Q & A on Montana's War Against Wolves

Gardiner, Montana, where I live, is ground zero in the controversy over killing or protecting wolves. Gardiner sits at Yellowstone’s north gate and depends economically on tourists that come to watch park wolves. Gardiner also sits in Montana Wolf Management Unit 313 and near Unit 316 where hunters and trappers come to kill wolves—any wolves. 

Yellowstone wolves that live near 313 and 316 spend only about 5% of their time outside the park. Unfortunately, that time outside the park usually occurs during Montana's wolf hunting season. When they make that rare journey into Montana, they enter a death trap designed and operated by Montana’s governor, Montana’s legislature, Montana’s Fish and Wildlife Commission, and Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks. Yellowstone wolves become highly publicized casualties in Montana's war against all wolves.

I have received a lot of questions about how wolves are mismanaged in Montana. Here are some of the questions with answers.

1. Does Montana have a plan to control the killing of wolves in the state?

Under Montana’s plan this hunting season’s death toll could reach at least 450 wolves statewide. At that point, the Fish and Wildlife Commission must meet and decide whether to stop the hunt or let it continue. If they let it continue, they must reassess after another 50 wolves are killed and the total is 500. Then another 50 wolves could be killed and so on.

On January 28, the Commission voted to stop the Region 3 hunt once 82 wolves (the preset threshold) have been killed. Region 3 contains units 313 and 316. As of that meeting, 76 wolves had been killed in Region 3; 18 were Yellowstone wolves.

2. How many wolves might Montana allow to be killed statewide?

The most recent Montana Annual Wolf Report was published in 2020. On page V of that report is a graph that shows the minimum wolf population according to the state plan is 150. That graph also shows that as of 2019 the state’s wolf population was, depending on the measurement method, between 800 and 1,000.

If the population is 1,000 and Montana allows wolves to be killed to the 150 minimum, that would mean 85% of the state's wolves would be killed.

The Fish and Wildlife Commission has not said how low it will let the population go.

3. Do wolves in 313 and 316 attack livestock or kill lots of elk?

On December 16, Yellowstone’s superintendent Cam Sholly wrote a letter to Montana’s governor Greg Gianforte, asking him to stop the killing in 313 and 316. Sholly wrote that Montana's data shows little to no wolf-related depredation in northern Yellowstone, an area that includes 313 and 316.

The data also shows that the elk population in units in northern Yellowstone is "At" the population objectives set by Fish, Wildlife & Parks. On a larger scale, in all of Region 3, the elk population is "Over" the objectives. 

4. Are there any studies on the impact of hunting wolves near national parks?

So far I have found two studies. These show an impact on wolves and wolfwatchers.

A finding in one of the studies relates to the impact of hunting on wolves. That study analyzed how the loss of a breeding wolf in Denali National Park and Preserve changes the stability and growth of that breeder’s pack. The study found that breeder loss preceded the break up of three-quarters of the dissolved packs. In other words, shooting or trapping a breeder can destroy an entire pack, wherever the pack lives.

Findings in both studies relate to the impact of hunting wolves on wolfwatchers. One study found wolf sightings in Yellowstone fell by 31% following the killing of wolves along the park boundary. The second study found sightings in Yellowstone rose by 45% following the killing of no wolves along the boundary.

5. Can a buffer zone where no wolves are killed be created around Yellowstone?

Ken McDonald, the Wildlife Division administrator for Fish, Wildlife & Parks, said in an interview that there is a legislative prohibition on buffer zones where no wolves could be hunted or trapped, according to a July 4, 2021, Helena Independent Record article. 

However, a wolf management unit with a quota of one is possible and has been used.

6. How could a quota that minimizes wolf killing be reestablished in units 313 and 316?

The Fish and Wildlife Commission can vote to reinstate the quota since they voted to eliminate the quota that was in place last hunting season and for many previous seasons. 

But reinstating a quota will require a significant campaign, since Gianforte appointed six of the seven commissioners and stacked the commission with folks who support his anti-wolf views. Commissioner Byorth is the only holdover from the previous administration. 

