Montana Can’t Loosen Wolf Trapping Rules, Bear Advocates Say

Montana should be prohibited from allowing wolf and coyote trapping and snaring in grizzly habitat when the bears are out of their dens, two environmental groups told a federal judge.

Montana in 2023 loosened restrictions on trapping and snaring in several respects, including by allowing individuals to take a larger number of gray wolves and expanding where wolf trapping is allowed in occupied grizzly bear habitat during non-denning seasons, according to the complaint. Judge Donald W. Molloy of the US District Court for the District of Montana previously issued an injunction limiting wolf trapping in areas occupied by grizzly bears ...