BILLINGS, Mont. -- Gray wolf hunting and killings in response to livestock attacks have pushed the number of dead wolves to a record of more than 500 this year in the Northern Rockies -- just months after their removal from the endangered species list.

Officials said it's too early to know if the overall population will suffer. It will be months before they can gauge if wolf hunts in Montana and Idaho are curbing the predators' hunger for livestock.

As biologists prepare their 2009 population tally, the results will be closely watched -- both by environmentalists seeking to restore wolves to the endangered species list and ranchers who resent the predators chewing into their livelihood.

The regional wolf count was 1,650 at the beginning of the year. Since September, hunters in Montana and Idaho have claimed at least 203 of the animals, with Idaho's hunting season slated to continue through March. Almost 300 more have been killed by government wildlife agents, ranchers defending their livestock, poachers and natural causes.

That figure includes deaths in Wyoming, where hunting remains banned.

Wolves are prolific breeders that have expanded their numbers in recent years even as federal officials extracted a heavy toll from marauding packs. Wolf attacks on livestock have continued at a steady pace, with more than 375 domestic animals killed in Idaho and more than 200 in Montana through November.

For more on this controversial topic, please go to http://www.trib.com/news/state-and-regional/article_15116fb8-c3e2-58af-838b-0aa28a89badd.html

-- Jay Cassell