Montana plans to allow hunters to harvest 75 wolves in mid-September. Idaho wildlife commissioners will meet later this month to establish wolf hunting quotas for the state, according to the Associated Press.

Montana and Idaho have an estimated 1,350 wolves living between the states. In the 1930s, gray wolves roamed across the western U.S., but federally regulated hunting and trapping nearly wiped the species off the map. The Northern Rockies were not home to gray wolves again until the 1990s when 66 Canadian wolves were reintroduced to the area.

State wildlife managers for the two states expect legal resistance from animal rights groups and environmentalists, but remain firm on the subject of predator control.

"We're signaling our commitment to being responsible wildlife managers," said Carolyn Sime, grey wolf program coordinator for Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks.