HELENA — A pair of state lawmakers is suing Montana’s Fish and Wildlife Commission, claiming they aren’t doing enough to reduce the state’s wolf population.

Reps. Paul Fielder, R-Thompson Falls, and Shannon Maness, R-Dillon, are among the plaintiffs in a lawsuit filed last week in state district court in Sanders County. They’re joined by a Townsend outfitter and by the pro-hunting sportsmen’s group Outdoor Heritage Coalition.

Fielder sponsored a 2021 state law that directs the Fish and Wildlife Commission to “reduce the wolf population in this state to a sustainable level.”

During a meeting in August , the commission increased the number of wolves that can be harvested statewide from 334 to 458, but they maintained a regional quota of 60 wolves for southwest Montana, and they declined

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