In Montana, wolves will go to the winter ranges to find game. There's nothing to sustain them in 90% of there home ranges. So they are much easier to count at that time of year. I trap all of December, January, most of February for a variety of wildlife, including wolves, so I'm out in the forest a bunch.
The numbers of wolves they counted in Ravalli County is pretty much right on. Same goes for the Big Hole Valley. I know the people that are doing the counts and talk to them a lot. It is in the interests of hunters to let them know when you see wolf sign so they can go check out those areas.
The minimum numbers are counted numbers and they know they aren't counting all of them. That's why it's used just as a trend count which is exactly the same thing done for our other wildlife. Just because they are employees of the Fish & Game does not mean they are bunny huggers.
