FWP restricts snares for wolf trapping
Wolf snaring in lynx protection zones will be illegal under the new rules.
Hungry Horse News
The Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks Commission last week tweaked the wolf trapping season and the use of snares to catch wolves.
The new rules look to minimize the non-target capture of grizzly bears and lynx, both of which are listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act.
In essence, broad swaths of most of Northwest Montana would be closed to snaring under the new rules. In addition, wolf trapping in grizzly bear areas would be moved to Dec. 31.
In essence, that also delays the opening date for trapping wolves across a broad swath on Northwest Montana.
The grizzly bear date could move earlier if the department determines most grizzly bears are denned for the winter. Outside of these areas the wolf trapping and snaring season will begin Nov. 29, the earliest date identified in state law for wolf trapping seasons.
Additionally, the commission gave the department the flexibility to adjust the opening of wolf trapping and snaring by wolf management unit, or an aggregation of WMUs, based on conditions on the ground.
The commission also closed snaring for wolves on public land within Lynx Protection Zones. These zones have long been established in Montana trapping regulations and are generally in the greater Yellowstone area and northwest Montana.
All other parts of the wolf hunting and trapping regulations approved by the commission in August remain in place. This includes the wolf harvest thresholds set by FWP administrative region and totaling 450 statewide, FWP notes. The thresholds are intended to allow the commission opportunity to potentially adjust regulations during the season based on wolf harvest by hunters and trappers.
The changes will be reflected in the online version of the wolf hunting and trapping regulations soon, the department said.
The changes come after the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced it would re-examine the status of the wolf under the Endangered Species Act, as states like Montana and Idaho made wolf trapping and hunting far less restrictive.
The changes in the regulations have even brought the ire of some sportsmen, who claim they fly in the face of fair chase principles.