At the October 28 meeting, the Montana Fish and Wildlife Commission adopted final changes to the 2021 wolf trapping regulations. The adoption included a “floating” start date for wolf trapping in areas with grizzly bears to be no earlier than the Monday after Thanksgiving, and no later than December 31.
The commission directed the department to assess grizzly bear activity outside of dens to determine the potential for trapping conflicts and to open the wolf trapping season in grizzly areas when that risk is low.
FWP biologists have monitored grizzly bear activity with a variety of methods through November, and now into December. This includes monitoring collar data, sightings of bears in the field, weather assessments, and reports from the public.
For the week of December 6 FWP has determined that grizzly bear activity outside of dens is too high to begin wolf trapping. The department will continue to make weekly assessments and provide regular updates via email.
Hank Worsech
FWP Director
