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Commission amendments proposed for August agenda items

HELENA – Proposed amendments for nine items on the Aug. 21 Fish and Wildlife Commission meeting agenda are available for public review and comment online. Public comment will be accepted on any and all amendments through Aug. 17. The commission will meet at Montana WILD Auditorium in Helena and virtually via Zoom. 

Comments must be limited to the content of the amendment. Comments can be emailed to the commission at this address: FWComm@mt.gov or submitted at fwp.mt.gov/aboutfwp/commission/august-2025-meeting. 

The amendments proposed by Region 2 Commissioner Jeff Burrows are as follows:  

• No setbacks required for furbearers and wolves in Region 2 as follows:  

  • All of Mineral County (unless designated as a no trapping area) roads closed to motor vehicle and OHV (not including snowmobiles) use during the designated trapping season.  

  • Exceptions – Maintain current 50 feet for furbearers and 150 feet for wolf at:  

    • Road #540, Johnson Creek, first mile

    • Road #194, Flat Creek, first mile  

    • Road #282, Little Joe to Junction #221  

    • Road #889, Ward Creek, first mile  

    • Road #431, Two Mile, first mile  

    • Road #300-1, Hiawatha Trail, Henderson to St Regis  

  • Exceptions – Trailhead setbacks 300 feet for ground sets and 1,000 feet for lethal ground set and snares at:  

    • Trail #223 River Trail, Clark Fork River

    • Road #18591 St Regis Basin, Lookout Pass Ski Area  

    • Road #506 Rainy Creek, Taft Area Snowmobile Parking Area  

    • Road #7857, Murphy Trail near Dry Creek  

    • Road #250, Trout Creek Developed Snowmobile Rest Stop Area  

  • Amend the wolf season hunting season in Region 1 and 2 as follows:  

    • General: June 30 – Mar. 15 (unless otherwise designated) 

  • Adopt a a statewide wolf quota of 458 wolves. 

The amendments proposed by Region 1 Commissioner Ian Wargo are as follows: 

• Adopt the following amendment to the proposed Fall 2025–Winter 2026 Furbearer and Wolf Trapping and Hunting Seasons and Quotas:  

  • Page 5 of 2025 Trapping and Hunting Regulations under Checking and Placing Wolf Traps (CR)  

    • Modify bullet #4 to read:  

      • A trapper must immediately dispatch any uncollared wolf captured that may be legally possessed unless the trapper has been authorized by FWP staff to leave the wolf in the trap for transfer to FWP for collaring purposes.  

• 2025 Trapping And Hunting Regulation changes specific changes:  

  • Page 15 under Wolf – Trapping add language about releasing collared wolves  

    • Trappers must immediately dispatch a trapped wolf by gunshot that is not marked or radio collared – unless otherwise authorized not to do so by FWP Staff prior to wolf-trapping efforts.  

• Adopt the following amendment to the proposed 2025 Wolf and Furbearer Trapping and Hunting Regulations:  

  • Page 10 of 2024 Trapping and Hunting Regulations under No Setbacks Required for Furbearers and Wolves  

    • Region 1: Add  

      • All of Spotted Bear Ranger District  

• Adopt the following amendment to the proposed 2025 Wolf and Furbearer Trapping and Hunting Regulations:  

  • Fall 2025–Winter 2026 Furbearer and Wolf Trapping and Hunting Seasons and Quotas  

    • Remove the allowance to tag multiple wolves with a single E-1 or E-2 tag. 

      • A hunter may purchase up to 15 Class E-1 or E-2 wolf licenses and take up to 15 wolves per season on one Class E-1 or E-2 wolf license, if at least 5 of those wolves are taken in Regions 1 or 2. A trapper may take up to 15 wolves per season on one Class C or C2 wolf trapping license, if at least 5 of the trapped wolves are taken in Regions 1 or 2. A person may fill both their wolf hunting bag limit and wolf trapping bag limit in one season, as long as 10 (5 hunting, 5 trapping) of the 30 harvested wolves are taken in Region 1 or 2. 

