Have You Ever Wondered How Protected Wyoming Wolves Really Are?

Wyoming's wolf population has been re-established since a 1995 plan to reinstate them. There are over 300 in the state and over 100 in Yellowstone National Park. This means there are 200 outside of the park's boundaries.

As you can see on this Wyoming Game and Fish Department map, wolves are considered predators outside the state's Northwest corner. This means you don't have to have a license to kill a wolf in most of the state.

There's been a lot of talk over the last couple of years about the wolves released in Colorado. Ten were captured in Oregon and released in 2023; fifteen were captured in British Columbia, Canada, and released this past January. Colorado Parks and Wildlife plans to continue releasing captured wolves in years to come.

Ranchers are concerned about the possible issues the wolves will raise with livestock. This has already happened, as one of those recently reintroduced wolves crossed into Wyoming and killed five sheep.

Wildlife officials then killed that wolf, but in Wyoming, anyone could've shot it as long as it was outside of a management area or one of the National parks.

Wolves outside the WTGMA are considered predatory animals as defined in state law and are not actively managed by Game and Fish. Wolves classified as predatory animals can be harvested year-round without a license. Any wolf harvested in the predatory animal area must be reported to the department within 10 days of harvest.

Wolves are considered predators in most of Wyoming, and just like coyotes, they can be killed year-round without a license in 3/4 of the state. Most wolves will do their best to avoid humans, so the likelihood of you seeing one in random places is rare.