Say Anything Blog

cross post from http://www.outdoornewsguy.com

East of a line formed by the Missouri River to the eastern end of Lake Sakakawea, and then east of U.S. Highway 83 to the Canadian border, wolves in North Dakota are now classified as a furbearer protected with a closed season. Their designation is similar to that of black bear and river otter, which are also occasionally seen in the state, but do not have a population high enough to allow for a regulated hunting and/or trapping season. Furbearer status, however, does not protect wolves if they threaten livestock or on rare occasions present a threat to humans.

West of the Missouri River-U.S. Highway 83 line, wolves remain a federal endangered species that can only be killed after repeated instances of depredation, and then usually only by designated federal authorities.

To better understand the disparity, consider a wolf that is causing problems for a livestock producer. In Richland County in southeastern North Dakota, a landowner could justifiably shoot a wolf harassing cows and calves, even though it hadn’t attacked any livestock. In Divide County in the northwestern part of the state, a landowner could face federal charges for shooting a wolf without specific approval or authorization, even if it had just killed and was still in the process of eating a calf.