By Blair Miller DAILY MONTANAN
Game wardens with Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks are investigating the suspected poaching of a wolf in late January near Gardiner, a spokesperson for the department said Wednesday.
The wolf was found dead in late January near Mol Heron and Cinnabar creeks, FWP spokesperson Morgan Jacobsen said. He said game wardens suspected the wolf was poached in an incident that happened around noon on Jan. 27.
The area where the wolf was killed is inside wolf management unit 313, where there is only a quota of six wolves this season, and that quota was met by Dec. 27, a month before the alleged poaching incident.
Reached by phone, Jacobsen said he could not discuss any further details of the investigation, including whether the wolf was shot or trapped.
FWP asks anyone with information about the incident to submit tips online or call the reporting hotline at 1-800-TIP-MONT.
