A Judge has ruled that Gray Wolf hunts may continue despite the fact that the Gray Wolf was just taken off the endangered species list a few months ago.

A Federal judge has ruled that the animal may be hunted in the Northern Rocky Mountain region. U.S. District Judge Donald W. Molloy of Montana made the ruling, but highlighted a key issue with the endangered species classification.

He pointed out that the gray wolf is still declared endangered in Wyoming, but not in Idaho and Montana. That led some observers to state that the Fish and Wilflife Service’s classification is more political than empirical, which could be fodder for the plight of environmentalists.

The judge stated that removing the wolves from the protection of the Engangered Species Act in Idaho and Montana, while keeping them on the list in Wyoming “has distinguished a natural population of wolves based on a political line, not the best available science.”

If those who opposed having the wolves removed from the protective list can show that there is an inconsistency in the region, they may be able to argue that it shows a population that is still too low overall. Those groups are continuing to fight the wolves’ original removal from the list.

Meanwhile in Idaho, wolf hunting began at the beginning of the month. Robert Millage was one of the first to make a kill. He claims that following that news, he has been called a “fat redneck,” and a “wolf-murderer.” The wolf-hunting season opens in Montana this week.