Judge’s order halts wolf trapping and snaring season in most of Montana

HELENA – Wolf trapping and snaring in Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks administrative regions 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5, and in Hill, Blaine, and Phillips counties won’t start until Jan. 1 and will run through Feb. 15, according to a federal court injunction issued Tuesday evening.  In areas in eastern Montana outside FWP administrative regions 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5, and Hill, Blaine, and Phillips counties the order does not apply, and the wolf trapping and snaring season will start November 27 and run through March 15 as described in the 2023 wolf regulations.    

The wolf hunting season, separate from trapping and snaring, remains in place and is open through March 15 as described in the 2023 wolf regulations. Wolf harvest quotas are still in place for FWP regions and can be tracked via the Wolf Harvest Dashboard.  

FWP and the Fish and Wildlife commission have worked diligently to assemble and implement sound science-based management for wolves and grizzly bears, including the wolf regulations impacted by this ruling. The recovered status of grizzly bears in the Northern Continental Divide and Yellowstone ecosystems is testimony to this effort. The State of Montana has appealed the ruling.  FWP staff will continue to track the denning status of grizzly bears in case an appeal is successful, and the injunction is overturned.