Wolverine Trapping Continues in Montana

Defenders is very concerned about the ongoing trapping season on wolverines in the state of Montana. For a species that occurs at very low densities and reproduces quite slowly, trapping is having an extremely negative impact on the population, and is undermining the few scientific studies underway to better understand the ecology of this elusive species.

For example, one study that radio-tracked a male wolverine in February 2001 in the Yellowstone Ecosystem provided a whole new understanding of the species’ ability to travel long distances. This male wolverine covered a total of more than 250 miles in 19 days. Unfortunately, the research ended suddenly when the animal was killed by a trapper in Montana.

In a two year study conducted in the Pioneer Mountains, half of the wolverines that were radio-collared for research purposes were killed by trappers.  An additional four non-collared wolverines were also trapped during this time frame. There is no possible way the local population can survive under such heavy trapping pressure.  In addition, the loss of 50 percent of the collared wolverines also seriously compromised this potentially ground-breaking study.

While Defenders has made progress in pushing the state to at least set up three trapping regions, whereas before it was a free-for-all, we remain convinced that the state should be more conservative, given the uncertainly about the wolverine’s status.

We will be pushing the state of Montana to further restrict wolverine trapping to enable this species a chance to recover.