Vote to Come Soon On Wolf Quota

Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks commissioners are taking up a proposal to allow hunters to kill 220 wolves this year.

Commissioners will vote Thursday on whether to give tentative approval to the quota. If they do, the proposal will go out for public comment with a final decision by the commission scheduled for July 14.

This fall's hunt became possible after Congress voted to remove endangered-species protections from the gray wolf in the Northern Rockies.

The state's management plan calls for the wolf population to stay above 150 wolves and 15 breeding pairs. Last year, there were at least 566 wolves in Montana.

In 2009, the commission approved 75 wolves killed in the state's only hunt. Seventy-two animals were killed. The 2010 hunt was blocked by a federal judge.
Story from The Associated Press