Sholly, in his December 16 letter, asked Gianforte to stop the killing in 313 and 316. Sholly asked that the quotas that had limited the kill for the last decade be reinstated. Gianforte didn’t respond directly to either request. Instead, he wrote back that the Fish and Wildlife Commission was monitoring the hunt and would respond according to Montana’s new wolf hunting legislation.

On January 28, the Fish and Wildlife Commission chair said the only issue to be put to a vote that day would be whether to close Region 3. The idea of reinstating a quota could not even be discussed at that meeting.

7. What would be the impact to wolves and wolf hunters if a quota of one wolf in each unit is reestablished?

The impact to wolves would be major. With a quota of one wolf in each unit, 16 Yellowstone wolves would not have been killed this season. And at least one pack, the Phantom Lake pack, would still exist.

The impact to hunters would be minor. Wolf hunters would have to drive farther, but they could find more wolves to shoot or trap. According to a September 27, 2021, Yellowstone press release, ninety-eight percent of wolves in Montana live outside units 313 and 316.

8. Hunters can now bait wolves on private land. How much private land is near Yellowstone’s border? 

The September Yellowstone press release stated that over 30% of the boundary Yellowstone shares with Montana is within one mile of private property where baiting is now allowed.

9. Can rules allowing such things as hunting at night be changed?

Trap Free Montana Public Lands and Wolves of the Rockies filed a lawsuit in December against Fish, Wildlife & Parks and the Fish and Wildlife Commission. The Bozeman Daily Chronicle reports that the lawsuit focuses on two aspects of current wolf regulations: allowing wolf hunting at night on private land and aerial hunting of wolves. 

The groups want the court to void the use of night hunting equipment. The groups also want this year’s regulations to state Montana’s long-held prohibition against hunting wolves from the air. The groups asked for--but were denied--a temporary restraining order while this litigation plays out.

10. How dependent are Gardiner and other gateway communities on tourists?

Sholly, in his December letter, pointed out that visitors to Yellowstone spend hundreds of millions of dollars each year in communities within 50 miles of the park. Tourism to Yellowstone supports thousands of jobs and has an estimated overall benefit of $640 million to the area's economy. 

He added that the positive economic impacts of visitors viewing wolves in Yellowstone is estimated to be well over $30 million annually, much of which is spent in local Montana communities and counties.

11. Do hunters or wolfwatchers contribute more to local economies?

While wolf hunting earns Fish, Wildlife & Parks hundreds of thousands of dollars through the sale of licenses, wolf watching brings millions of dollars to communities around Yellowstone.

According to a report by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, wildlife watchers outspent hunters in 2016 by a ratio of nearly 3 to 1.

Here are some links to learn more:

NPS page that reports Yellowstone wolf mortalities (scroll down page)

FWP database on wolves killed in Montana 

Sholly’s 12/16/21 letter to Gianforte

Helena Independent Record 7/4/21 article

2016 FWS study regarding hunting and wildlife watching 

2015 study on impact of hunting wolves near national parks

2016 study on impact of hunting wolves near national parks 

Award-winning Indie author Rick Lamplugh writes and photographs to protect wildlife and wild lands. 

His award-winning book In the Temple of Wolves; its sequel, Deep into Yellowstone; and its prequel, The Wilds of Aging are available signed. His books are also available unsigned or as eBook or audiobook on Amazon. 

You can also join Rick in his latest writing adventure, a free weekly letter to subscribers entitled Love the Wild. You’ll find excerpts from his books, podcasts, photo essays, opinion pieces, and more. All aim to excite your mind and warm your heart.

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Photo of howling Yellowstone wolf by Rick Lamplugh

Protecting Western Wolves: UPDATE #4

In this update on protecting western wolves, I will focus on the killing of wolves that step out of Yellowstone National Park and into Montana. But first a bit of background.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) announced last September that the 2,000 or so wolves in the West may need a return to protection under the Endangered Species Act. The protection may be warranted because new laws in Montana and Idaho promote such widespread wolf killing. While agreeing to begin a twelve-month study of the need for protection, the agency declined to immediately restore protection for western wolves on an emergency basis. So wolves will be hunted and trapped while the FWS ponders. And, sadly, the number of wolves killed during the current wolf hunting season in Montana and Idaho will be a key factor in whether the FWS decides to protect the dwindling number of survivors. 

