Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks has proposed cutting the state’s annual wolf harvest quota nearly in half, from 450 to 250, in response to a steady decline in the wolf population that began in 2021. The agency released its 2026 Wolf Report ahead of a Fish and Wildlife Commission meeting scheduled for August 19, where commissioners will vote on regulations and quotas for the coming season.
Population Decline Driving the Proposal
Montana’s wolf population has been trending downward since 2021, according to the FWP report, though the current count remains above the state’s minimum management threshold of 450 animals. The agency is using two separate population calculation models to assess current numbers, though one of those tools — iPOM 2.0 — has not yet completed peer review, adding some uncertainty to the precise figures.
That methodological question has drawn attention in wildlife management circles. A recent update to Montana’s wolf estimation approach showed the statewide population at 725, a figure substantially lower than earlier counts, underscoring the difficulty of tracking a wide-ranging predator across Montana’s vast landscape.
Despite the population slide, FWP is not signaling a crisis. The agency’s position is that the population remains above the floor set for sustainable management, but that a lower quota is warranted to account for the downward trend and the relatively modest harvest seen last season.
Last Season’s Harvest Well Below the Former Quota
Hunters and trappers took 247 wolves during the most recent season — just three below the newly proposed cap of 250, and far short of the previous 450-animal quota. That gap between what was legally allowed and what was actually harvested reflects both the difficulty of locating wolves and the reduced population available to hunters and trappers.
Dropping the quota to 250 would effectively align the legal limit with the realistic harvest level seen on the ground, while giving the commission room to adjust if population trends shift. Critics of Montana’s wolf management policies may argue the reduction does not go far enough, while some hunting and livestock interests have consistently pushed back against tighter restrictions on wolf take.
How to Weigh In Before August 12
Montana residents have until August 12 to submit public comments before the commission convenes. Comments can be submitted in person at FWP’s Helena headquarters, at regional offices across the state, or via Zoom — though online participation requires advance registration.
The Fish and Wildlife Commission will hold its formal vote on wolf regulations and quotas at its August 19 meeting, starting at 8:00 AM. The commission’s decision will set the parameters for the upcoming harvest season.
Broader Wildlife Management Context
The wolf quota proposal arrives during a period of heightened scrutiny over large-carnivore management in Montana. FWP has faced pointed questions from ranchers, hunters, and conservationists alike as the agency navigates politically charged decisions about both wolves and grizzly bears. FWP Director Hank Worsech recently defended the agency’s grizzly management overhaul at a town hall in Choteau, signaling that the department is in an active posture of re-evaluating its approaches to apex predator populations across the state.
Wolf policy in Montana has long been a flashpoint between rural communities bearing the costs of livestock depredation and federal and state obligations tied to species management. The 2021 Legislature passed measures expanding hunting and trapping opportunities for wolves, and harvest numbers climbed in subsequent years before the population began declining. The proposed quota reduction marks a notable reversal from that expansionary posture.
Whether the Fish and Wildlife Commission adopts FWP’s recommended quota of 250 or modifies it based on public input and commissioner deliberation will be closely watched by ranching groups, tribal nations with treaty interests in wolf populations, and wildlife advocates across the Northern Rockies.
