For the first time ever, Montana has a wolf hunting season.

The season's commencement is contingent on wolves being taken off of the list of endangered species, which is expected to be announced by the federal government today.

That decision to delist also is expected to be litigated, which could tie up the matter in court, meaning that wolves might not actually be hunted for years.

Still, Wednesday's decision by the Fish, Wildlife and Parks Commission to set the dates for the 2008 hunting season -- Oct. 26 through Dec. 31 -- is momentous.

The backcountry hunting season opener of Sept. 15 also will coincide with wolf hunting in those areas.

The 2009 season is similar, although opening day is Oct. 29. The seasons will be revisited in two years as part of the commission's biannual setting of seasons.

Hunters will not be allowed to use dogs to hunt wolves, bait the animals or use artificial scents or lures.

Aerial spotting and hunting won't be allowed, along with spotlights and other artificial lights, two-way communications devices, electronic calls or night-vision equipment.

Although trapping wolves was included in the two-season authorization, no permits will be issued. So in effect, trapping wolves won't be allowed for at least the next two years.

Ed Bangs, wolf recovery coordinator for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, said that although states allowed bounty hunting on wolves for decades during the early 1900s -- until the wolf was hunted to near extinction -- no state ever had a formal wolf hunting season.

"The Service, when we began the reintroduction in 1994, strongly recommended that the public hunting of wolves be included as a management tool," Bangs said. "The state went through a long process of thinking about that, and I'm pleased to see they're doing it.

"It's time. It's past time, and the sooner we just start treating wolves like any other animal -- mountain lions, black bears, deer or elk -- the better it will be for everyone, including the wolves."

Lisa Upson, with the Natural Resource Defense Council, disagrees.

"We think a wolf hunt is premature because there's a lot of nervousness about how wolves will respond to the indiscriminate killings of wolves in wolf packs," Upson said after the meeting. "We would like to know more about pack stability or instability first."

Bangs' and Upson's comments generally reflect those of the 1,183 people who commented on the proposed wolf season during the past two months.

"Those in opposition generally said it was too early for a wolf season," said Ken McDonald, a FWP bureau chief. "Those in favor said it was about time, and they wanted us to make the season longer."

FWP took a number of issues raised by the public into consideration before coming up with the 2008-09 season dates.

In particular, people wanting to hunt wolves noted that the initial season proposal coincided with the big game hunting season, which ends on Nov. 30. Hunters wanted a longer winter season, noting that wolves harvested in the early season would have low-quality pelts.

In addition, people who hunt mountain lions said they wanted the season extended into the winter so they might hunt wolves at the same time. The winter lion season runs into late January.

But FWP balanced the harvest timing with biological considerations, noting that single wolves usually disperse in December, looking for vacant territory or breeding opportunities, and that the peak breeding season is mid-February. Closing the season in late December allows four to six weeks for wolf packs to replace breeders that are shot or die from natural causes, and assures the harvest won't hurt orphan dependent pups in a den in spring.

The commission also decided to coincide the opening of wolf hunting season with the big game rifle season to avoid conflicts with archers.

No quotas have been set; that will take place once the wolves are delisted, noted McDonald.

An 1884 wolf bounty law initiated Montana's official eradication effort, and by 1925, they were eliminated from most of the West. Wolves were put on the endangered species list in 1973.

But by 1984, Canadian wolves were denning in Glacier National Park, and captured Canadian wolves were set loose in Yellowstone as part of a reintroduction effort in 1995 and 1996.

Today, more than 1,200 gray wolves populate the Northern Rockies, including 89 breeding pairs. The USFWS considers the gray wolf to be a recovered species that no longer needs protection by the Endangered Species Act, having far exceeded the recovery goal of having 300 wolves and 30 breeding pairs.

Montana is home to an estimated 417 wolves, which includes 38 breeding pairs, according to preliminary 2007 information. That's well above the minimum population requirements of 10 breeding pairs and 100 wolves for the species to be removed from federal protection.

Since 2004, Montana and Idaho have replaced the federal government as the head of wolf management programs in those states, and part of Montana's plan includes hunting wolves in a manner similar to that of mountain lions or black bears.

Most of Montana's wolves are in the western portion of the state and in the greater Yellowstone area. However, wolves have been reported in the Helena area, including on MacDonald Pass, the Elkhorns, the Rocky Mountain Front and as far east as the Big and Little Belt mountain ranges.

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