MONTANA’S ANTI-WOLF LEGISLATIVE AGENDA

By Ingrid Thyr

Wolves and humans have long been pitted against each other in the West. With the relatively recent recognition of the importance of wolves to Western ecosystems, it seemed that tensions were easing. Not so in the Montana legislative chambers in 2021. Currently, there are multiple anti-wolf bills working their way through the Montana House and Senate. Mostly spearheaded by Republican lawmakers Sen. Bob Brown and Rep. Paul Fielder, these bills are varied in their details but united in their purpose to lower wolf populations in Montana. 

The four most prominent such bills are HB 224, HB 225, SB 267, and SB 314. HB 224 and 225, which are being heard in the Senate as of the time this is being written, would allow for the snaring of wolves by licensed trappers and would extend the wolf hunting season by two weeks in the spring respectively. Meanwhile, SB 267, which has been transmitted to the House, would allow for trappers and hunters to be reimbursed for expenses related to killing wolves, essentially functioning as a bounty in all but name. SB 314, also transmitted to the House, would give the Montana Fish and Wildlife Commission more discretion in determining the rules of wolf hunting and would generally allow for the loosening of regulations. 

Those who support the bills and the accompanying decrease in wolf populations argue that there are more than enough wolves in Montana and that this change will lead to better elk and other ungulate hunting opportunities. However, Rep. Rob Farris Olsen has said, “No one has given us data showing a causal relationship between an increase in wolf populations and a decrease in elk or ungulate populations… We’ve seen a correlation, potentially, but this is all anecdotal. … So I don’t think it’s fair to assume that that reduction in ungulate population is solely due to wolves.” Similarly, it cannot be assumed that lowering wolf populations would cause ungulate populations to increase. Indeed, history tells us otherwise: Norman Bishop, who helped reintroduce wolves to Yellowstone, testified, “Idaho, Montana and Wyoming have more elk now than in 1995, when wolves were returned.”

In fact, killing off more wolves might have the opposite effect than intended. Wolves prey on ungulates that are more likely to have chronic wasting disease and therefore play an important role in helping to limit the disease. With fewer wolves, the disease could run rampant and decimate Montana’s ungulate populations. 

Opponents to the bills are also highlighting that “There are not ‘too many wolves’ in our state.” Montana’s wolf population peaked in 2011 or 2013 and has been either declining or holding steady since.

Finally, it must be noted that expanding the trapping and snaring of wolves will certainly lead to more accidental catches, many of which will be pets or working dogs. 

Together these anti-wolf and anti-wildlife bills have the potential to seriously disrupt Montana ecosystems, both through purposeful lowering of wolf populations and the unintended and unpredictable consequences that will surely follow. As Montanans, we rely on healthy, functioning ecosystems and everything they provide, from clean drinking water to recreational opportunities to a tourism economy. We cannot afford to kill wolves indiscriminately. 

Now is the time to contact your legislators, specifically committee members in both the House and the Senate, and tell your friends and family to do so as well. Click on this link to find out how to do so: https://leg.mt.gov/legislator-lookup/ 

Read More:

Two bills look to reduce wolf populations - Amanda Eggert, Montana Free Press

Montana Senate Committee Advances More Wolf Bills - Tom Kuglin, Lee Newspapers

Committee Advances Bills on Wolf Trapping, More - Tom Kuglin, Lee Newspapers

Letter to the editor: Urge lawmakers to oppose bills on wolf trapping - Megan Maier, Bozeman Daily Chronicle
Montana Wolf and Bear Bill Info Sheet - The Humane Society