid 2009 conservation license. Wolf hunting licenses are $19 for residents and $350 for nonresidents. An access fee may also apply.
Wolf Management Units & Quotas
• Wolf Management Unit 1, which extends across the northern tier of Montana, the wolf harvest quota is 41, with a subquota of two in the North Fork of the Flathead River subunit.
• WMU 2, a patch of southwestern Montana that stretches from Missoula south through the Bitterroot and Upper Big Hole valleys, the wolf harvest quota is 22.
• WMU 3, which extends across the southern tier of Montana from Dillon east to the Montana border, the wolf harvest quota is 12.
Wolf Hunting Season
Wolf hunting season dates correspond to Montana's early backcountry big game hunting season and the big game rifle season. Hunters can hunt in any WMU with an open quota. Season dates are:
• Sept. 15–Nov. 29 in early backcountry deer and elk hunting districts 150, 151, 280, and 316
• Oct. 25–Nov. 29 in entire Wolf Management Units 1, 2 and 3
• Dec. 1-31, if quotas aren't met, the wolf-hunting season could be extended in specific WMUs. No more than 25 percent of the established WMU quota, however, can be harvested in December. Officials noted, however, that a federal lawsuit to overturn the recent wolf delisting decision could prevent the wolf hunting season and hunting-license sales. FWP recently joined the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services' legal defense of the delisting decision.
Harvest Reporting Requirements
Hunters will have strict reporting requirements. Upon the harvest of a wolf, hunters must call 1-877-FWP-WILD (1-877-397-9453) within 12 hours to file a report.
When a wolf management unit reaches its quota, FWP will close the season upon 24-hour's notice. Hunters can call 1-800-385-7826 for the latest wolf harvest status and closure information.
Montana officials estimated that about 500 wolves inhabited the state at the end of 2008. The recent removal of the wolf from the federal endangered species list allows Montana to manage wolves in a manner similar to how bears, mountain lions and other wildlife species are managed, guided completely by state management plans and laws.
HOW TO PURCHASE A 2009 WOLF HUNTING LICENSE
Montana's first wolf hunting licenses will go on sale Aug. 31. Licenses will be valid within three specifically defined wolf management units. Hunters must obtain permission to hunt on private lands. How to purchase
• Hunters can purchase a wolf license online at fwp.mt.gov, or from any FWP regional office or license provider.
• Hunters must have, or purchase, a valid 2009 conservation license.
• Wolf hunting licenses are $19 for residents and $350 for nonresidents.
Regulations and Seasons
• Regulations are available via the FWP Web site at fwp.mt.gov, and from most FWP license providers.
• Hunters cannot use any motorized vehicle—including OHVs and snowmobiles—to hunt wolves.
• The use of dogs, bait, scent, lures, traps, lights, electronic tracking devices, or any recorded or electrically amplified bird or animal calls to hunt
or attract wolves is prohibited.
• Additional rules and regulations that apply to big game hunting are also in effect.
• Wolf hunting-seasons:
o Sept. 15–Nov. 29—in early backcountry deer and elk hunting districts 150, 151, 280, and 316.
o Oct. 25–Nov. 29—in entire Wolf Management Units 1, 2 and 3.
o If a WMU's quota isn't met, the wolf hunting season could be extended in that area to run Dec. 1-31. No more than 25 percent of the established WMU quota, however, can be harvested in December.
Quotas
• The total harvest quota is 75 wolves across three wolf management units.
• WMU 1, the northern tier of Montana, the quota is 41, with a subquota of two in the North Fork of the Flathead River subunit.
• WMU 2, in extreme southwestern Montana, the quota is 22.
• WMU 3, across the southern tier of Montana, the quota is 12.
Where To Hunt Wolves
• Montana is divided into three Wolf Management Units and each has its own quota.
• FWP wildlife management areas are open to hunting during the fall wolf season.
• Legally accessible State School Trust Land is open to wolf hunting.
• Obtain permission to hunt private land.
• Only tribal members may be allowed to hunt wolves on Indian Reservations. Contact the respective Tribal Government Office with questions.
• State Game Preserves, National Parks, and National Wildlife Refuges are closed to wolf hunting.
Reporting Requirements & Season Closures
• Hunters are required to call 1-877-FWP-WILD (1-877-397-9453) to report harvests within 12 hours.
• Hunters must personally present the tagged wolf hide and skull to a designated FWP employee within 10 days of the harvest for inspection. Evidence of the animal's sex must remain naturally attached to the hide.
• Any hide and skull not presented or registered to FWP personnel within ten (10) days of harvest may be confiscated by FWP.
• When a WMU reaches its quota, FWP will close the season upon 24-hour's notice. Hunters should always check FWP's closure updates before each day afield.
Wolf Hunt Information Hotline
• Hunters can call 1-800-385-7826 for the latest wolf harvest status and closure information.
