BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) -- Montana wildlife officials are proposing that hunters be allowed to shoot 12 endangered gray wolves in an area where elk numbers are declining.
The proposal goes before Montana's Fish, Wildlife and Parks Commission on Thursday for initial approval.
Officials would ask the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for permission to reduce by half the number of wolves along the West Fork of the Bitterroot River south of Darby. Over the last five years, elk numbers in the area have fallen from almost 2,000 animals to just over 750.
There were an estimated 524 wolves in Montana at the start of the year.
A statewide wolf hunt scheduled for this fall was canceled following an August court order that restored the species' endangered status.
