Rifle Prize An Effort To Encourage Wolf Hunting

A southwestern Montana sportsman's group is hoping to encourage wolf hunting in the Bitterroot Valley by holding a drawing for a rifle from among the names of those who successfully bag a wolf in December.

Ravalli County Fish and Wildlife Association President Tony Jones says the drawing is an effort to get enough hunting pressure to fill quotas set for wolves in two areas where elk populations have been declining.

The state virtually eliminated elk hunting opportunities in the southern Bitterroot Valley after several years of poor elk calf survival.

Quotas totaling 54 wolves have been established in the East and West forks of the Bitterroot River. A total of 17 wolves had been shot by Friday.