Greg Wooten says shooting a Rocky Mountain wolf won't be easy, even if a U.S. judge doesn't blow apart the hunting season before it starts.
Wooten, an official at the state's Department of Fish and Game says the creatures have a knack for appearing out of nowhere, then vanishing just as quickly.
"There will be a few easy harvests," Wooten said last week after buying two wolf tags _ $11.50 (⁈each _ for him and his wife. "But wolves tend to learn quickly."
There are also legal obstacles to shooting wolves in Idaho, where hunting is due to start Tuesday, or in Montana, where the hunt starts Sept. 15.
On Monday, U.S. District Court Judge Donald Molloy will consider environmental groups' demand that the hunts be halted for a second year on grounds that the lifting of federal endangered species protections earlier this year was illegal.
In 2008, Molloy derailed planned hunts with a ruling that found the federal government had fallen short of wolf recovery standards, including interbreeding of wolves between Idaho, Montana and Wyoming to ensure healthy genetics.
A week ago, 13 environmental groups asked the judge to stop the shooting of up to 220 wolves in Idaho and another 75 in the neighboring state of Montana, arguing that hunting would irreparably harm recovery efforts.
"We're very concerned about intentional and unnecessary wolf killing that will reduce the population level," said Doug Honnold, with Earthjustice in Montana, the environmentalists' law firm.
It's unclear when Molloy will rule.
Wolves were reintroduced to Idaho, Montana and Wyoming in the mid-1990s after being nearly exterminated six decades earlier. They now number more than 1,650 across the region.
Idaho and Montana officials contend the animals have been recovered well beyond federal mandates of 150 wolves and 15 breeding pairs in each state.
If the hunt goes ahead, officials expect the lion's share of hunters will shoot wolves opportunistically as part of their annual hunting expeditions for mule deer or prized elk. The hunt would end March 31.
A smaller percentage will wait for colder weather and snow, when wolves' fur grows thicker and more valuable, selling for hundreds of dollars.
Many ranchers opposed wolf reintroduction and blame them for killing too many livestock, including 120 sheep south of Dillon, Montana, earlier this month. But in Montana, some are skeptical hunts will make much difference.
"Most people don't think it's going to be effective," said Aeric Reilly, director of the Montana Wool Growers Association.
In Idaho, by contrast, sheep ranchers are anxious for the hunt.
"I say give it a shot," said Stan Boyd, Idaho Wool Growers Association director. "It's better than doing nothing and watching them multiply and the damage continue. The folks I hang around with are going to be extremely disappointed if he (Molloy) cancels that wolf hunt."
