Hunters close in on wolf quota

The weekend pulse of hunters hitting the woods could bring the Montana wolf season very close to a quota-driven closure.

Only three weeks into the five-week big game season, 31 wolves have been harvested in Wolf Management Unit One, allowing for just 10 more to be taken before reaching the season-ending quota of 41. Unit One encompasses the top half of the state, including Northwest Montana.

The wolf hunt “will probably go another week, depending on what happens this weekend,” said Jim Williams, regional wildlife manager for Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks. “We’ll see where we’re at on Monday.”

More hunters are out on the weekends, and Williams noted that “the probability of encountering a wolf goes up with more people out there.”

As the harvest approaches 41, the state Fish, Wildlife and Parks Commission will be ready to close the season promptly to avoid a quota overrun. Hunters are required to report a wolf harvest by phone within 12 hours of the kill.

So far, the 31 wolves harvested in Unit One have been widely distributed, Williams said.

Three came from the Bob Marshall Wilderness Complex, seven came from Region Four on the East Front of the Rocky Mountains, three came from Region Two roughly north of Missoula, and 18 have come Northwest Montana’s Region One.

“I think there’s been a pretty good distribution across all four counties in Region One,” Williams said.

Only two wolves could be killed in the North Fork Flathead subunit, and that mark was reached last week.

In Southwest Montana’s Wolf Management Unit Two, 18 wolves have been harvested, closely approaching the quota of 22.

Wolf Management Unit Three, encompassing the south central and eastern part of the state, was closed shortly after the general hunting season opened.