Uncategorized
Wolf harvest up from previous year
Published
11 years agoon
MONTANA FISH, WILDLIFE AND PARKS
HELENA – State wildlife officials on March 4 released the results of the 2012-2013 wolf hunting and trapping seasons, which saw a substantial jump in harvest over last year.
The season ended with 225 wolves harvested, 36 percent more than last season. The harvest was also up significantly over the 2009-2010 season. Court challenges barred Montana’s hunting season in 2010-2011.
Jeff Hagener, director of Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks in Helena, cited a growing effectiveness of hunters and trappers and more liberal harvest opportunities, as reasons for this year’s increase.
In all, hunters killed 128 wolves this season, and trappers took 97, with 84 taken between Sept. 1 and Nov. 25, 2012. The majority, however, were harvested after the general season by hunters and trappers exclusively seeking wolves. During Montana’s first wolf hunting season in 2009, the opportunistic harvest was almost 80 percent.
A total of 18,642 wolf-hunting licenses were purchased this season – 246 by nonresidents. Most successful wolf hunters were Montana residents, who harvested 222 wolves.
Even with this season’s hunting and trapping success – and an additional 104 depredating wolves removed from the population as a result of more than 70 control actions – the state’s wolf population remains robust, according to Hagener.
“Montana has made room for wolves,” Hagener said. We are long past the period of recovering wolves, and we are committed to managing for a recovered population.”
FWP manages with an eye to how wild resources affect each other, he said, and also addresses related issues like public tolerance.
Montana’s wolf advisory council, originally convened in 2006 to help develop Montana’s Wolf Management Plan, will reconvene following completion of FWP’s annual report.
New wolf management law adds management tools
FWP sought and received from the 2013 Montana Legislature additional tools to increase the wolf harvest in the future, Hagener said. The wolf management bill – sponsored by State Representatives Kelly Flynn, R-Townsend, and Ted Washburn, R-Bozeman – won bipartisan support and was signed into law on Feb. 13 by Gov. Steve Bullock.
The new law immediately allowed hunters to purchase up to three wolf licenses and lowered the price of a nonresident wolf license from $350 to $50. It also allows hunters to use a license 24 hours after purchase, instead of after a five-day wait; authorizes the use of electronic calls; and removes the requirement for wolf hunters to wear hunter-orange after the general deer and elk hunting seasons have ended.
The legislation allows FWP to close areas near national parks only if established wolf harvest quotas are reached. While signing the bill into law, Gov. Bullock asked FWP to ramp up educational efforts aimed at averting the harvest of collared and heavily studied wolves near national parks.
More than half of the total 2012-2013 wolf harvest, or about 51 percent, occurred on public lands. Top counties included Lincoln with 38, followed by Park with 24, and Missoula with 22. In all, the harvest was distributed across areas of Montana inhabited by wolves.
Megan Paulson is the Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer of Outlaw Partners.
Upcoming Events
march, 2024
Event Type :
All
All
Arts
Education
Music
Other
Sports
Event Details
Children turning 5 on or before 9/10/2024:
more
Event Details
Children turning 5 on or before
9/10/2024: Kindergarten
enrollment for the 2024-2025 school year can be completed by following the
registration process now.
Children
born on or after September 11, 2019: 4K enrollment is now open for
families that have a 4-year-old they would like to enroll in our program for
the 2023-2024 school year. Please complete the 4K Interest Form to
express your interest. Completing this form does not guarantee enrollment into
the 4K program. Enrollment is capped at twenty 4-year-olds currently
residing within Big Sky School District boundary full time and will be
determined by birth date in calendar order of those born on or after September
11, 2018. Interest form closes on May 30th.
Enrollment now is critical for fall preparations. Thank you!
Time
February 26 (Monday) - April 21 (Sunday)
Event Details
My Barking Dog is a nightmare comedy
more
Event Details
My Barking Dog is a nightmare comedy that tells the story of Toby and Melinda, two lonely people whose lives are forever changed the night they encounter a starving coyote at their apartment building. Over time they grow to expect him, leaving ritual offerings to entice the coyote every night. Toby and Melinda forge a connection over this visitor and share curiosity and concern about his presence in the city. The coyote expands their world–until, one night, their world is shattered. Their lives are pushed suddenly into uncharted territory, sending them on a surreal odyssey that changes their city–and the world–forever.
Directed by LX Miller. Starring Max Schneider and Denise Hergett
Verge Theater is continuing their mission to provide accessible theater to our community. Tickets for My Barking Dog are Pay What You Wish with a suggested price of $35. Audience members are offered the opportunity to select the price point that is comfortable for them when purchasing tickets.
My Barking Dog runs March 15-17, 22-24, 28-30
Performances on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays begin at 7:00 p.m., with Sunday matinees offered at 3:00 p.m.
Suitable for ages 16 . No animals are harmed in the staging of this production.
Tickets are available online at www.vergetheater.com
Time
15 (Friday) 7:00 pm - 30 (Saturday) 8:30 pm
Location
Verge Theater
Event Details
Area parents are encouraged to bring their young children to Symphony Storytime with a Bassoon which will be presented at the Bozeman Public Library’s Community Room during
more
Event Details
Area parents are encouraged to bring their young children to Symphony Storytime with a Bassoon which will be presented at the Bozeman Public Library’s Community Room during their regular Toddler and Preschool Storytime on Wednesday, March 20, at 10:15 a.m. The free program, presented by the Bozeman Symphony is especially for children ages 3 to 5. Children will be able to listen to Montana Shakespeare in the Parks actor Emma Rather, who will be joined by Bozeman Symphony Bassoonist Sam Macken. The goal of the program is to encourage a love of music, literacy, and discovery. Additional programs are scheduled at the Library on April 10 and June 12. For more information, visit www.bozemansymphony.org or call 406-585-9774.
Time
(Wednesday) 10:15 am - 10:45 am
Location
Bozeman Public Library
626 E. Main St, Bozeman, MT