Yellowstone National Park is recognized as one of the best places in the world to observe wolves in the wild. The successful reintroduction of wolves to Yellowstone has been celebrated around the world, and in 2011 Montana wolves were delisted from the Endangered Species Act. Since 2011, hunting and trapping quotas ranging from two to four wolves in Wolf Management Units (WMUs) 313 and 316 have limited wolf mortality on the northern boundary of the park.

In 2020, the Montana Fish and Wildlife Commission changed the quotas to one wolf in each unit in recognition of their responsibility to represent the interests of all Montanans, including those who enjoy viewing wildlife. These quotas have worked for a decade as a compromise between wolf hunters and trappers, wildlife viewers, and the locals whose livelihoods depend on wildlife tourism. Despite the success of this approach, last year the Montana Fish and Wildlife Commission eliminated wolf hunting and trapping quotas from the units just north of Yellowstone.

The 2021 wolf hunting and trapping season resulted in 85 wolves being killed in Region 3 alone, which encompasses most of Southwest Montana. The decision to eliminate quotas in WMUs 313 and 316 resulted in 21 Yellowstone wolves taken from these units just across the park boundary, which make up less than four percent of the land base in the entire region. In short, Yellowstone wolves made up a disproportionate share of the wolves taken in the last hunting season.

The removal of so many wolves from such a small area poses a risk to the local economy, and there is no scientific rationale to support this wolf management strategy. Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks recently released a proposal to combine the WMUs that border Yellowstone National Park to the north (313 and 316) into one unit (313) and recommended a new quota for that unit of 10 wolves for next hunting season. While the return to a quota system is a step in the right direction, the proposed quota is still far too high. 

An economic study released in June of 2022 found that 3,270 jobs in Park County are based on tourism. Wildlife watching is among the most popular activities for Montana visitors, and wolves are the most popular species to observe. Wolf watching generates an annual average of $82 million dollars for local economies around Greater Yellowstone. The study also found that 50 percent of the tourists who hire a guide or outfitter in Montana list wildlife watching as one of their primary activities, compared to the four percent who list hunting as the activity of choice.  

Closures due to COVID-19, a devastating fire in Gardiner, and recent catastrophic flooding have presented huge challenges for local communities. Returning to a quota of two wolves in the proposed WMU 313 is a simple solution to provide some relief to locals and protect thousands of rural jobs. 

From the perspective of wildlife management agencies and many locals, wolf harvest is a strategy to reduce the threat of livestock depredations and maintain healthy elk populations, neither of which are issues just north of Yellowstone. Wolves in this area rarely travel far enough outside the park to encounter livestock. The Montana Department of Livestock only reported seven cattle depredations in Park County connected to wolves between 2013 and 2021. This is less than one depredation a year. Elk populations have been at objective in Region 3 and stable or over objective in WMUs 313 and 316 for the past 10 years.

Yellowstone provides unparalleled opportunities to research wolves. Researchers come from around the world to collect biological, observational, and social data on park wolves.  Increased hunting pressure could have negative impacts on their ability to continue to do so.   

COMMENT PERIOD CLOSED AS OF JULY 21, 2022

If you’re a Montana resident, GYC encourages you to speak up and comment on FWPs proposal for the 2022/2023 wolf hunting and trapping season. You can do so on the FWP Public Comment Opportunities webpage by clicking the tab that says Trapping and Wolf Seasons. You will see two comment boxes. We recommend typing “See comments below” into the first box and entering your comments into the second.

Please join GYC and our partners in asking the Montana Fish and Wildlife Commission to consider the following:

• Wolves are valuable to local economies in Montana. Wolf watchers bring $82 million to communities in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, many of which are in Montana. In Park County alone, tourism supports 3,270 Montana jobs.

• Wolf hunting in the proposed WMU 313 is not a legislative requirement for managing the statewide wolf population. This area has not been identified as an area of concern in recent legislation related to wolves. There is no legal mandate for a high quota here.

• There is no scientific rationale for aggressive wolf harvest in the proposed WMU 313. Livestock depredations attributable to wolves have not been documented in the area. Additionally, the elk herd that uses WMU 313 has been at or above population objectives set by Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks since wolves were reintroduced to Yellowstone.

• A low harvest quota of two wolves worked in this area for a decade. Returning to a low wolf quota in WMU 313 will prevent Yellowstone wolves from bearing a disproportionate share of the wolf harvest pressure in Montana and represents a return to a balanced management strategy that will protect Yellowstone wolves and the local economies that depend on them.

Please use your own words to highlight the economic, ecological, and scientific value of Yellowstone wolves and why the commission should return to a quota of two wolves in the proposed WMU 313. Public comments are accepted until 5pm MDT on July 21 and the Montana Fish and Wildlife Commission will make a final decision at their meeting on August 25.

—Brooke Shifrin, Wildlife Conservation Coordinator

The Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem is the land of 49+ Indigenous Tribes who maintain current and ancestral connections to the lands, waters, wildlife, plants, and more.