The Parts of the Trap: Rob Henrekin explains a modern wolf trap. The bottom plate needs 10 pounds per square inch of pressure to trigger the trap, which should protect against lynx. The jaw of the trap is smooth and clenches an animals paw. The trap is hooked to chains that can allow the animal to move freely, but it likely cannot get past the anchor on the left, which hooks onto things as small as a snowmobile track.
This article has been corrected after inaccurate quotes from Rob Henrekin were discovered
The wolf trapping season for much of Montana started on Jan. 1 after a delay from a lawsuit concerned for the safety of grizzly bears. With the open season, several trappers in the Clearwater, Swan and Blackfoot Valleys have started laying snares and traps.
This fall, a lawsuit by two environmental groups halted the early trapping season, arguing that the baited traps have been ensnaring federally-protected grizzly bears. Six grizzlies have been accidentally snared since 2011, the lawsuit cited from FWP.
While grizzlies have been trapped, none have been reported since 2013, according to FWP. The back and forth from the lawsuit ultimately led to a suspension of early-and-late season trapping, but no ban on trapping from Jan. 1 to Feb. 15.
The Pathfinder spoke with two local trappers, who said while they understand the concern over keeping animals like wolves and bears in the landscape, wolves must be managed to maintain healthy ecosystems, of which trapping is an integral part.
Bob Sheppard, an Ovando resident, trapper and lecturer, told the Pathfinder that he sees the lawsuit as a way to ban trapping in the future, which he said has nothing to do with protecting grizzly bears.
Sheppard teaches a workshop each summer at Purdue University about wolf management and trapping. He said much of his discussions focus on correct trapping procedure and how trapping coincides with keeping the wolf population from exploding.
"To me, it indicates a fairly liberal judge is cherry picking laws that help their cause," Sheppard said. "To not manage (wolves) is a huge mistake."
Changes in rule
Wolf trapping has been legal in Montana since 2013, after gray wolves were delisted from the Endangered Species Act in 2011. FWP now manages the state population and sets quotas in seven regions and one smaller wildlife management district near Yellowstone National Park.
Wolf trapping has some strict regulations. Traps must be checked every 48 hours, with some trappers going more frequently. All wolf kills must be inspected by FWP within 10 days, and any accidental trapping must be reported within 24 hours.
Usually, the season could start earlier in December when Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks biologists believe bears have hibernated and trapping is safe. Bears usually hibernate based on the amount of sunlight during the day, according to bear biologist Jamie Jonkel.
Snowfall is not the main decision maker, but he said some bears stay out past normal hibernation dates, especially young males looking for another meal. Each year the wolf trapping starts at a different time.
This year, the state allows people to trap up to 10 wolves and hunt 10 with a rifle, up from 15 total wolves allowed the previous year. As of Dec. 29, 2023, only the district near Yellowstone National Park had reached its number.
Both the Flathead-Lolo-Bitterroot Citizen Task Force and WildEarth Guardians sued FWP over this process, arguing that the traps can cause harm to grizzly bears, and that the state has been underreporting the number of accidental grizzly bear trappings.
Lawyers for the conservation group further argued that the Montana state Legislature had worsened the situation by allowing baited traps, expanding the season and allowing the use of snares during the 2021 session.
In November, U.S. District Judge Donald Molloy granted a preliminary injunction to the conservation groups, meaning trapping would be withheld in grizzly bear areas until Jan. 1.
The lawsuit did not ask for a complete trapping ban, nor did it challenge wolf hunting.
Trapper's touch
While he knows some people who have maxed out their wolf harvests, Sheppard said he has never reached the 10 wolf trapping quota, partially because of the difficulty to trap one of Montana's most elusive animals.
"Just from a logistics standpoint, you'd need to set up a lot of traps that need surveillance, and that equipment costs a lot of money," Sheppard said.
Local trapper Rob Henrekin has also never reached the 10-wolf maximum in his 10 years of wolf trapping. He said that is because wolves are some of the most intelligent animals in the countryside, generally staying out human's eyesight.
They are present on his land near the Rich Ranch, however, as he told the Pathfinder that wolves passed just across the street from his house on Dec. 20. He said he traps within 10 miles of his home, some years getting one wolf, while other times trapping five.
"I really appreciate wolves and what they bring to our area," Henrekin said. "I also believe in trapping them, because they need to be managed. “I sincerely believe that balance needs to be kept in check and do the best of our ability to keep that pendulum from swinging too far one way or the other.”
Henrekin said the trapping lawsuit did not affect his plan for the year much, as warm and dry conditions had limited him from using a snowmobile - his primary way of checking traps. He's more concerned about the long-term fight to stop trapping, which he said is an underlying factor.
Henrekin has been trapping since he was a boy, but he said he became focused on wolves because of the challenge. He said many factors go into the trapping process, where to set traps, when to check them and how to find and track wolf packs in the area. While some practices include bait stations and snares, Henrekin said he likes to keep his style more traditional.
“I would rather put more miles on my snowmobile and cover more country and learn what (wolves) are doing as opposed to going to this place and setting up a big bait station and load it all up with traps,” he said.
Concern for wolves
Wolf trapping has been a contentious topic for years as the state has allowed trapping the apex predators. Dozens of lawsuits have been brought to either stop the trapping season or stop the reintroduction of wolves into previously lost habitats.
A lawsuit in 2022 almost closed down wolf trapping and hunting altogether, as plaintiffs like WildEarth Guardians argued that the state hasn't produced a wolf management plan since 2002, and the less restrictive regulations passed by the state legislature brought concern for the population.
While trapping was limited, the season still happened with limited restrictions. Wolf trapping hit national headlines when Gov. Greg Gianforte illegally shot a wolf near Yellowstone National Park in 2021.
Gianforte had a license for the kill, but had not completed necessary training, which he completed later. In a statement after the lawsuit this fall, Gianforte called the case "judicial activism"
"Just ahead of Thanksgiving and the start of wolf trapping season, the judge's sweeping order tramples the rights of trappers while a few environmental extremists abuse the ESA and ride the gravy train of judicial activism," Gianforte said in a statement. "Montana has a healthy, sustainable population of wolves and grizzlies, and there has been no incidental take of grizzlies from wolf trapping in Montana since 2013."
Local context
While walking along his property in December, Henrekin questioned how people can scrutinize trapping but not attack other human-bear interactions that led to grizzly bear deaths.
"Trains have killed a few bears this year, anglers have killed two in self defense, hikers have killed them, I don't see that comparison with wolf trapping," Henrekin said. "The fact of the matter is I have never trapped a bear or a lynx in my time, and I intend to keep it that way."
Henrekin does not sell his wolf skins. He keeps each pelt on his workshop wall, surrounded by old photos and tools for his taxidermy business. He said he understands peoples' concern with wild animals like the wolf.
Unlike Henrekin, Sheppard also catches other types of furbearers, like muskrats and bobcats. He said while he sells some fur to pay for the trapping equipment, he keeps many of his pelts as a trophy.
What Henrekin said he thinks makes him different is how he interacts with nature. He said he sees the animals, how they interact with other parts of the ecosystem and how humans can make considerable alterations.
"I love having wolves on the landscape, there are just some people that believe you shouldn't hunt or trap them," Henrekin said. He questioned how people call the practice inhumane, and argued nature itself isn't too kind.
Reader Comments(0)