Montana closes wolf hunting near Yellowstone

BILLINGS, Mont. — Montana wildlife commissioners on Tuesday shut down wolf hunting adjacent to Yellowstone National Park after nine of the predators were killed there in recent weeks, but kept the statewide wolf harvest quota unchanged at 75 animals.

This year's hunt is the first since wolves came off the endangered species list in Montana and neighboring Idaho.

Hunting had been temporarily suspended near Yellowstone last week, after an early season backcountry harvest nearly filled the 12 wolf quota for most of the southern half of the state.

Environmentalists said the shootings near Yellowstone revealed flaws in the Montana's inaugural wolf hunt. They pressed for a reduction in the quota. But others pushed for a higher quota, to allow more hunting elsewhere in the Yellowstone region in a bid to curb wolf attacks on livestock.

Striking a middle ground, the five-member Fish, Wildlife and Parks Commission voted unanimously Tuesday to close the backcountry area near Yellowstone for the remainder for the season, while keeping the statewide quota in place.

With only three wolves left before the quota is reached for south-central and southeastern Montana, wildlife officials said that cap could be exceeded when the general wolf season opens in two weeks.

But wildlife commission chairman Shane Colton said such an event would have little consequence since the wolf population can sustain significant losses. He also said quotas could be reduced elsewhere later if the commission wants to hold fast at 75 wolves statewide.

"We're not concerned," Colton said Tuesday. "Our 75 (wolf) statewide quota is so much on the conservative end that we can withstand an overrun and still have very strong numbers of wolves across the landscape."

Montana has an estimated 550 wolves. The quota equals 15 percent of that population — a figure biologists contend could be doubled without any harm to the species.

Nevertheless, members of the commission and state wildlife managers have acknowledged a mistake in the decision to open early season hunting next to Yellowstone.

They've characterized it as a "learning experience" with no long-term impact to wolves. Commissioner Bob Ream said he'd like to see a subquota next year for the area next to Yellowstone so that the wolf harvest could be spread more broadly.