For those who may be wondering, the number of Yellowstone National Park wolves killed by hunters this season has increased to at least 23.
That’s the highest number of park wolves harvested by hunters in one season since the predators were reintroduced in 1995-96.
All 23 wolves were legally harvested after they had wandered outside park boundaries, mostly in Montana.
The high number is attributed to the easing by Montana of hunting regulations for 2021-22. New regulations increased quotas and eliminated buffer zones.
A Montana hunter/trapper can harvest as many as 20 wolves, with restrictions. A legal wolf is any male or female, including pups.
The overall Yellowstone wolf population is now an estimated 91 animals.
In a tally maintained by the park, 18 of the 23 wolves were killed by hunters in Montana. Three were harvested in Wyoming; two in Idaho.
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Packs most impacted: Phantom Lake (as many as 7 wolves killed); Junction Butte (6); Wapiti Lake (2), 8 Mile (2), and Bechler (2).
Four wolves were collared: 1234M of the Wapiti Lake Pack; 1109F, an older female recently dispersed from the Junction Butte Pack; 1238M of the Mollie’s Pack, and 1266M of the Wapiti Lake Pack.
Four pups were among the Yellowstone wolves harvested outside the park: two from the Bechler Pack and two from the Junction Butte Pack.
In early January, park officials issued a statement to the AP saying the high number of wolf kills represented “a significant setback for the species’ longterm viability and for wolf research.”
A state review is initiated after 450 wolves are killed, or when quotas are reached in either of seven regions. Otherwise, Montana has not backed off; the general hunting season runs through March 15.
–Note: This post is intended as an update for park aficionados and does not delve into the politics of wolf management or the reasoning behind changes of hunting regulations.
