Cheyenne -The Wyoming Game and Fish Department released a report this week indicating Wyoming is maintaining wolf numbers at healthy levels by using hunting, which helps hold rancher/wolf conflict numbers down as well. Game and Fish managers say steady gray wolf populations and conflict trends indicate Wyoming has reached a stable point in the state wolf’s population objective.
Wyoming has exceeded the delisting criteria for 19 years in a row by consistently maintaining a steady wolf population of over 300.
Those objectives are outlined in the Wyoming Gray Wolf Management Plan, which guides wolf management in Wyoming. Recovery criteria for Wyoming is 100 wolves and 10 breeding pairs outside Yellowstone National Park and the Wind River Reservation.
Wyoming has at least 327 gray wolves, tallied at the most recent count. At least 147 reside within the trophy game management area (WGTMA) where Game and Fish managers focus their efforts.
The wolf population for Yellowstone National Park and Wind River Reservation is at least 123 and at least 21 respectively. An additional 36 wolves were documented in the seasonal WTGMA and predatory animal areas outside Yellowstone and the Wind River Reservation, bringing the total minimum population in Wyoming to 327 wolves.
“After having management of wolves returned to Wyoming in April of 2017 we made a strong commitment to ensure we would be responsive and responsible managers in accordance with the plan,” said Dan Thompson, large carnivore section supervisor. “Part of that is providing an accurate population estimate possible. We are building a dataset that supports our management actions and helps target areas of livestock conflict and areas where there are concerns with how wolves are affecting certain big game populations.”
Reaching a steady wolf population is partially attributed to hunting in the northwest corner of the state. Wolf hunting seasons within the WTGMA and seasonal WTGMA require hunters to have a license and adhere to set mortality limits and other regulations.
In 2020, hunters in the WTGMA and seasonal WTGMA accounted for nearly 43% of all wolf mortalities, while conflict attributed to 38% of the mortalities.
Ken Mills, the report author and the lead wolf biologist for Game and Fish, said seeing success with hunting as a tool to stabilize wolf populations is notable.
“That lends credence to our management approach and how we are going through the recovery process,” Mills said.
“It is significant that today we are reaching a point where we have predictability in our management,” Mills said.
Game and Fish is currently taking comments on the 2021 proposals for gray wolf hunting seasons. The public can review the draft regulations and submit comments until 5 p.m. June 4.
