Barring Lawsuits, These Are the New Rules for Montana Wolves

Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks is taking the 2025 Wolf Management Plan over the finish line, completing several years of work and public comment to update the policy to meet current wolf populations, 25 years after the predators were reintroduced in the Northern Rockies. 

It's been a long time since the previous policy was enacted, back in 2003, and a lot has changed since then, including the removal of wolves from the Endangered Species List in the Northern Rockies and the hunting and management adopted by Montana, Idaho, and Wyoming.

Wolf populations have also gone up dramatically, reaching a high of 1200 wolves in 2011, although they appear to have leveled off in the past few years.

READ MORE: Additional Background on Montana's Wolf Management Plan

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What is the new 2025 Wolf Management Plan in Montana?

Much of the dispute in the past five years has been over tracking and managing wolf populations.

A big change is how the new plan shifts population counts from the number of breeding pairs to the number of wolves representing at least 15 breeding pairs, setting a target of 450 wolves to hit that mark. Peer review will continue on population estimates.

The new plan addresses not only current populations but also updated processes for dealing with conflicts between wolves and ranchers. FWP says the policies make wolf management more similar to the approach used with other wildlife.

Bringing wolf management up to date

“The former wolf plan served us well, but it was time to make sure our management plan contained the evolutions we’ve made in wolf research, monitoring, conflict management, and the changes to the legal framework we operate under today,” said FWP Director Christy Clark.

Clark says wolf management continues to draw attention from not only Montana residents but people "around the world." She believes the new 2025 Wolf Plan will "ensure those conversations are grounded in current science."