WOLF HUNT REFUNDS PLANNED IF LAW SUIT BLOCKS SEASON
Montana's wolf hunting licenses will go on sale Aug. 31, but hunters could get a refund if a lawsuit succeeds in placing the gray wolf back on the federal endangered species list.
"Montana's wolf hunting season is set and will certainly be well managed under the state's federally approved wolf conservation and management plan," said Joe Maurier, director of Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks in Helena.
"We're confident the decision to delist the wolf is based on solid wildlife science, but if the federal court disagrees, a refund process is in place that we believe is fair should the hunt be stopped."
Hunters can purchase a wolf license online at fwp.mt.gov, or from any FWP license provider. Montana's wolf hunting licenses are $19 for residents and $350 for nonresidents.
Montana's wolf hunting season is set to open Sept. 15 in early backcountry hunting districts. A general wolf hunting season is set to run from Oct. 25–Nov. 29. If certain quotas aren't met, however, the wolf hunting season could be extended to run Dec. 1-31. The total harvest quota is 75 wolves across three wolf management units.
Maurier said if Montana's wolf hunting season is blocked, fees will be automatically refunded in the following manner:
• Full refund—if cancelled between Aug. 31 and Sept. 15, due to having no opportunity to hunt.
• Eighty percent refund—if cancelled between Sept. 15 and Oct. 25, due to having a limited opportunity to hunt.
• No refund—if cancelled after Oct. 26, due to the general season being underway, which is consistent with existing hunting license refund policies.
• No refund—to a hunter who harvests a wolf.
• No refund—regardless of the date of cancellation, if the statewide wolf-harvest quota has been reached.
Maurier stressed that FWP is well prepared for the coming federal court proceedings in Missoula and will oppose any preliminary injunction to reinstate a federal Endangered Species Act listing for gray wolves.
How to Hunt a Wolf
In preparation for Montana's first-ever, fair-chase wolf-hunting season this fall, Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks offers the following tips for hunters to consider.
Before the hunt
• Learn about wolf biology, behavior, and movement patterns.
• Know your target: a gray wolf is, on average 2.5 feet tall; 5-6 feet long; 70-120 pounds with a broad snout, round ears and fur ranging from gray, black or tan to white. Compared to a coyote, a wolf is massive and long legged.
• Choose the proper weapon: experts suggest a center-fire rifle suitable for big game.
Tips Afield
• Wolves regularly travel on roads and trails, just like hunters, so look for tracks and scat. Wolves will walk in each other's footsteps in single file so that a pack may appear like a single wolf.
• Wolves have a good sense of smell, hearing and sight; are curious and, when seen, may linger for a few seconds before fleeing.
• Wolves communicate with each other through a variety of howls and other sounds, so listen. If you howl at the right time, you might draw in a wolf.
• Pay attention to deer and elk behavior. Alert deer and elk may signal a wolf nearby.
• After the shot, follow the wolf to retrieve and tag it as you would any other big game animal. Wolves aren't known to defend a wounded or harvested wolf pack member.
After the harvest
• When skinning an animal use these common sense precautions:
o Wear rubber (latex) gloves.
o Minimize contact with animal fluids, brain and spinal tissues.
o Wash hands and instruments thoroughly after field dressing.
• It's legal to harvest a radio-collared wolf but the collar must be returned to FWP. Please don't cut the collar belting.
• Some wolves, notably east of the Continental Divide in southwestern Montana, suffer from mange—a parasitic infestation caused by mites that results in the loss of fur. Hunters should avoid skinning a mangy wolf. Tag the animal and report the kill to FWP. Upon inspection of the carcass, you may be issued another wolf license.
• Hunters can expect a field-dressed adult wolf pelt to weigh about 15 pounds.
• An early autumn wolf pelt won't be quite as prime as a late season winter hide, but most will have thick and ample fur for tanning.
FWP Fact Sheet - Questions & Answers
Montana Wolf Conservation and Management and Montana's 2009 Regulated Wolf Hunt
The Wolf Population
Q. How many wolves are there in Montana?
A. About 500 lived in Montana at the end of 2008. Montana's wolf population has grown in recent years by about 20 percent annually. The minimum Montana wolf population at the end of 2008 was estimated at 497 wolves, in 84 verified packs, and 34 breeding pairs.
Q. What is the long-term plan for wolves in Montana?
A. Montana's wolf conservation and management program is similar to that for its healthy black bear and mountain lion populations. The aim is to sustain Montana's wolf population, and to keep it in balance with its habitat, other wildlife species and land uses and the people who live here.
Q. How many wolves are there in the Northern Rocky Mountains?
A. At the end of 2008, about 1,650 wolves lived in the northern Rocky Mountain region, where wolves can travel about freely to join existing packs or form new packs.
Q. What was the recovery goal for wolves?
A. The minimum recovery goal for wolves in the northern Rocky Mountains was set at a minimum of 30 breeding pairs—successfully reproducing wolf packs—and a minimum of 300 individual wolves for at least three consecutive years and well distributed throughout the recovery area. The goal was achieved in 2002, and the wolf population has doubled since then.
