There are hundreds of fewer wolves in Montana than previously thought, according to the 2025 Wolf Report released by Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks earlier this month. 

About 725 wolves currently inhabit the state, per an updated version of the model that the state uses to estimate populations. That is far fewer than the 1,094 wolves that the state estimated using the previous version of the model. 

Similar discrepancies are seen throughout the past two decades. Biologists have long assumed the state’s wolf population hovered around 1,200 animals. But when the state wildlife agency backtracked using the updated model, it found that the number of wolves over the past 15 years likely vacillated between 800 and 1,000 animals. 

State biologists used the updated model to conclude that about 450 wolves currently inhabit Northwest Montana. Previous estimates placed the regional population around 550 canids.  

The new counts also revealed what the state wildlife agency described as a “steady decline in wolf numbers from 2021.” If average harvest rates continue, the statewide population could fall below the 450-wolf minimum threshold set by the Montana Wolf Management Plan within the next three years, according to the report. 

The revelations about Montana’s wolf population spurred the state wildlife agency to suggest a wolf harvest quota of only 250 animals for the 2026-2027 hunting season.  

Last year, the state set a quota of 450 wolves. Hunters and trappers ultimately harvested 247 of the canids from across the state. Another 47 animals were legally killed in response to depredation. 

The updated model has yet to be peer-reviewed, but Chief of Conservation Policy Quentin Kujala upheld the accuracy of the new population estimates in a July 17 press release from Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks. 

“We’re confident in [the updated model] and see it as an advancement in science and modeling,” Kujala said. 

The state’s system for modeling wolf populations came under sharp scrutiny last year, when several conservation and animal rights groups added new claims to an existing lawsuit and asked the court to halt the 2025-2026 harvest quota from taking effect. Part of the groups’ argument was the assertion that the state wildlife biologists had routinely overestimated how many wolves were on the landscape. 

While Lewis and Clark District Court Judge Christopher Abbott ultimately denied the groups’ petition for a restraining order, he wrote in his opinion that the plaintiffs “raised serious questions on the merits of [the model’s] accuracy and whether it is sufficiently reliable to ensure wolf populations are adequately protected.” 

“Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks finally admitted what we’ve been saying for years: the state’s wolf counts were wrong, and they’ve been misleading the public,” WildEarth Guardians Attorney Lizzy Pennock said in a July 18 press release issued by the plaintiffs in the court case. 

THE REPORT also included data on wolf depredation from the United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services division. In 2025, the division responded to 82 complaints of wolf depredation in Montana. Further investigation concluded that 22 of the incidents were unrelated to wolves.   

The division ultimately determined that about 90 domestic animals were confirmed killed or probably killed by wolves, including 59 cattle, 20 sheep and nine livestock dogs. The Montana Livestock Loss Board issued $92,917 last year in reimbursements for wolf depredation — about half the amount the board issued in payments for deaths attributed to grizzly bears. 

The Montana Fish and Wildlife Commission will vote on regulations for the 2026-2027 wolf hunting and trapping season, including the proposed quota, on Aug. 19. Public comments are being accepted through Aug. 12 and may be submitted online at fwp.mt.gov/aboutfwp/commission/august-2026-meeting.  

Reporter Hailey Smalley can be reached at 406-758-4433 or [email protected]. If you value local journalism, pledge your support at dailyinterlake.com/support.