WYOMING — Wyoming is maintaining wolf numbers at healthy levels according to an annual report from the Wyoming Game and Fish Department and partnering agencies.
The 2022 Wyoming Gray Wolf Monitoring and Management annual report details gray wolf populations and conflict trends that indicate stable and predictable management of the species.
According to Game and Fish, 2022 marked the 21st consecutive year wolf numbers in Wyoming have exceeded the criteria outlined for recovery of the species.
“Wyoming has a proven track record of successfully managing our gray wolf population, and we will continue that approach into the future,” Game and Fish Director Brian Nesvik said.
Established population objectives for wolves are outlined in the Wyoming Gray Wolf Management Plan.
“The Wolf Management Plan has promoted a recovered, stable and appropriate population objective for Wyoming’s wolves,” said Dan Thompson, Game and Fish large carnivore section supervisor. “This management approach has yielded reduced conflicts with livestock and alleviated potential impacts of wolf predation on big game herds. Our approach in Wyoming has promoted public tolerance and coexistence with wolves and humans across the landscape.”
As of Dec. 31, 2022, at least 163 wolves and 12 breeding pairs reside within the wolf trophy game management area (WTGMA), where Game and Fish focuses management. The wolf population for Yellowstone National Park and Wind River Reservation is at least 108 wolves and 18 breeding pairs, respectively. An additional 49 wolves were documented in the seasonal WTGMA and predatory animal areas outside Yellowstone National Park and the Wind River Reservation, bringing the total minimum population in Wyoming to at least 338 wolves.
“Game and Fish continues robust wolf monitoring efforts using radio collars to ensure rigorous data collection used for evaluating wolf population status and for proposing appropriate wolf management actions,” said Ken Mills, Game and Fish lead wolf biologist.
Reaching a steady wolf population is partially attributed to hunting in the northwest corner of the state. Wolf hunting seasons within the WTGMA require hunters to have a license and adhere to set mortality limits and other regulations.
“Wyoming’s wolf hunting strategy has been an effective wolf management tool, which has allowed the Department to meet the objectives outlined in the wolf management plan,” Mills said.
Wolves in the northern Rocky Mountains — which includes Wyoming — are currently subject to an ongoing status review implemented by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) in response to multiple petitions filed requesting wolves to be relisted under the Endangered Species Act.
In February 2022, Wyoming’s Governor Mark Gordon cast his disapproval of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s intention to initiate a 12-month status review on the gray wolf.
“Managing Wyoming’s wildlife from Washington D.C. is not a good model and is counter to the intent of the Endangered Species Act,” said Gordon. “I urge the Secretary to ensure that the status review is grounded in science and recognizes the states’ strong track record effectively managing this species.”
Game and Fish says that its 2022 annual wolf report will be instrumental in the USFWS’s review of wolf management programs and population status for each state in the northern Rockies, which is expected to be concluded by February 2024.
Additionally, by the end of 2023, Colorado plans to restore a gray wolf population to the state. According to the Wyoming Department of Agriculture (WDA), the protection afforded to wolves under Colorado management has the potential to extend a stronger wolf presence to Wyoming.
According to the WDA, gray wolves pose a substantial and critical threat to livestock in Wyoming, one of the largest and most important state industries. Wildlife biologists say that a healthy wolf population is crucial to creating resilient elk herds and supporting the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.
“In Wyoming, wolves have been successfully managed by our state’s wildlife experts since regaining authority in 2017. I firmly stand behind our state wolf management plan that has served as our guide to ensure a viable, healthy population for a species that has met all recovery criteria for nearly two decades,” Governor Gordon said.
