Lawyers for multiple conservation organizations argued during a hearing in Helena on Friday new Montana regulations around wolves could harm the species long term.

Several new state regulations, including new rules allowing for the killing of up to 558 wolves during the current hunting season, could put the species at risk of “severe population depletion,” they argued.

The conservation groups, WildEarth Guardians, the Earth and Land Institute, Footloose Montana, and the Gallatin Wildlife Association are asking First Judicial District Court Judge Christopher Abbott for a preliminary injunction to stop the 2025-2026 wold hunting regulations from going into effect.

Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks and the Montana Fish and Wildlife Commission, which sets policy and regulations for the depar

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