Associated Press - November 16, 2009 1:54 PM ET

BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) - Montana is shutting down its first public hunt for gray wolves since their removal from the endangered species list, after state officials said they expected to meet the season's 75-wolf quota by Monday evening.

The order to halt the hunt came after state wildlife officials said the quota had been met across southwestern Montana and was expected to be met in northern Montana. Wolf hunting in the southeastern portion of the state closed Oct. 26.

The quota equaled about 15 percent of a statewide wolf population estimated at 500.

Whether the hunt will be repeated next year is uncertain. A lawsuit to return the predator to the endangered list is pending before Judge Donald Molloy U.S. District Court in Missoula.

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