Montana FWP Seeking Comments for 2023/2024 Wolf Hunting Season

Photo courtesy the National Park Service

We would like to provide an update on the 2024/2025 wolf trapping and hunting season setting.

Recently, Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks released their proposal for the upcoming season, which the Commission will take up at their August 16th meeting. Their proposal for Region 3 was the same as the last two seasons. 

In 2022 the Commission combined the two Wolf Management Units 313 & 316 at the border of Yellowstone National Park into just one: 313. They set the hunting quota at six wolves for that unit. 

Over the last two seasons we have seen the majority of the wolves taken in WMU 313 occur in one small area near Gardiner. This resulted in the elimination of one pack and one group that was forming a new pack during the 2022/23 hunting season and elimination of three packs in the 2023/24 season; these wolves reside predominantly in Yellowstone National Park. 

PCEC along with a coalition of partner organizations including the Wild Livelihoods Business Coalition have been asking for a return to the original two WMU’s. Region 3 Commissioner Susan Kirby Brooke has proposed an amendment to the season setting proposal that would split 313 back into 313 & 316, and split the six wolf quota between the two units. This change could significantly improve wolf management and reduce impacts on Yellowstone National Park’s iconic wolves.You can read the amendment here. 

We appreciate Commissioner Kirby Brooke’s Amendment, and encourage you to submit a public comment in support of the reinstatement of WMU’s 313 & 316, and the splitting of the six wolf quota, or even lowering it further.

Public comments on this amendment can be submitted until July 25th. You can do that by going to the FWP website and then scrolling down to the tab titled, “Amendment To Wolf Regulations- Commissioner Brooke” click on the tab and submit your comment through the portal. 

Why it’s Important

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.

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.

If you’re unsure what to say, your comment needs only to show your support for the amendment. If you have any data or personal information to add please do, but really just a simple statement in your own words speaks volumes, and allows Commissioner Brooke to point to what we hope will be overwhelming local support.