Up to 130 wolves could be hunted this fall in Montana under a proposal tentatively adopted Thursday by the Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks Commission.

The wolf hunting season, slated to run from Sept. 15 to Nov. 30, is contingent upon the wolves being struck from the federal list of endangered species. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service expects to do that in February 2008 but anticipates lawsuits to follow, which could delay any hunting season.

The FWP Commission decision also could change after it presents the plan at 44 town meetings in January, and through the public comment period. The commission is scheduled to make a final decision on all of Montana's hunting seasons for the next two years at its February meeting, although wolf season issues may be postponed.

This tentative decision mirrors recommendations made earlier this month by Montana's Wolf Management Advisory Council. The 12-person group of ranchers, hunters, scientists and others decided that 130 wolves could be killed in Montana without reducing the overall number of wolves in the state, and expected that half of those deaths would probably be for preying on livestock.

The 130 figure is similar to the anticipated population increase next year because of births and immigration, according to Carolyn Sime, statewide wolf coordinator for FWP.

At this point, trapping wolves isn't part of the tentative season proposal.

"The commission knows it's sensitive, and the trappers said they weren't ready" for a wolf trapping season, said Ron Aasheim, community education coordinator for FWP.

He said the wolf season would be handled in a manner similar to that of mountain lions.

"They would give out unlimited licenses, but there would be a quota," Aasheim said. "So it's not unlike other seasons, where you reach the limit and the season would close."

The FWP commission didn't officially state 130 wolves as the quota as part of the tentative season, but Aasheim said they put forward that figure as the ballpark number of wolves that could be killed, based on the advisory council's recommendation.

Wolves were put on the Endangered Species Act list in 1973 after being hunted to near extinction in the lower 48 states. But reintroduction and recovery work started in 1995 have burgeoned their population, with more than 1,200 gray wolves populating the Northern Rockies.

Montana's management plan, recommended by the advisory council and adopted by the federal government as part of the endangered species delisting process, called for a minimum population of 100 wolves. Initially, the state found 10 breeding pairs to be a sustainable population goal, but the advisory council revised that upward to 15 pairs to ensure the success of the species.

With an anticipated population of 400 wolves in Montana by the end of the year -- including 40 breeding pairs -- many people believe wolves are ready to be managed as any other wildlife species, which includes hunting.

The commission also tentatively agreed to split the state into three wolf management units, with hunters being allowed to shoot wolves in any of the units until harvest goals are reached. Those goals could vary from year to year based on a number of factors.

The cost for resident licenses was set by the legislature at $19, with $325 licenses for nonresidents.

Reporter Eve Byron: 447-4076 or eve.byron@helenair.com