Wolf Trapping Postponed by Montana Judge Before Nov. 27 Opening

Montana must delay new rules that expand wolf trapping and snaring into grizzly bear habitats, according to a federal judge who halted the state’s wolf trapping season before it was scheduled to begin on Nov. 27.

The increasing prevalence of grizzly bears with “trap-like” injuries in Montana and elsewhere is “persuasive evidence” that the new regulations will increase the likelihood that grizzly bears are harmed or killed, Judge Donald W. Molloy of the US District for the District of Montana said Tuesday.

Environmental groups sued the state in September, alleging that its latest wolf and coyote trapping regulations violate the ...