The bill proposes to amend Section 87-5-131 of the Montana Code Annotated by removing the requirement for the Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Parks to manage, protect, classify, or regulate wolves as game animals or furbearers. Specifically, it changes the language regarding the delisting process for gray wolves, allowing the department to remove the wolf from the state list of endangered species based on a determination that the wolf is no longer endangered. The bill also modifies the management protocol following state delisting, eliminating the previous stipulation that wolves must be managed as a species in need of management until they can be classified as game animals or furbearers.

Additionally, the bill allows for the control of wolves by the Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Parks or the Department of Livestock for the protection of livestock, provided that such actions align with an approved wolf management plan. It also introduces provisions for issuing special kill permits to landowners or public land permittees who have suffered livestock depredation, thereby facilitating more immediate responses to conflicts between wolves and livestock.

Statutes affected:
LC Text: 87-5-131