Wyoming Wolves In Decline

 

https://wyofile.com

Wyoming wolves in and around Yellowstone National Park have been hit hard by a 2025 outbreak of distemper. In fact, the current number of wolves in northwestern Wyoming sits at the lowest number since 2005. Good news for struggling ungulate populations like elk, bad news for the wolves. 

Wyoming Game and Fish has a 160 wolf minimum to meet recovery criteria, so the current number of wolves in the state still sits well above that goal at 253 wolves with 14 breeding pairs statewide. 

The bulk of those wolves reside in northwest Wyoming in the State’s “Trophy Game Area” where a wolf tag must be in possession in order to legally hunt wolves and a strict quota is maintained. Outside this zone, where the animals have been deemed socially unacceptable, wolves are classified as “predators” and can be taken without a license at any time of the year. 

What does this mean?

Well, finding a wolf to hunt in Wyoming’s Trophy Game Area will be a more difficult task than in years past and the State is taking the lower population into consideration for the fall hunting season. We will have to wait and see what that actually means but again, the current wolf numbers are still above the recovery criteria and a surplus of wolves is expected. 

Some folks will herald this distemper outbreak as a natural course correction from having too many wolves on the landscape. Others will bemoan the plight of the suppressed wolf population and clamour for an end to wolf hunting altogether. 

My take? 

I say that Wyoming has done a marvelous job managing a predator that was shoved down their throats by folks who would see the end of all hunting as a means to further gun control efforts. No hunting? No need for firearms. 

I used to think that was a conspiracy theory. I don’t anymore. 

I do know that my time spent hunting, recreating and wandering the landscape of northwestern Wyoming would be richer with more elk and if that means fewer wolves, so be it.