Emotions run high at wolf management meeting

Emotions ran high at a seminar on wolf management in Mineral County Thursday night in Superior.

More than 20 people attended the meeting to talk about the future of wolves in Mineral County and their impact on the current landscape.

Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks County Wolf Coordinator Liz Bradley gave a presentation on the current state of Mineral County's wolf population. "The main issue is we have with wolves killing livestock," Bradley said.

Many people in the crowd were concerned that wolves would endanger people while they were out in the woods as well as their livestock. The majority of the crowd felt that it was foolish to punish people for killing wolves in self defense or in defense of livestock.

"I can assure you, it's awfully nonsensical to us," said Rep. Gordon Hendrick (R-Superior).

Bradley said that in Montana, there are two areas of wolf management. In the southern part of the state, wolves are listed as a non essential population. Therefore, they can be killed to protect livestock or property. Mineral County rests in the part of the state where wolves are endangered.

"In the endangered area, where you sit in Superior, wolves are federally protected. Basically, you have to call us if there's a problem," Bradley said.

She also said that in court cases when wolves have been killed, the reason for the killing is taken into account.

"I can assure you that there is a very big difference in shooting wolves to protect your livestock and malicious killing," Bradley said.

Bradley said that around 10 to 12 percent of the wolf mortalities in Montana are illegal incidents, such as individuals shooting wolves in the protected area.

"We don't' like to tell you that you can't protect your livestock; we're just telling you what the law is," FWP Game Warden Mike Fegely said.

Bradley said that when a rancher loses livestock to a wolf, he or she is eligible for a market value reimbursement of the cost of the animal from Defenders of Wildlife, a group that supports the reintroduction of wolves into Montana.

Montana's FWP offers help for farmers who are trying to keep wolves off their property. Bradley said that apart from electric fencing, wolves can be controlled by the use of bright red flagging along fence lines, a method that was developed by hunters in Norway, who used the flagging in the woods to drive wolves to a specific spot to kill them. When placed along a fence barrier, the red flagging keeps wolves off ranching property.

Bradley said that there is also talk of using government funding to hire range riders, who would ride out on ranches to harass wolves and keep them away from livestock.

Many hunters who were in attendance were concerned that the elevated wolf numbers would decrease the number of elk and deer in the area for hunting season.

"The trick is to manage predator and prey together," Bradley said.

FWP plans to adjust hunting seasons on game as well as a potential season on wolves to maximize the available game without damaging the population, said Bradley. They also plan to work on animal habitats and increase monitoring of wolves to see exactly what impact they are having on game in the area.

If the proposed hunting season on wolves is approved, Montana residents will be able to buy a permit for $19, and non-residents can purchase one for $350.

According to Bradley, wolves in Montana are being managed, along with the wolves in Idaho and Wyoming. In order for the wolves to be delisted, each state had to bring its wolf numbers to an acceptable range of 10 breeding pairs and keep it there for at least three years. A breeding pair consists of a male and female wolf that has at least two pups that survive the entire year.

All three states met those standards in 2002 and have been going through the process of delisting wolves ever since. Statewide wolf coordinator Caroline Sime said the main problem so far has been Wyoming's delisting plan. Each state had to present a plan to delist wolves and keep their numbers at an acceptable level. Wyoming's plan was turned down and since the three states are being managed together, the entire process has been held up.

According to Sime, if all goes as planned, wolves will be delisted at a FWP meeting Feb. 20. She added that the hunting season will most likely be challenged in court by any number of environmental groups.

According to Bradley, there are 1,500 wolves across Idaho, Montana and Wyoming. In Montana, FWP estimated there are at least 415 wolves divided into 73 packs of at least two wolves and at least 38 breeding pairs of wolves. Idaho has the most wolves at 730. Bradley said that these numbers are a low estimate and are always in flux. Wolves are not concerned with state and country boundary lines and they come from Canada or Idaho into Montana or leave the state fairly frequently.

Bradley said the average wolf pack size is around six and that packs grow and shrink, depending on the season. In the spring and summer, wolves are rearing their pups and usually stay in small groups to feed their young. When the winter months come, wolves get into larger packs to make hunting and traveling easier.

Bradley said the wolves are monitored using radio collars to track their movement. FWP also uses reports from people, who have seen wolves, to gauge their numbers and location.

The final day for public comment on the proposed wolf hunting regulations is Feb. 13. Comments can be turned in at www.fwp.mt.gov/wildthings/wolf.