GREAT FALLS — Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks game wardens are investigating after a wolverine was illegally shot in November between Wisdom and Darby in southwestern Montana
FWP said in a news release that on November 10, wardens received a report of a wolverine carcass found on U.S. Forest Service Road 7377 near Schultz Saddle and the Continental Divide.
A game warden found the carcass and confirmed the wolverine had been shot, skinned, and abandoned.
Wolverine harvest is currently illegal in Montana.
Wolverine are powerful animals that seem to resemble a small bear, but they are actually the largest member of the weasel family. From the Montana Field Guide:
The Wolverine is a bear-like mustelid with massive limbs and long, dense, dark brown pelage, paler on the head, with two broad yellowish stripes extending from the shoulders and joining on the rump. Variable white or yellowish markings are often present on the throat and chest. The tail is bushy. The feet are relatively large (6.5 to 11.3 centimeters total length) with robust claws. Wolverines weigh between 7 and 32 kilograms and range from 0.9 to 1.1 meters in length.
FWP asks anyone with information to visit the TIP-MONT web page, or call the FWP hotline at 1-800-TIP-MONT.
Informants may be eligible for a cash reward of up to $1,000.
Wolverines on video (March 2022)
