Judge’s order halts wolf trapping and snaring season in most of Montana

Wolf trapping and snaring in Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks regions 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5, and in Hill, Blaine and Phillips counties won’t start until Jan. 1 and will run through Feb. 15, according to a federal court injunction issued Tuesday.  

The wolf hunting season, separate from trapping and snaring, remains in place and is open through March 15, as described in the 2023 wolf regulations. Wolf harvest quotas are still in place for FWP regions and can be tracked via the Wolf Harvest Dashboard.  

U.S. District Court Judge Donald Molloy granted the preliminary injunction in the case after hearing arguments from plaintiffs the Flathead-Lolo-Bitterroot Citizens Task Force and WildEarth Guardians. In his order, he agreed that traps could injure grizzly bears, which are protected under the Endangered Species Act.

The state of Montana has appealed the ruling. 

Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks' staff will continue to track the denning status of grizzly bears in case an appeal is successful, and the injunction is overturned.   

Gov. Greg Gianforte blasted the ruling in a statement last week.

“Just ahead of Thanksgiving and the start of wolf trapping season, the judge’s sweeping order tramples the rights of trappers while a few environmental extremists abuse the ESA and ride the gravy train of judicial activism,” Gianforte said. “Montana has a healthy, sustainable population of wolves and grizzlies, and there has been no incidental take of grizzlies from wolf trapping in Montana since 2013. And yet misusing ESA protections for the grizzly to thwart the state’s wolf management plan, the activist judge has obstructed the state from responsibly managing wolves based on the sound science of FWP biologists. The state has appealed this textbook case of judicial activism, and urges the federal government to review and approve the state’s petition to delist the grizzly which has recovered in Montana’s ecosystems.”