Montana Fish and Wildlife Commission

Conservation groups filed a lawsuit on Thursday alleging that Montana’s wolf hunting and trapping policies violate state and federal laws.

Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks has approved the purchase of two new parcels of land in the State, along the Beaverhead River and the Big Snowy Mountains.

The annual restriction bars fishing between 2 p.m. and midnight from the dam at Ennis Lake to the confluence with the Jefferson River each between July 15 and August 15. The Fish and Wildlife Commission will hold a meeting for public comment on the issue Thursday.

The state will end this season’s wolf hunt in southwest Montana once the threshold is met, despite pleas from residents and conservationists to end it early in some areas.

The plan lays out population goals and a management plan should the federally protected Yellowstone grizzly be delisted in the future.

The Montana Fish and Wildlife Commission voted 3-2 to increase wolf harvest by allowing neck snaring and trap baiting statewide, night hunting on private land and other changes to the season. The new rules permit “aggressive” hunting measures not seen in Montana for decades.

Where there are stressed fish, there are stressed fishing guides. As Montana and much of the west feel the effects of persistent drought, those with a line in the future of the state’s fisheries are navigating high temperatures, low flow and closures across the state.

A state committee dedicated to regulating Montana’s wildlife is expected this week to finalize regulations that could expand wolf hunting to levels not seen in Montana in decades.

State wildlife officials Thursday took the first steps towards deciding how aggressively hunters will target Montana’s wolf population next season.In lieu…

After legislation aimed at decreasing the wolf population passed this year, a five-member state commission will take the first steps on Thursday to decide…