Wyoming Wolves Head to State Management

Posted on September 4, 2012

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has announced that the Wyoming population of gray wolves is officially recovered. This means that the wolves are no longer protected under the federal Endangered Species Act, and beginning on September 30^th, those wolves will be managed by Wyoming under programs similar to those found in Montana and Idaho.

The Northern Rocky Mountain wolf population now exceeds 1,700 beasts and has more than 100 established breeding pairs. At the end of December 2011, there were an estimated 328 wolves in Wyoming, including 48 packs and 27 breeding pairs. This included 224 wolves, 36 packs, and 19 breeding pairs outside of Yellowstone National Park.

Many of Wyoming’s gray wolves are found in the state’s northwest region, and beginning on October 1, the state will host a hunt for 52 wolves. Gray wolves in Wyoming outside of the Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks, the National Elk Refuge and a few other areas are now considered predators and can be taken with few restrictions.

Wolf licenses cost $18 for Wyoming residents and $180 for nonresidents. Wolf licenses will go on sale beginning September 14 at all WGFD offices and automated license agent locations in Wyoming.

More details on the wolf hunting season and the new wolf management area in Wyoming can be discovered at: http://wgfd.wyo.gov/web2011/news-1000933.aspx

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