As of January 10, 156 wolves have been killed in Montana according to the Montana Fish, Wildlife & Park’s website. (See table below for details.) In Idaho, 496 wolves have been killed as of December 27, 2021, according to information obtained through a freedom of information request by a conservation organization. 

The Danger to Yellowstone Wolves

Yellowstone wolves that follow elk and other food out of the park can be shot once they step paw into wolf hunting units bordering the park. Remember that most of these wolves were born and raised in a park where hunting is not allowed and humans do not represent danger. This makes them an easy target outside the park. To make matters worse, new Montana and Idaho legislation pays a bounty for wolf killing and allows previously outlawed killing methods, including snaring, baiting, and night hunting.

According to records provided by Yellowstone National Park, twenty Yellowstone wolves have been killed this hunting season after leaving the protection of the park. Three were killed in Wyoming and two in Idaho. Fifteen were killed in Montana in the wolf hunting units, unit 313 and unit 316, just north of the park. 

The killing of Yellowstone wolves began early in Montana's wolf hunting season when two female pups and a female yearling from the park's Junction Butte Pack were killed in 316 in September.

The Response by Yellowstone National Park

Shortly after those deaths, Yellowstone superintendent Cam Sholly spoke up for park wolves in a press release, “Yellowstone plays a vital role in Montana’s wildlife conservation efforts and its economy. These wolves are part of our balanced ecosystem here and represent one of the special parts of the park that draw visitors from around the globe." 

Sholly went on to say, "We will continue to work with the state of Montana to make the case for reinstating quotas that would protect the core wolf population in Yellowstone as well as Montana’s direct economic interests derived from the hundreds of millions spent by park visitors each year.”

The quotas he refers to existed for over a decade and limited the number of wolves that could be taken in units 313 and 316. In last year's hunting season, the quota was one wolf in each of the two units. But Montana’s new wolf hunting rules abolished that quota and the kill has soared. Instead of just two wolves that would have died under that quota system, at least sixteen have been slaughtered in those two units. And fifteen of those are confirmed Yellowstone wolves. 

The killing in Montana is so bad that the park now considers an entire Yellowstone pack, the Phantom Lake Pack, eliminated after up to seven of its ten to twelve members were killed in unit 313. That's a pack that scientists will not be able to learn from and that Yellowstone visitors will never have the chance to observe and enjoy.

The Response from Montana

While the slaughter went on and protests arose, Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks (FWP) pretended they had no data about the number of Yellowstone wolves killed. As the Bozeman Daily Chronicle reported: “Greg Lemon, a spokesperson for Montana FWP, said the department does not distinguish between Yellowstone and Montana wolves when collecting harvesting data, so it can not confirm the numbers.” 

As the death count continued to rise, Sholly wrote a letter on December 16 to Greg Gianforte, Montana's governor. In the letter, which was released by the National Park Service, Sholly urged Gianforte to shut down hunting and trapping in the two wolf hunting units, 313 and 316, adjacent to the park's northern border. 

Gianforte--an avid hunter and trapper who received a slap on the wrist last year for breaking a state trapping rule--did not specifically address the request to stop the killing. Instead, Gianforte wrote, "Once a wolf exits the park and enters lands in the State of Montana it may be harvested pursuant to regulations established by the (state wildlife) Commission under Montana Law." 

Two Different Realities

One reality: to the State of Montana a wolf is worth far more dead than alive. The more licenses sold to shoot or trap wolves, the more money Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks generates.

The other reality: with Yellowstone National Park, wolves are worth far more alive than dead. As Sholly wrote in his December 16 letter: "Visitors to Yellowstone spend hundreds of millions of dollars each year in communities within 50 miles of the park. Tourism to Yellowstone supports thousands of jobs and has an estimated overall benefit of $640 million to the area's economy. The positive economic impacts of visitors viewing wolves in Yellowstone is estimated to be well over $30 million annually, much of which is spent in local Montana communities and counties.”

