On Nov. 27, a collared black male wolf was shot on private ground under the defense of property law near Hammond, MT. Montana laws and administrative rules allow for a person to kill a wolf in the act of attacking, killing or threatening to kill livestock, a provision in place to opportunistically minimize wolf-livestock conflicts when they occur. USDA Wildlife Service’s investigated and confirmed that this wolf had attacked and killed one ewe lamb and fatally injured another that had to be put down. This is the only wolf that was believed to be involved in the attack, and no further management action is authorized at this time.
FWP received sporadic reports and photographs of a black collared wolf starting in May 2011. FWP personnel closely monitored reports, searched missing collared wolf frequencies from the ground and air, but did not locate any wolves through these means throughout the summer and fall. Based on physical characteristics and proximity to the reports, it is likely that the collared black wolf observed around the Broadus area is the same individual involved in this incident. The wolf was originally collared near Jackson, WY in 2010, this 2.5 year old wolf died about 300 miles straight-line distance from where it was collared. On average in the northern Rockies, wolves disperse about 60 miles, but dispersal distances of over 500 miles have been recorded.
Receiving reports from the public assists FWP in monitoring the wolf population for purposes of including new wolves in population estimates and harvest quotas. Please contact MT. FWP Warden, Troy Hinck (406-853-7700) FWP Field Biologist, Dean Waltee, (406-853-6198) or FWP Wolf Management Specialist, Abby Nelson (406-600-5150) with sighting information of tracks, scat, or visual observations.
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