Hunter legally kills popular Yellowstone wolf

A Montana hunter has legally killed a wolf that was popular with photographers and wolf watchers in Yellowstone National Park.

Abby Nelson, of the Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks Department, says everything was legitimate about the way the wolf known as 926F was taken last Saturday near Cooke City, Montana, outside the park.

But she tells the Jackson Hole News & Guide it may a little bit harder for people to accept because the pack the wolf belonged to had showed signs of habituation.

The wolf had been the alpha female of the Lamar Canyon Pack until ceding the role to her daughter recently.

Montana, Idaho and Wyoming have established wolf hunting seasons to help control their numbers. No wolf hunting is allowed inside Yellowstone.