Archery Hunting For Wolves

Archery hunters in Montana will have an opportunity to pursue wolves this fall beginning Sept. 3.

The Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks Commission approved a wolf hunting season for the fall that encompasses14 wolf management units and a total harvest quota of 220 wolves.

Wolf hunting will occur during the big game archery season set for Sept. 3 and during the general rifle season beginning Oct. 22. FWP officials say that the wolf hunting season in some areas could run through Dec. 31 if the quotas are not reached. Hunters are urged to study the new Montana wolf hunting regulations carefully for details on the areas they plan to hunt.

Montana’s wolf hunting license for residents is $19 and $350 for nonresidents. License sales began in August.

Wildlife officials documented a minimum of 566 wolves, in 108 verified packs and 35 breeding pairs in Montana at the end of 2010. The harvest quota for the upcoming hunting season is projected to reduce the wolf population to a minimum of 425 wolves, or by about 25%.

A congressional measure passed this spring removed gray wolves from the list of endangered species in Montana, Idaho and parts of Oregon, Washington and Utah. It was challenged in federal district court in Missoula this May, and ruled constitutional by Judge Donald Molloy on Aug. 3.

For the 2010 hunting season, FWP had approved a harvest quota of 186 wolves across 13 wolf management units. That season was blocked by a federal court. Montana’s first and only regulated wolf hunt was in 2009 when 72 wolves were taken by hunters, three fewer than the established quota.