Montana's wolf population may be declining. The state's own updated population model shows a steady drop beginning in 2021, with a new estimate placing the population at roughly 725 wolves, far below the agency's earlier count of over a thousand. Despite this, the Montana Fish and Wildlife Commission just approved a quota allowing up to 300 wolves to be killed through hunting and trapping this season, 50 more than what the state's own wildlife agency recommended. This decision came after 247 wolves were already killed last season alone.
Sign the petition urging the Montana Fish and Wildlife Commission to rescind this quota and implement a full moratorium on wolf hunting and trapping until the population data is fully reviewed and shows real signs of recovery.
The state's wolf management plan sets 450 wolves as the bare minimum needed to sustain the species long term. With the newest estimate showing the population well below that number, and still trending downward, allowing hundreds more deaths this season moves Montana further from recovery, not closer to it. The Commission made this decision despite overwhelming public opposition, with over 90 percent of public comments calling for fewer wolves to be killed, including many asking for hunting and trapping to stop altogether.
Wolves are native to Montana and play an essential role in the state's ecosystems, something Montana's own wildlife agency acknowledges. They live in tightly bonded family packs, and every wolf killed disrupts that structure for the pack left behind. A moratorium would give the population the chance to actually recover, using data the state trusts enough to publish, rather than data it ignores when setting kill quotas.
Sign the petition and demand the Montana Fish and Wildlife Commission stop the killing and protect the wolves that remain.
