Wolves in Montana

In the 2021 Montana legislative session, lasting just ninety days, legislators passed a series of bills designed to reduce the state’s wolf population by as much as 85 percent. The bills were signed into law by Governor Greg Gianforte. Montana wildlife managers then adopted a full range of options for hunters and trappers to kill wolves, including eliminating quotas in the area bordering Yellowstone National Park, effectively making it open season on park wolves that venture into Montana. As a result, during the 2021-2022 hunting and trapping season, nearly 250 wolves were killed in Montana, with 19 of these wolves being part of Yellowstone packs. In the 2022-2023 hunting and trapping season, 286 wolves were killed in Montana, including 10 from Yellowstone. Montanans play a crucial role in the survival and recovery of wolves 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