The Montana Wolf Conservation & Management Plan
Q. What is the Montana Wolf Conservation & Management Plan?
A. Montana’s wolf plan addresses a wide array of responsibilities related to the wolf's biological needs, human safety, livestock interactions, habitat connectivity, predator/prey relationships, funding, compensation for livestock depredations, wildlife monitoring, and public education and outreach. It focuses on the wildlife biology, laws, rules, regulations and management procedures needed to maintain a sustainable wolf population and prevent wolves from becoming endangered again.
Q. Who developed the plan?
A. The plan is largely based on the work of the 12-member Montana Wolf Management Advisory Council. The council's members represented a variety of interests and worked together with FWP and the public for more than three years to craft the plan.
Q. What is the goal of the plan?
A. The goal of Montana's wolf conservation and management plan is simple to bring wolves into the Montana wildlife fold, to include and manage them among all the species that inhabit Montana. Today, we can celebrate the fact that Montana manages elk, deer, bears, mountain lions, grouse, bighorn sheep, and wolves, in balance with their habitats, other species, and in balance with the people who live here.
Montana's Regulated Wolf Hunt
Q. Why does Montana want to hunt wolves?
A. FWP considers wolves as its does all other wildlife species it is charged to conserve and manage. An annual, regulated, well planned, and science-based hunt serves as one tool among many for Montana to use to conserve, manage and maintain a wild wolf population that's in balance with its habitat, other wildlife, and the people who live in Montana.
Q. How does this hunt benefit the State of Montana?
A. The people of Montana have done their part to make sure that wolves have a place to live. FWP, too, is well prepared to manage and conserve the wolf as part of Montana's wildlife stewardship responsibilities. Together, citizens and professional scientists, who understand the role of a carefully prescribed fair-chase hunt, will help Montana maintain healthy wildlife populations and reduce conflicts with domestic livestock.
Q. How will the hunting season affect FWP's efforts to address wolf-livestock conflicts?
A. Many wolf packs in Montana live near livestock and sometimes injure or kill livestock. Public hunting should help wildlife biologists provide some relief in areas prone to wolf-livestock conflicts.
Q. Why is the hunt set to begin now?
A. A regulated public harvest, as a part of a professionally run, science-based conservation and management program, is an important tool for managing a viable and fully recovered wolf population. FWP believes its prudent to begin a wolf hunting season now due to increasing levels of wolf-livestock conflicts as the wolf population has increased, and due to concerns about the status of some deer and elk populations where wolves and other predators exist. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, responsible for keeping a watchful eye on Montana's management program for the next five years, believes the hunt will have no negative effect on wolf recovery and will provide Montana with a chance to learn about regulated wolf hunting as a management tool.
Q. Why did FWP set the wolf harvest quota at 75, instead of a higher or lower quota?
A. The quota is conservative and limits the total number of wolves that can be taken by hunters, while acknowledging the important role hunters play in wildlife conservation and population management. A conservative quota also ensures that FWP can carefully monitor the population before, during, and after the hunting season. Managers want to start slowly with the first season, learn from the experience to ensure that the hunt is managed correctly and responsibly.
Q. Can FWP change the season in the future?
A. Yes. FWP and the FWP Commission could adopt changes for the 2010 and 2011 season in February 2010. The public will have opportunities to comment on all season proposals.
Q. Where will wolves be found this hunting season?
A. Montana's three Wolf Management Units, which encompass the entire state. Wolves, however, generally occur in the western one third of Montana. Licenses are valid within all three specifically defined WMUs. Wolves can be found on both public and private lands. Hunters must obtain permission to hunt on private lands. Like for all hunting, it's the hunter's individual challenge to learn about the animal’s biology, behavior, and movement patterns.
Q. How should hunters prepare for the hunt?
A. Learn about wolf biology, behavior, and movement patterns. Here are some tips:
• Know your target: a gray wolf is, on average 2.5 feet tall; 5-6 feet long; 70-120 pounds with a broad snout, round ears and fur ranging from gray, black or tan to white. Compared to a coyote, a wolf is massive and long legged.
• Choose the proper weapon. Experts suggest a center-fire rifle suitable for big game.
• Wolves are most active at dawn and dusk, though they often remain active all day in autumn and early winter.
• Wolves regularly travel on roads and trails, just like hunters, so look for tracks and scat.
• Wolves don’t mind being seen compared to the secretive mountain lion—to stay alert, even in clearings and meadows.
• Wolves have a good sense of smell, hearing and sight; are curious and, when seen, may linger for a few seconds before fleeing.
• Wolves communicate with each other through a variety of howls and other sounds, so listen. If you howl at the right time, you might draw in a wolf.
• Pay attention to deer and elk behavior. Alert deer and elk may signal a wolf nearby.
• After the shot, follow the wolf to retrieve and tag it as you would any other big game animal. Wolves aren't known to defend a wounded or harvested wolf pack member.
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