• Adopt the following amendment to the proposed 2025 Wolf and Furbearer Trapping and Hunting Regulations:  

  • Fall 2025–Winter 2026 Furbearer and Wolf Trapping and Hunting Seasons and Quotas  

    • Remove the proposed statewide quota for wolves and amend the regional quotas and season dates as follows:  

      • Wolf trapping and hunting seasons will have a statewide quota of 500  450 wolves. The statewide quota includes a quota of 30 wolves in Wolf Management Unit (WMU) 150, a quota of 80 wolves for Region 3, a quota of three wolves in Wolf Management Unit (WMU) 313 and a quota of three wolves in WMU 316. This statewide quota including area-species quotas in WMUs 150, 313, and 316 and Region 3, if met, would ensure the statewide wolf population does not fall below 550 600 wolves during that season. 

• Adopt the following amendment to the proposed Fall 2025–Winter 2026 Furbearer and Wolf Trapping and Hunting Seasons and Quotas:  

  • Page 5 of 2025 Draft Trapping and Hunting Regulations under Checking and Placing Wolf Traps (CR)  

    • Modify Bullet #6 as follows:  

      • The collar of a harvested wolf shall be returned to FWP within 10 days of the harvest upon inspection of the pelt. If the wolf is left in the field, FWP shall be notified within 24 hours of the harvest to coordinate retrieval of the collar. 

  • Page 7 of 2025 Draft Trapping and Hunting Regulations under Waste of Game  

    • Modify as follows:  

      • Waste of Game - Wolves are excluded from being considered as “suitable for food.” The wolf carcass may be taken in possession or be left in the field (with pelt) as per Montana law. The wolf pelt and skull may not be left in the field and must be presented to the Department for Tagging/Inspection. If it is not desired to keep the pelt or skull they can be given to the Department for testing/disposal.  

  • Page 8 of 2025 Draft Trapping and Hunting Regulations under Procedures to Follow After Harvest – Wolf Reporting Requirements (CR)  

    • Modify Bullet #1 as follows:  

      • All successful wolf hunters and trappers must personally report their wolf kill within 24 hours regardless of their intent to retain possession of the hide and skull by calling the wolf reporting number at 1-877-FWP-WILD (1-877-397-9453) or 406-444-0356 so that FWP can monitor harvest. Hunters and trappers are required to provide: name, telephone number, ALS number, species, date of harvest, WMU/region, specific location (legal description), and sex when reporting a wolf harvest. Hunters could also report their harvest online at fwp.mt.gov through myfwp.  

  • Page 8 of 2025 Draft Trapping and Hunting Regulations under Procedures to Follow After Harvest – Wolf Pelt Tagging/Inspection (CR)  

    • Modify Bullet as follows:  

      • A hunter or trapper that lawfully harvests a wolf and wishes to retain possession of the hide and skull, or captures a wolf that must be dispatched, is required to present the hide and skull to a designated FWP employee within 10 days after harvest for the purpose of: Tagging the hide. The hide tag must thereafter remain attached to the hide until tanned. Any hide or skull not presented or registered to FWP personnel within 10 days of harvest is subject to confiscation.  

• Adopt the following amendment to the proposed 2025 Wolf and Furbearer Trapping and Hunting Regulations:  

  • Fall 2025–Winter 2026 Furbearer and Wolf Trapping and Hunting Seasons and Quotas  

    • Create 1 new WMU: Corresponding to the boundary defined as the aggregate of Deer and Elk HD’s 140, 141 & 150  

      • Modify General Season Dates for this WMU to be Sept. 1, 2025 – June 30, 2026  

      • Implement a quota of 30 wolves for this WMU. This quota would be subtracted from the statewide or regional quota  

To see the proposed amendments, click here. Other commission amendments may be announced prior to the Aug. 21 meeting. To see the topics the commission will consider, click here.