Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte (R) recently signed a bill allowing the use of private funds to reimburse wolf hunters or trappers for their expenses. The bill was sponsored by Sen. Bob Brown (R-Thompson Falls), who said there are too many wolves in his district in northwest Montana.
The bill is similar to an Idaho program, where a private group pays its members up to $1,000 for costs incurred while hunting or trapping wolves.
In Idaho, a bill that could allow up to 90 percent of the state’s wolves to be killed headed to the governor’s desk April 27. The legislation would allow the state to hire private contractors and expand methods used to kill wolves in Idaho. The bill could reduce the wolf population from about 1,500 to 150 wolves.
