URAFlKtS AI'PENDJX I 



the amount of land held in public ownership and adequate legal protections, provides long-term habitat availability 

 for wolves. Federal land management agencies are increasingly managing lands from an ecosystcm-lcvel 

 perspective, considering all components and functional relationships. Yellowstone and Glacier national parks 

 function as refuges al opposite ends of the geographic extent of wolf distribution in the northern Rockies. The 

 network of public lands in western Montana, central Idaho, and northwest Wyoming facilitates connectivity between 

 the sub-populations. The legal protections and public outreach described in this plan help ensure the integrity of 

 wolf movement and occupancy of habitats between refuges. 



Wolf population management will include the full range of tools from non-lethal to lethal and will incorporate 

 public outreach, conservation education, law enforcement, and landowner relations. Wolves do not exist in isolation 

 from their environment, nor should an effective management program isolate wolves from their environment. 

 Management actions will be evaluated in light of prevailing conditions or extenuating circumstances. Wolf 

 populations will fluctuate as a result of management actions, natural mortality, legal harvest, illegal take, wolf 

 productivity, and ungulate population fluctuations. If there are fewer than 15 wolf packs in the state, management 

 tools are primarily non-lethal, particularly in backcountry settings and for public lands near national parks. 

 Examples of non-lethal techniques include monitoring wolf locations using radio telemetry, changes in livestock 

 husbandry practices, harassment, relocation, or attempts to modify wolf behavior. A minimum of 15 packs is 

 required to use more liberal management tools, including lethal methods to resolve wolf-livestock, wolf-human 

 conflicts, or concern over a localized prey population in light of the combined effects of predation and 

 environmental factors. 



When the wolf population no longer fits the definition of a species "in need of management" or when wolf numbers 

 have increased and population regulation is needed, the MFWP Commission may reclassify the wolf as a big game 

 animal or a furbearer. Regulated public harvest of wolves by hunting and trapping during designated seasons is one 

 tool that may help MFWP manage wolf numbers. Through public input and MFWP Commission oversight, harvest 

 regulations would describe legal means of take, license requirements, and reporting and tagging requirements. Total 

 harvest would be strictly controlled through a permit or quota system, with season closures as soon as harvest 

 objectives are reached. Regulated harvest of wolves would take place within the larger context of multi-species 

 management programs. As wolf numbers increase and distribution expands, harvest opportunity would increase. 

 Specific harvest objectives will depend on other losses to the wolf population, such as control actions for livestock 

 depredation or loss of a pack because of intraspecific strife. Wolves could be promoted (on remote public lands) or 

 discouraged (in areas with high livestock densities) depending on harvest objectives, district boundaries, and pack 

 distribution. Hunting is not permitted in national parks. Harvest management would proceed adaptively, but all 

 hunting and trapping is precluded if wolf packs totaled fewer than 15. Law enforcement by the MFWP Enforcement 

 Division would also proceed similar to other legally classified wildlife species. 



The primary wolf monitoring responsibilities will rest with MFWP. We will estimate wolf numbers and pack 

 distribution, document reproduction, and tabulate mortality. Ecological understanding will also stem from 

 documenting territory boundaries, the locations of wolf den and rendezvous sites, and identifying key prey species 

 and foraging areas during winter and spring seasons. The monitoring program will balance scientific precision with 

 cost effectiveness. We will use a combination of radio telemetry and non-invasive techniques. 



Because of their long-term financial investments and willingness to restrict themselves when necessary, Montanans 

 enjoy relatively liberal hunting seasons for more ungulate species than other western states. The financial 

 investments and sacrifices made by the hunting public to restore ungulate populations are significant. Safeguarding 

 those investments for present and future generations is an important priority for many of Montana's citizens and 

 MFWP. MFWP seeks to maintain the public's opportunity to hunt a wide variety of species under a variety of 

 circumstances, and to do so in a sustainable, responsible manner. 



To proactively balance and integrate management of ungulate populations and the factors that influence them 

 (including wolf predation), hunter harvest opportunity for ungulates may be adjusted. Hunter opportunity already 

 changes in respon.se to previous hunter success, hunter participation rates, access to private lands, or environmental 

 events such as drought or severe winters. The presence of wolves within the yearlong range of a specific ungulate 

 herd adds another factor for consideration among all environmental and human-related factors. MFWP 

 acknowledges that changes in hunter opportunity may affect outfitters and non-resident hunters, in addition to 

 resident hunters. If a local prey population is significantly impacted by wolf predation in conjunction with other 



