Montana Wolf Distribution

Wolf Distribution Map

• Wolf packs occur primarily in western Montana, but wolves could be found anywhere in Montana.
• Wolves are great travelers and are known to disperse up to 500 miles.
• The average wolf pack territory in Montana is about 200 square miles. Many are larger.
• Most packs in Montana are found on private property at one time or another.

Montana Wolf Population

Wolf Population Chart

• Wolves first began colonizing northwest Montana near Glacier National Park in the early 1980s.
• Wolves were reintroduced into Yellowstone National Park and the central Idaho wilderness in 1995 and 1996.
• Since then, the Montana population has increased through natural reproduction and dispersal into new areas.
• The average wolf pack in Montana has 4 to 7 animals.
• The population estimate is based on visual counts of packs in December.

Wolves in the Northern Rockies

Wolf Distribution

Wolf Distribution Map

• The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service designated 3 separate wolf recovery areas in the northern Rockies: northwest Montana, Central Idaho, and the Greater Yellowstone area.
• The State of Montana contains portions of all three federal recovery areas.
• The northwest Montana recovery area was naturally recolonized by wolves crossing the international border from Canada. Wolves in this area are classified as endangered under the Endangered Species Act.
• Wolves were reintroduced into the Central Idaho and Greater Yellowstone recovery areas in 1995 and 1996. Wolves in this area are classified as experimental, non-essential under the Endangered Species Act.
• Biologists have documented wolf dispersal between and among all three recovery areas.

Northern Rockies Wolf Population by Recovery Area

Wolf Population Chart

• At the end of 2009, the estimated minimum number of wolves in the northern Rocky Mountain States of Montana, Idaho, and Wyoming was 1,706 wolves.
• In the northern Rockies, the total number of estimated breeding pairs (an adult male and an adult female and at least two pups) at the end of 2009 was 115.

Northern Rockies Wolf Population by State Boundary

Wolf Population Chart

• At the end of 2009, the State of Montana had a minimum of 524 wolves; Idaho had an estimated minimum of 843, and Wyoming had an estimated 320.
• At the end of 2009, Montana had an estimated 37 breeding pairs (an adult male and an adult female and at least two pups on Dec. 31). Idaho had an estimated 49 breeding pairs and Wyoming had 27 breeding pairs.
• Most of the wolves inside Yellowstone National Park are tallied in Wyoming counts.