An update on the Yellowstone wolf hunt
I'm writing today with an update on the 2022/2023 wolf hunt.
Recently, Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks unveiled a proposal to allow 10 wolves to be hunted in a newly combined Wolf Management Unit 313 just north of Yellowstone National Park.
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We submitted a public comment today, along with our partners at the Greater Yellowstone Coalition, the Bear Creek Council, NRDC and the National Parks Conservation Association, telling the Fish and Wildlife Commission this is too many wolves.
Especially after a record-breaking 21 wolves were killed in that area in the 2021-22 hunting season.
Wild Livelihoods, a coalition made up of more than 150 local businesses including PCEC, recently released an economic study about the impact of wolves on the area, which found that wolf watching brings more than $82 million to the GYE communities each year. The study also found that more than three-in-five jobs in Park County are supported by visitor spending.
Want to learn more? We’re hosting a community conversation, titled "What's Happening with Yellowstone's Wolves?" on Wednesday, July 13, at noon. Register now!
There is a public comment period open until July 21. You can comment at this website. Unsure of what to say? Here are some important things to know:
Wolf hunt talking points
Background
In 2021, the Montana Fish and Wildlife Commission eliminated long-standing quotas on wolf hunts in Wildlife Management Units 313 and 316 in Park County near Gardiner and Silver Gate-Cooke City along Yellowstone National Park’s northern border. The commission also allowed aggressive new tools, such as baiting and night hunting. As a result, 21 wolves were killed in the two hunting districts near Yellowstone National Park. An entire pack, the Phantom Lake pack, was eliminated.
CORE Message
Value of wolves:
Yellowstone is like nowhere else. The wolf packs along Yellowstone’s northern range are easily visible from the road, and Yellowstone is considered the best place in the world to observe wild wolves. A recent study found that the wolves bring at least $82 million directly into local businesses near Yellowstone. Many businesses, from wildlife guides to gas stations to restaurants to hotels, rely on visitors who come to Park County to see wolves. More than 150 of these businesses signed on to Wild Livelihoods, a business coalition, to protect the wolves.
The Fundamental Problem:
A limitless hunt of wolves harms local businesses. There are only 89 wolves in Yellowstone, after the hunting season. Another drastic hunting season will lessen the number of wolves greatly, and bring fewer opportunities for wildlife watching. More visitors come to view wildlife than fish, float, take photos or hunt. Of visitors who hire a guide, 50% watch wolves, while only 4% go hunting.
A Pragmatic Solution:
We need to reinstate the quota of one wolf per management unit. There is not an issue with livestock predation or with elk populations, but tourism creates more than 3,270 jobs – about three-in-five jobs – in Park County. Wildlife watching is a major component of that, and these people rely on wolves to make a living. This is a reasonable compromise because it will reduce controversy and media attention around the issue. This is what Park County wants.
Points to Emphasize
Wolves are valuable to Park County’s economy. Wolf watching in Yellowstone brings in at least $82 million annually to surrounding communities. This money supports guides, hotels, restaurants, grocery stores, gas stations and many other businesses. Overall, tourism creates 3,270 jobs – three-out-of-five – in Park County.
Wildlife watching, specifically wolves, brings people to Park County. Wildlife watching is the second-most popular activity in Park County. The wolf packs along Yellowstone’s northern range are easily visible from the road, and Yellowstone is considered the best place in the world to observe wild wolves. This brings visitors to this unique place.
Elk are healthy near Yellowstone. Elk populations have been stable for approximately the past 10 years and are over objective in Region 3. Specific to Wildlife Management Unit 313, the northern Yellowstone elk population has been at or over state-targeted objectives since wolves were reintroduced. More brow-tined bulls are currently taken by hunters than prior to 2009.
Hunting Yellowstone’s wolves isn’t fair chase. Wolves leaving Yellowstone National Park are not wary of humans because they’re exposed to humans year-round. When hunters near Yellowstone bait the wolves across the park’s border, this is not fair chase hunting..
Livestock are not impacted by Yellowstone wolves. Livestock depredation is not an issue for wolves near Yellowstone. Few leave the park far enough to cause conflict. The Montana Department of Livestock reports that just seven cattle were killed by wolves between 2013 and 2021, averaging less than one annually. None occurred in Wildlife Management Units 313 and 316, and none were attributed to park wolves.
The ecosystem is balanced. Wolves play a major role as a keystone species in Yellowstone, helping to support healthy levels of bison, beavers, elk and other species.
A one-wolf quota has worked. For more than 10 years, a one-wolf quota in each hunting district has worked. Elk populations have remained healthy. Businesses have thrived, and Park County has become a premier wildlife watching location in the world. The visitation brought by wolves in the winter has continued to allow many Park County businesses to thrive in the winter and employees to be able to live here year-round.
A one-wolf quota will reduce controversy. Hunting wolves near Yellowstone has gathered national and international media attention. Conservation groups have asked the U.S. Department of the Interior to implement the Endangered Species Act to protect the wolves, and a court case is currently pending. A one-wolf quota will reduce controversy and media attention, and keep control in the hands of the state of Montana.
It matters to locals. More than three-in-five jobs in Park County are created by tourism. Fewer people coming to Park County to view wolves will put the livelihoods of these people at risk.