![]() Wildlife officials’ biggest concern about snare traps is that they could injure or kill dogs, Anderson said. Snare traps squeeze down on the animal’s neck - the harder they pull away, the harder the trap squeezes. Snaring is cheaper, requires less skill and is lethal. The trap catches them by the foot and isn’t immediately deadly. Under current law, trappers trying to catch wolves, often for their pelts, must get the animal to step on a trap that is about 6 to 8 inches in diameter. The state’s per-person bag limit is five, although just six people killed that many wolves in 2020. (Provided by Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks)Ībout 240 wolves per year were hunted or otherwise killed in Montana on average over the past decade, but that number climbed to 328 during the 2020 hunting season, which could drop the overall population to under 1,000, according to state wildlife documents. A gray wolf in northwestern Montana howls just outside a den at the base of a tree in this time-stamped surveillance photo. Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks has no official position on the bills, and agency representatives only provided information to lawmakers. The legislation was forwarded to fish and wildlife officials tasked with laying out the details. “Sportsmen and landowners wanted to see fewer wolves on the landscape.”Ī host of proposals are in the works: expanding the hunting season, hunting at night, and allowing hunters to use snares that strangle the animals. “What you are seeing right now in Montana is a pushback,” Anderson said. Montana has had “fairly liberal” hunting seasons for the past few years, yet the population has remained steady, which is why lawmakers this year passed a handful of bills aimed at decreasing the population. “We are easily 10 times that number,” Anderson said, noting that in northwest Montana, there are about 80 wolf packs. The recovery plan called for 15 breeding pairs, identified as mates with at least two surviving pups, and about 150 wolves in total. Montana has more than 1,100 wolves, far more than the minimum population state wildlife officials identified when they took over management of the animals in 2010. ![]() Biggest concern about snare traps are injuries or death of dogs Officials are also collecting comments via an online form. The agency is holding informational meetings across Colorado, from Steamboat Springs to Alamosa to Sterling, as it develops a plan to restore and manage the gray wolf population. We are observing from a long distance so that the pack has the best chance for survival (1/2) /MlZTnsxLFB- Colorado Parks and Wildlife July 8, 2021Ĭolorado voters approved a ballot measure in November that directs Colorado Parks and Wildlife to place about 10 wolves a year into Western Slope forests starting in 2023. Since originally spotting three wolf pups, our staff have now spotted SIX wolf pups on the ground. □ Gray Wolf Update We have an exciting update from our breeding pair of Gray Wolves. It’s Colorado’s first litter of gray wolves since the animals went extinct in the state in the 1940s because of hunting and trapping. And last week, CPW announced that the collared wolves known as John and Jane now have six pups. Then wildlife officials announced the wolf had a mate. “They will take off pretty quickly, is my guess.”Ĭolorado Parks and Wildlife confirmed last year that a gray wolf had roamed into the northwest corner of the state from a Wyoming pack near Yellowstone National Park. ![]() “I’m guessing that once wolves get established there, they will take off and do pretty darn well,” said Neil Anderson, a wildlife manager for the northwest region of Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks. What Colorado can learn from Montana's, Idaho's decreasing wolf population Close ![]()
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