( CNN ) -- For the first time in decades , the hunting of the gray wolf is legal again in the United States . And that 's a good thing for ranchers like Cindy Siddoway of Terreton , Idaho , whose sheep are threatened every day by wolves . Gray wolves were taken off the endangered species list after their population rebounded . `` We have worked very hard to protect what we have , and it 's not very successful , '' she said . `` It is devastating for us to put all of the money and the time and the genetics and work to produce a great product and then just have it half-eaten and left to die . '' But wolf hunting is n't popular with everybody . It has become a controversy in Idaho , where the hunt began Tuesday , and in Montana , where it is scheduled to start September 15 . Environmental and animal rights groups are upset by a federal decision this year to remove gray wolves in the northern Rocky Mountains from the endangered species list , a move that opened the door to permitting the hunts . They are seeking an injunction in U.S. District Court in Montana to stop the hunts . Judge Donald Molloy is reviewing the case , and it 's unclear when he will rule . After their population dwindled in the Rockies last century , in part because of practices like trapping , gray wolves were put on the endangered species list . But the population has rebounded , and the U.S . Fish and Wildlife Service delisted the animals and determined that the populations would be healthy enough for hunts to be permitted in Idaho and Montana , which manage the wolf populations . There are also gray wolves in Wyoming , but hunts are not permitted there because of the state 's weak wildlife management , the U.S . Fish and Wildlife Service said . Opponents of the hunt say the population is not large and healthy enough to allow hunting . Melanie Stein , a Sierra Club spokeswoman , said that the wolf populations `` are just on the cusp of recovery and that we are almost there . '' But she says the hunts represent `` a step backward and away from recovery '' of the wolf populations . Defenders of Wildlife , one of several groups urging the court to stop the hunt , detailed the ecological role of the wolves on its Web site . `` In what is known as the cascade effect , wolves are exerting influence over a multitude of species within the park 's ecosystem . Elk , wary of the reintroduced top predator , have altered their grazing behavior . `` With less grazing pressure from elk , streambed vegetation such as willow and aspen is regenerating after decades of overbrowsing . As the trees are restored , they create better habitat for native birds and fish , beaver and other species . '' Siddoway does n't think the hunt will make much of a difference right now because it is hard to kill the animals . But the wolf attacks take their toll . For example , the wolves will kill Great Pyrenees guard dogs used to protect the herds . When that happens , `` then we 're open to prey from bears and everything else , '' Siddoway said . `` We know that it 's a problem , and we want to make sure ranchers can continue on with their livelihood , '' Stein said . `` But there has to be some co-existence between wolves and other species . '' Currently , ranchers and farmers can legally shoot a wolf they see attacking their livestock , said Ed Bangs , wolf recovery coordinator with the U.S . Fish and Wildlife Service . There are also tools used to counter wolf attacks without hunting , he said . They include scare tactics , like shooting firecrackers out of a shotgun , or proper fencing . `` All that stuff works for a little while in some instances for a short period of time and in some situations can be helpful . But it is n't the silver bullet for wolf depredation , '' he said . He said these techniques work `` in conjunction with killing wolves . '' There are state and private programs compensating ranchers who lose livestock because of attacks , but the money represents only part of what the livestock and the time dealing with the problem is worth . `` The ranchers got the short end of the stick , '' Bangs said . Officials say that up to 330 wolves in the states of Idaho and Montana may be killed during this public hunt . In Idaho , the limit is 220 wolves , and in Montana , it would be 75 . Members of the Nez Perce tribe in Idaho can kill up to 35 wolves . Ed Mitchell , spokesman for the Idaho Department of Fish and Game , said three wolves have been taken in Idaho since the hunting season began . There are more than 1,600 gray wolves in Montana , Idaho and Wyoming . But Siddoway says `` there will never be enough '' for environmental groups to agree to the hunts . CNN 's Joe Sterling contributed to this report .
Environmentalists , animal rights groups protest decision . Ranchers say it might help save their flocks . Montana district court judge is considering injunction . There are 1,600 wolves in Idaho , Montana , Wyoming ; 330 may be killed .