Montana officials on Monday asked a judge to lift a restraining order that restricted wolf hunting and trapping following concerns that too many of the animals could be killed this winter.
The hearing before District Judge Chris Abbott in Helena comes as Montana and other Republican-led states have moved in recent years to make it easier to kill the predators. Montana's loosened wolf-hunting rules drew sharp criticism after 23 wolves from Yellowstone National Park were killed last winter, including 19 by hunters and trappers in Montana.
