Judge keeps wolf season going outside Yellowstone

BILLINGS — A Montana judge issued an injunction Friday allowing wolf trapping and hunting to continue outside Yellowstone National Park, as lawmakers in Helena advanced a measure to loosen restrictions on killing wolves statewide.

Combined, the two actions pave the way for a further ratcheting up of Montana's efforts to curb gray wolf numbers less than two years after they came off the endangered species list.

Friday's decision from state District Judge Brenda Gilbert came after state wildlife commissioners attempted to close two areas totaling 60 square miles to hunting and trapping out of co...