Last week’s Question of the Week asked readers whether Montana should have a wolf-hunting season starting next year. A majority — but not a huge one — said yes.

Among 471 responses to this unscientific survey, 253 favored such a hunt, while 218 were opposed.

Some readers’ comments:

-- Yes. The wolf reintroduction program has been a tremendous success. However, the wolf’s number ONE predator, man, has been taken out of the equation and the wolf is running amok. To put fear of man back in the equation and reduce the wolf population would be a good thing.

-- Only in America, God bless us. We pay millions to reintroduce wolves.

We reimburse ranchers for their losses. We spend a fortune to keep track of them. Now let’s spend a lot more on regulating their numbers. Seems like the question should be: Should we have reintroduced them in the first place?

-- The only problem we have with wolves is human beings. In fact, that seems to be a universal problem for our planet. Kill, kill, kill! What’s wrong with people? Can’t they leave the critters alone? I think we have been on the top of the food chain way too long. Get out of the woods, stay in town where you belong.

-- When Canadian grey wolves were first introduced into Yellowstone, we were given target numbers for “successful populations.” As these animals were not native to the park, they were listed as “experimental.” Well, the experiment has shown that introducing alien species into an area can definitely destroy native populations, and spread like a cancer across an area far greater than the “recovery zone.” As the population is over three times the number needed for delisting, what is the hold up? We need the tools to help save our large game population and protect our livestock as well.

-- How many species must we wipe out? Wolves have every right to exist as humans do.

-- Yes! Since the wolf was reintroduced in the 1980s, costing whoever millions of dollars, authorities have fined people for killing them and even putting some people in jail. On the other hand, millions have been paid out to people who have lost livestock and pets to the wolves. So now why not open a season where we can legally shoot them, of course after paying for a wolf license!