A pair of Montana lawmakers and the Outdoor Heritage Coalition last week filed a lawsuit alleging the state is failing to carry out several Republican-sponsored laws that sought to reduce the number of wolves in the state.

The Sept. 30 complaint was filed in Sanders County District Court and names the Montana Fish and Wildlife Commission, a politically appointed board that sets hunting, fishing and trapping regulations, and Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks as defendants.

The commission has failed to follow a series of laws passed in 2021 by the Republican-dominated Legislature aimed at expanding opportunities to hunt and trap wolves, the lawsuit claims. The plaintiffs are asking the court to require the commission “to utilize all available management tools authorized by statute, including

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