Wildlife agencies investigating wolf killed in Thompson River drainage

The Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks and U.S. Fish and Wildlife service reported a wolf killing near the Lower Thompson Falls River May 27. The report stated the an individual, who was looking for deer antlers on the Priscilla Peak Trail, found the wolf and reported it to Tom Chianelli, the Sanders County FWP game warden.

A necropsy by the FWP laboratory in Bozeman indicated that the killing was definitely man-caused and the FWP has begun an investigation to find the poacher. When asked about the investigation and the condition of the wolf, Chianelli said that he couldn’t comment on the matter until there was more information.

However, Carolyn Sime, the FWP statewide wolf program coordinator, said “There was enough suspicious things that we wanted to investigate.”

John Fraley, the FWP information officer, said that he couldn’t comment on the investigation either and that if anyone had any information they should contact the FWP. The organization is offering a reward of up to $1,000 to get information leading to the apprehension and conviction of those responsible for the wolf poaching.

While Fraley is adamant against poaching of any sort, he did say he was concerned about the number of wolf depredations “This year there have been fairly regular livestock depredations,” Fraley said.

While it is illegal to poach wolves in their own natural habitat, it is legal to protect livestock. “If the wolf is in the process of attacking a rancher’s livestock, they have the right to protect their livestock,” Fraley said.

Last March, wolves were taken off the endangered species list and were classified only as a species of concern. Their numbers have been growing since 1978 when the U.S. Fish and Wildlife organization clarified the legal status of the gray wolf in North America by listing all wolf species south of Canada as endangered.

The original listing came from the near extinction of the species due to over hunting in the early 1900s. According to the FWP Web site, between 1987 and 2004, a total of 292 wolves have been killed in the tri-state area to resolve wolf-livestock conflicts, 166 wolves have been killed in Montana. Contrastingly, the Web site also reported 190 cattle and 409 sheep depredations in Montana between 1987 and 2004.

To remedy the current problem with wolf livestock depredations the FWP is working on putting forth a proposal for a wolf-hunting season this coming fall. Last February, they completed the first part of a two-step process, creating a wolf season structure. Within the structure, dates, boundaries and types of weapons were listed.

The second step will be to create a yearly quota system. It is hoped that this will happen on June 12, and that after public comment in July, a formal proposal can be submitted to the state August 5.