There's no doubt that the number of people who spend all that money to see Yellowstone's wolves alive far exceeds the number of hunters and trappers that want to see wolves dead.

But there's also no doubt that the number of Yellowstone wolves killed will keep rising. All wolf hunting units in Montana are now open for trapping. And new rules allow each trapper to take up to ten wolves this season. That’s in addition to the up to ten wolves that each hunter can take. One person that hunts and traps could take up to twenty wolves. 

Efforts to Protect Western Wolves

Of course, wolves throughout the West are at risk along with Yellowstone wolves, and there have been a number of efforts to protect western wolves. 

Last October, twenty-one U.S. senators led by New Jersey’s Cory Booker and Michigan’s Gary Peters sent a letter that asked Interior Secretary Deb Haaland to shield wolves from being killed for 240 days while permanent protection was considered by FWS.  

Last December, a bipartisan group of 78 members of Congress sent another letter to Haaland urging her to consider an emergency relisting. That letter notes that more than 800 scientists have called on the Biden Administration to take immediate action against laws in various states that threaten gray wolves and ignore science.

In January, a coalition of conservation groups asked the National Park Service Director to work with Haaland to issue an emergency relisting.

Numerous Tribal nations have called for emergency relisting of wolves too. Tribal leaders have also asked to meet with Haaland to discuss wolf management. As Tom Rodgers, president of the Global Indigenous Council, said, “The problem is the FWS and its antiquated culture when it comes to the management of the wolf. We requested a follow up meeting to address FWS with the Secretary of Interior in the room.” 

But repeated efforts did not bring her into the room. As Native News Online reported: “On October 29, Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland (Laguna Pueblo) opted out of a scheduled meeting with a delegation of tribal leaders. It was the second time Secretary Haaland had cancelled in a month.”

The Sound of Many Guns

Meanwhile Montana's governor ignores Yellowstone's plea to set meaningful restrictions on the killing of park wolves that cross an invisible line. Idaho continues its long-standing and state-sponsored campaign to kill as many wolves as possible as quickly as possible. Wyoming has designated wolves as vermin to be shot anytime by anyone--no license required--in 85% of the state. And in the face of all this senseless bloodlust, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service refuses to issue an emergency relisting of wolves while pondering what seems obvious: too many wolves are being slaughtered in these three anti-wolf states. 

The Endangered Species Act allows Interior Secretary Haaland to authorize an emergency relisting if she determines a species faces a significant threat. To date she has taken no action to protect wolves. Haaland has not even made a statement as to where she stands on this issue. Her silence is deafening. And accompanied by the sounds of many guns killing many wolves.

Letter from Sholly to Gianforte with statistics

Wolves killed in Montana (data from Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks)

Visit Montana FWP for daily updates and map

Important info on hunting and trapping:

2021-2022 Wolf Season Dates in Montana

Archery
September 4 – September 14

General 
September 15 – March 15

Trapping

All units open now until March 15, 2022

FWP regulations state: "Persons can take up to 20 wolves with no more than 10 via hunting and no more than 10 via trapping (maximum harvest of 20 wolves per person). For hunting a separate license is required for each wolf. For trapping, only a Trapping License is required."

Hunters and trappers must call in their wolf take within 24 hours. 

For more information on hunting regulations 

To report a dead wolf or possible illegal activity: 

contact 1-800-TIP-MONT (1-800-847-6668) or a local game warden.

Award-winning Indie author Rick Lamplugh writes and photographs to protect wildlife and wild lands. 

His award-winning book In the Temple of Wolves; its sequel, Deep into Yellowstone; and its prequel, The Wilds of Aging are available signed. His books are also available unsigned or as eBook or audiobook on Amazon.

You can also join Rick in his latest writing adventure, a free weekly letter to subscribers entitled Love the Wild. You’ll find excerpts from his books, podcasts, photo essays, opinion pieces, and more. All aim to excite your mind and warm your heart.

Photo of Yellowstone wolves by NPS