Wolf hunt success dips despite loose regulations

SEELEY LAKE- This past hunting season, local trapper Rob Henrekin trapped and hunted five wolves for the second time in the approximately nine years he's been harvesting wolves. 

In 2021, the Montana Legislature directed Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks (FWP) to reduce wolf populations, extend the wolf-hunting season and increase wolf-harvest threshold statewide. This was the first season Henrekin and all hunters and trappers have operated under the new guidelines. 

Despite the loosened restrictions, he said his success rate has not changed much from previous years. 

"I just put on a lot more miles this year than I did the previous year," Henrekin said. "Not necessarily more than normal, I guess. It takes an incredible amount of time." 

When the legislation was passed, Henrekin predicted the changes would only make a difference for a select few. In Montana, a licensed person can take up to 20 wolves, 10 via hunting and 10 via trapping. He said that from his experience, the chances of catching that many wolves are rare. 

"Your success rate is so low," Henrekin said. "When you go deer/elk hunting ...you're just about guaranteed to see a deer every time you go. With wolf hunting, you might go half a dozen or 10 times before you get into them and it's easy to get discouraged."

Despite some public outcry, FWP reported cumulative wolf hunting and trapping for the 2021-2022 season is on par with previous seasons. 

The statewide level was set at 450 wolves (approximately 100 more harvested wolves than the 2020 season), a level that was predicted to result in a slight decrease in the overall wolf population. 

FWP reported a total of 273 wolves were harvested for 2021-2022 season, approximately 56 less than the previous year. 

While the harvest numbers remain similar, where the wolves were killed was not. 

For example, during the 2018-2021 seasons, FWP established a harvest of one wolf each in wolf management units (WMU) 316 and 313 adjacent to Yellowstone National Park. These quotas were intended to lessen the impact by creating "buffer zones" for wolves that extended beyond park boundaries. 

For the 2021-2022 season, the Montana Fish and Wildlife Commission eliminated these quotas and set harvest threshold numbers. 

In January, the Commission shut down gray wolf hunting and trapping in areas bordering Yellowstone National Park after a record number of them were shot or trapped after crossing the park boundary. As of the end of the harvest season in March, hunters shot and trapped 25 "park" wolves - the majority being in Montana according to an article in the Washington Post. 

Region 2, Western Montana, has a current threshold of 116 wolves. A total of 68 wolves were harvested through traditional hunting and trapping methods this season, a decrease from the 78 harvested for the 2020-2021 season. 

For WMU 290, including Seeley Lake and Ovando, 28 wolves were harvested during the latest season. According to FWP, this number is less than previous years, including 2020 (33) and 2019 (45). 

Henrekin said despite mounting concern about the wolf population, he has yet to meet someone who has hunted and trapped 20 wolves the past hunting season. 

Henrekin said, "There's not a whole lot of people that are willing to put in that kind of time commitment to hunt and trap."

To see FWP's harvest status, visit https://myfwp.mt.gov/fwpPub/speciesHuntingGuide?wmrSpeciesCd=GW

 

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