There will be no grizzly bear hunting in Montana in 2018.  According to Q13 Fox, officials said “they want to avoid complicating lawsuits over the animal’s legal status”, while in 2017, Endangered Species Act protections were lifted for about 700 bears in and around Yellowstone National Park, which had many wondering if hunting grizzly bears would happen in 2018.   The answer is no.

Montana wildlife commissioners said letting hunters kill some of those bears could give momentum to pending legal challenges that seek to restore protections.

Wildlife advocates and Native Americans who brought the lawsuits had argued that hunting would reverse the species decades-long recovery.

Commissioners voted unanimously against a hunt this year. But Commission Chairman Dan Vermillion said Thursday’s action doesn’t preclude a Montana grizzly hunt in the future.

To read the full story by the Associated Press on Q13 Fox, click here.

(Feature photo via agaunews.com)