WGFD officials have reported that a minimum of 327 wolves call the state home. This data was gathered during the winter count. The count took place during the winter of 2020. The wolf count numbers were broken into three different areas. All three of these counts are set as the minimum wolf numbers in the areas. The Wolf Trophy Game Management Area currently holds at least 147 wolves. Likewise, the WGFD stated that at least 123 wolves live with the boundaries of Yellowstone National Park. Lastly, the Wind River Reservation holds at least 21 wolves.
“After having the 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. 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. – Game and Fish Large Carnivore Section Supervisor Dan Thompson
Wolf Management in Wyoming
With the 2020 counts now finished, the wolf population in Wyoming has exceeded the de-listing criteria for 19 years in a row. The de-listing criteria for Wyoming sits at having 100 wolves and 10 breeding pairs outside of Yellowstone National Park and the Wind River Reservation. Wolves in Wyoming were delisted on April 25, 2017. Since that time, the wolves in Wyoming are managed via the Wyoming Gray Wolf Management Plan.
“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.” – WGFD Press Release
However, hunting wolves within the state has been a hot-button issue. There have been several legal battles over the management of wolves within the state. The WGFD is taking comments on the 2021 wolf hunting season. You can leave a comment up until June 4th. You can find more information by checking out the WGFD website here.
