Wolf numbers within Wyoming management guidelines
Wyoming continues to host a healthy population of gray wolves that exceeds all endangered species recovery criteria.
According to Wyoming Game and Fish, the state had a total minimum population of at least 347 animals as of December 31. According to their survey, there were at least 238 wolves living outside of Yellowstone National Park and the Wind River Reservation. They said the population count for Yellowstone National Park is at least 97 and at least 12 are on the Wind River Reservation.
The annual monitoring and management report shows a 16 percent decline of gray wolves outside of Yellowstone between 2016 and 2017. Game and Fish officials said that decline moves towards established objectives outlined in the Wyoming Gray Wolf Management Plan. In areas under state management authority, wolf numbers went from 285 at the end of 2016 to 238 at the end of 2017.
“After having management of wolves returned to Wyoming in April of 2017 we made a strong commitment to ensure we would be responsive and responsible managers. Part of that is providing an accurate population estimate possible and we have that now,” said Dan Thompson, large carnivore section supervisor. “It is significant that today we are now managing recovered and healthy populations of all of Wyoming’s native large carnivores.”
According to the report, Wyoming Game and Fish tracked 83 collared wolves statewide. The management program program cost approximately $280,000 with an additional $310,000 spent to compensate livestock producers for damage caused by wolves.
In 2017, there were 191 confirmed livestock depredations in the state outside Yellowstone Park. That’s down from 243 in 2016. The number of wolves removed because of livestock conflicts fell from 113 in 2016 to 61 in 2017.
Hunters took a legal harvest of 43 wolves last year. 33 wolves were killed under predatory animal designation.
“Recovery criteria for Wyoming is 100 wolves and 10 breeding pairs outside Yellowstone National Park and the Wind River Reservation. This is our 16th year exceeding those criteria. Now, with our new population information we can make informed recommendations on how to manage wolves in 2018 and moving forward,” said Ken Mills, the report author and the lead wolf biologist for Game and Fish. “Fortunately, we do not have any disease concerns at this time, but continue to test for that and to gather genetic samples of wolves to ensure genetic interchange is occurring.”
Mills said new information would help managers recommend wolf harvest strategies to target areas where there is conflict with livestock.
