Montana Updates Wolf Management Playbook as Hunting Bills Advance

Management of Montana’s gray wolves continues to spark fierce debate, their future hanging in the balance between science-based conservation and mounting political pressures. Last week, Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks unveiled its finalized 2025 Gray Wolf Conservation and Management Plan capping two decades of state oversight even as lawmakers advance multiple bills that would significantly expand wolf hunting across the state.

The updated plan replaces the original 2003 framework that has guided Montana wolf management since the species was federally delisted in 2011. Gray wolves in the contiguous 48 states, with the exception of the Northern Rocky Mountain population, are currently protected under the Endangered Species Act.