Montana Wolf Hunt
Montana Wolf Hunt is Over: Quotas Filled Early
State wildlife officials call off wolf hunts in Montana; hunts in Idaho continue.By Amy Linn, 11-16-09
Photo courtesy of Montana FWP
A half-hour after sunset tonight, Montana’s first official wolf hunt—arguably the most controversial hunting season in recent history—will be over. Montana’s Fish, Wildlife and Parks department announced the shut-down after reports came in that 72 wolves had been killed as of Sunday evening, meaning that hunters were fast closing in on the state quota of 75 wolves, according to the Billings Gazette.
The state quota was reached two weeks earlier than expected. At least one official, state wildlife commissioner Bob Ream, declared the experiment a success. “For a first try, the state did very well,” Ream told Associated Press reporter Matthew Brown. “It happened quicker than a lot of us thought it would, but all in all, the geographic distribution of the harvest was good.”
The hunt involved different quotas for various hunting zones around Montana, including Wolf Management Unit (WMU) 1 in the northern half of the state, WMU 2 in the southwestern corner of the state, and WMU 3 in the remaining southern half of the state. As of Sunday night, 38 of the quota of 41 wolves had been taken in WMU 1; 21 out of the 22-wolf quota had been killed in WMU 2; and in WMU 3, where the hunt was closed Oct. 26, 13 wolves were killed—one more than the quota of 12.
It’s estimated that there are about 500 wolves in the state.
Wolf advocates have joined in a lawsuit asking that the animals be returned to the Endangered Species List and get restored federal protections, a move that would prevent such public hunts. The lawsuit is expected to be heard next year before Judge Donald Molloy in U.S. District Court in Missoula.
In Idaho, meanwhile, the Olympian reports that wildlife officials are considering an extension of that state’s wolf hunt beyond its Dec. 31 deadline. The Idaho Fish and Game Commission, slated to meet in Coeur d’Alene later this week, might allow hunting to continue into January in one or two units where quotas are not close to being met.
According to the Olympian, hunters had killed 100 wolves in Idaho as of last week. The state quota for the season is 220 wolves.
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here's the beginning of my experience...
just got back from my one chance elk hunting trip for '09 in the big hole to see for myself what the scoop is at least my drainage where i've pulled two cow elk out in the past two years AND.....
i came around the corner at first light to look into my meadow and there were the wolves laughing and playing as if they were waiting for me to show up this year. they were playing with an elk calf skull. not sure if the skull was from their successful hunt or from a hunter's harvest. i think we saw four wolves but we counted 8-ish wolf beds. I've seen lots of wolves in alaska but that was the first sighting in montana so that was cool. we spent two days there just to check it out and didn't find ONE elk track on the 24 hour old snow in the usual haunts where i always find them. so we moved many drainages down the valley and did find elk and tracked them etc. but i was in a new area and had to learn the land on the fly.
so, i'm a little bummed about not having an elk in hand but now i'm even more facinated about this ongoing story about the wolves in montana because it affected me personally.
time for more research.
can somebody with authority please tell me if there is a difference between gray wolves and timber wolves.
got to go
SHORT ANSWER
1_The 'difference' is genetic variation and region.
2_Timber wolf is a colloquial name for the, distinct DNA species (Canis [lupus] lycaon); the Eastern Wolf Canadian or Eastern Canadian Red Wolf, found only in the south-eastern Canadian forests of Ontario and Quebec, on the North American continent.
3_Grey or Gray Wolf is the Canis lupus, largest wild member of the Canidae family. The Gray wolf if found worldwide; varying in size, weight, colors, environments and numbers.
- More in-depth, but by no means definitive, answer -
Gray (or Grey) Wolf
Canis lupus, also known as, the grey wolf or gray wolf, or simply wolf, is the largest wild member of the Canidae family. An ice age survivor, during the Late Pleistocene around 300,000 years ago, its DNA sequencing and genetic drift studies reaffirm that the gray wolf shares a common ancestry with the domestic dog (Canis lupus familiaris). Though the specifics are still open to discussion, other gray wolf subspecies have been identified.
The gray wolf varies in weight and size over its worldwide habitable regions. Generally, the height varies from 0.6 to .95 meters (26-38 inches) at the shoulder. Weights are more geographically centric. European wolves are light weights (38.5 kg [85lbs]) compared to the Alaskan, Canadian or Russion wolf, with weights of over 170 lbs. regulary recorded. The wolves of India and arabia are welter weight at a mere 25 kg (55 lbs). The heaviest wolf recorded was from the Ukrainian USSR, killed after WW II, tipped the scales at a massive 86 kg (189 lbs) !
'Timber' Wolf (Eastern Wolf)
The eastern wolf (Canis [lupus] lycaon), also known as Eastern Canadian Wolf or Eastern Canadian Red Wolf, is traditionally considered to be a subspecies of the Gray Wolf. The eastern wolf, despite many historical beliefs to the contrary, is not a gray wolf subspecies, nor the result of gray wolf/coyote hybridization. Recent molecular studies suggest it is a distinct species (Canis lycaon).
Many names were proposed, including the Eastern Wolf, Eastern Gray Wolf, Eastern Timber Wolf and Algonquin Wolf, although Eastern Wolf has appeared to gain the most recognition.
The Eastern Wolf is smaller than the Gray Wolf, with a pale greyish-brown pelt. Long, black hairs cover the back and the sides. A slight reddish color can be detected just behind the ears; thought to be a result of their Red Wolf ancestry.
REFERENCES:
For a quick read of info:
1_Wikipedia
* a)Gray Wolf - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gray_Wolf
* b)Eastern Wolf - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastern_Timber_Wolf
2_ Google either Gray Wolf or Eastern Wolf and you will get a load of information as well. Some of it valid, a lot of it heavy on 'personal agenda' - bordering on propaganda; whatever your bended desire, it's there.
But please don't take my word for it. As FWP biologist Craig Jourdonnais said in today's Ravalli Republic:, "last week’s snowstorm appeared to start the annual migration of elk out of the Big Hole.... Last Friday’s storm dropped over a foot of snow on the Continental Divide between the Bitterroot and the Big Hole. It appears to have triggered some movement.”
In the future, plan your Big Hole hunting trip a little earlier in the season and you just might have better luck. Thanks.
really
my latest hypothesis which i havn't seen out there yet is i think the ranchers are artificially increasing the size of the packs and possibly the size of individual wolves by the ranchers inadvertently feeding the wolves "x" number of cows per year.
there is a lot of protein in one cow. how many cows in the bighole are being taken by wolves. what is that exact number?
with my many years in alaska and seeing hundreds of interior grizzlies I'm always amazed at the size of coastal grizzlies because of the protein boost of salmon.
the size of the black wolf i saw was mind blowing. it was in a group of about 8 wolves. we saw four of the wolves. we counted 8 wolf beds in the snow.
what do you think? who has the cow numbers/ estimates for the bighole?
Now if my Idaho brethren would get with the program and fill their tags we could all settle down for the holidays drink some eggnog and gear up for next years round of anti-wolf hunting court battles. Only this time the enviros will have a harder time convincing the judge to issue an injuction.
Amy, could you find some new cuddly pictures for next year articles. Maybe some wolf cubs frolicking in the snow and momma wolf dragging the bloody carcass of bambi or Lil' Bo Peeps lamb back to the den for lunch. How about a little truth in advertising?
'
and about two days of open season and the 75 tag limit was filled that is really stupid