courtesy of the Bozeman Daily Chronicle
by Daniel Person

Sen. Joe Balyeat, R-Bozeman, argued Tuesday for a spring wolf hunt, saying his bill to establish the season would allow Montana to get a handle on its wolf population and make it harder for environmental groups to stop wolf hunts with lawsuits.

But a Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks official said the bill could give Montana hunters a bad name by raising the prospect that wolf pups could be orphaned or killed.

Balyeat told the Senate Fish and Game Committee that his bill, Senate Bill 402, is contingent on Congress passing legislation to strip gray wolves in the state of Endangered Species Act protection, a provision that has been put forward in both the Senate and the House this year.

Click here to read the rest of the story