Montana judge to decide on wolf hunting limits

By AMY BETH HANSON
Associated Press

HELENA, Mont. (AP) — A Montana judge said he would decide Tuesday whether to continue temporary limits on wolf hunting in the state or to restore quotas and hunting methods before a trial over whether the public was given an adequate opportunity to weigh in on changes in the way the state estimates the size of the wolf population. The population numbers inform hunting quotas. The 2021 Montana Legislature passed a law ordering wildlife officials to reduce the wolf population in the state. Officials said they set the quota at 456 because they felt that number would result in a decline even with new litters being born in the spring.