Wyoming Game and Fish Boosts Wolf Hunting Quotas in Yellowstone Area

The Wyoming Game and Fish Commission voted in July 2025 during its meeting in Casper to increase the state's wolf mortality limit from 38 to 44 wolves, specifically targeting hunt areas within the wolf management zone around the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. This adjustment follows Game and Fish's draft proposal and reflects rising local wolf populations in those areas, where quotas are set based on population data to manage numbers actively. The new limits will take effect for the fall 2025 hunting seasons and remain in place for the next three years.

Public input played a role in related decisions, as the commission reversed an earlier plan to raise mountain lion quotas in Hunt Areas 5 and 6 after comments highlighted potential impacts. Wolf quotas, however, proceeded with the increase, diverging from the initial user context of legislative limits on permits—no such bill reducing quotas passed in the 2026 session per legislative records. Wyoming's wolf management balances hunting opportunities with ecosystem health in regions like the Greater Yellowstone area, home to packs roaming near Jackson and Cody.

Game and Fish regulations for 2025 outline general hunting rules, including requirements for licenses in limited quota areas, with at least 40% reserved for landowners in some zones. This quota hike comes amid ongoing debates, as earlier 2025 bills focused on other species like mountain lions and deer, not wolves. Local outfitters and ranchers in areas like Park County welcome the change for controlling livestock depredation, while environmental groups monitor populations closely.