Wolves in Idaho

In Idaho, from 2016 to 2020, an average of 436 wolves were killed each year, with a record 570 wolves slaughtered in the 12 months ending June 2020. This included at least 35 wolf pups, some only 4 to 6 weeks old. Despite these staggering numbers, Idaho legislators pushed for even more drastic measures. They passed SB 1211, a law aimed at reducing the state's wolf population by 90 percent—from approximately 1,500 wolves to just 150. This law expands the brutal methods by which wolves can be killed, including year-round hunting, trapping, and snaring on private land. It also permits the use of night-vision equipment, snowmobiles, ATVs, and even aerial gunning to kill wolves. Additionally, the new law increases funding for wolf bounties, incentivizing the killing of wolves by private hunters and trappers. Governor Brad Little signed the bill into law on May 5, 2021. Idahoans play a crucial role in the survival and recovery of wolves both in our state and nationwide.

What's at Stake

Gray wolves at risk

Today, gray wolves survive in just 10% of their historical range in the lower 48 states. The Endangered Species Act offers them the strongest legal protection, prohibiting hunting and trapping. However, wolves in the Northern Rockies have already lost these federal safeguards, and new legislation threatens others.

Legislative threats

Don’t be deceived by the name. The Trust the Science Act (H.R. 764/S. 1895) aims to strip federal protections from gray wolves across the U.S. and prevent judicial review, meaning courts would have no power to overturn it. Having narrowly passed the House, it’s now under Senate consideration. Additionally, the Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2025 (H.R. 8998), currently circulating in Congress, includes a “rider” in Section 130 to remove federal protections from gray wolves in the lower 48 states.

Deadly consequences

Without federal protections, hundreds of wolves are slaughtered each year in Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming under extreme anti-wolf laws passed in these states. In Wisconsin, when federal protections were briefly lifted, trophy hunters killed 218 wolves in less than three days—more than double the allotted quota. If more wolves lose protections, we could see similar tragedies occur across the country.

Beyond gray wolves

Like gray wolves, the critically endangered Mexican gray wolves (‘lobos’) in Arizona and New Mexico are facing similar legislative threats, while red wolves in North Carolina are clinging perilously close to extinction in the wild. The urgency to protect America's wolves could not be greater.

Elect to Protect

Now is the time to act—before its too late. Vote for officials who will protect wolves and raise your voice for their future.

Your Elected Officals