Wolf hunting restarts in Wyoming

Gray wolf (Canis lupus) hunting has resumed in Wyoming, pursuant to state management and conservation efforts. The species was removed from the federal endangered species list on April 25, 2017. The season opened Oct. 1 and will close on Dec. 31. The Wyoming Fish and Game Department has set a limit of 44 wolves for the hunt, which is the first since 2013. The state aims to maintain the population around 160 individuals in the trophy game area, which is aligned with the federal recovery standards of maintaining at least 100 wolves, including 10 breeding pairs, outside of Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks and Wind River Indian Reservation. There are about 380 total wolves in Wyoming, including the ones that live in Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks. The state management plan for wolves will allow regulated hunting in the northwest portion of the state in designated trophy game management areas. In the remaining 85% of Wyoming, wolves can be killed on sight.

Read more at the Billings Gazette. 

Read the TWS Position Statement on Wolf Restoration and Management in the Contiguous United States.