The bill amends Section 87-5-131 of the Montana Code Annotated (MCA) to remove the requirement for the Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Parks to manage, protect, classify, or regulate wolves as game animals or furbearers. It allows the department to delist the gray wolf from the state list of endangered species following a determination that the wolf is no longer endangered, aligning state law with federal actions regarding the species' status.

Additionally, the bill modifies the management protocol for wolves post-delisting. It eliminates the previous stipulation that the department must wait until it and the commission determine that wolves no longer need protection as a species in need of management before classifying them as game animals or furbearers. Instead, it allows for immediate management of wolves as a species in need of management, while also permitting the issuance of special kill permits to landowners or public land permittees who have experienced livestock depredation, provided these actions are consistent with an approved wolf management plan.

Statutes affected:
LC Text: 87-5-131
HB0554_1(1): 87-5-131
HB0554_1(2): 87-5-131
HB0554_1(3): 87-5-131
HB0554_1(4): 87-5-131
HB0554_1(5): 87-5-131
HB0554_1: 87-5-131
HB0554_X(1): 87-5-131
HB0554_X(2): 87-5-131
HB0554_X(3): 87-5-131
HB0554_X(4): 87-5-131
HB0554_X(5): 87-5-131
HB0554_X(6): 87-5-131
HB0554_X(7): 87-5-131
HB0554_X(8): 87-5-131
HB0554_X(9): 87-5-131
HB0554_X: 87-5-131