Yellowstone National Park Visitation Ticks Down Slightly, on Pace for Third Busiest Year
Montana's wolf population estimate revised down to 725, but a proposed 250-wolf quota risks driving numbers below the legal minimum of 450, prompting conservation concerns.
- Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks revised its wolf population estimate downward from 1,094 to 725, prompting the agency to propose a statewide quota of 250 wolves, down from 452 last year.
- The proposal follows FWP's admission that its iPOM counting method overestimated wolf populations by nearly 370 animals, with a new model showing 22% decline in abundance from 2021 to 2025.
- Region 3 Fish and Wildlife Commissioner Susan Kirby Brooke proposed limiting hunter harvests to one wolf per license in Wolf Management Units 313 and 316, located north of Yellowstone National Park.
- Public feedback on the proposed amendment is being accepted by the Montana Fish and Wildlife Commission through Wednesday, August 12, ahead of an August 19 meeting to discuss the quota adjustments.
- Advocates, including Footloose Montana executive director Anja Heister, argue the 250-wolf quota remains excessive, citing surveys showing 74% of Montanans want wolves on the landscape and requesting a moratorium on hunting.
12 Articles
12 Articles
Daily Montanan
Yellowstone National Park visitation ticks down slightly, on pace for third busiest year
Yellowstone National Park sign at the North Entrance; Jim Peaco; October 1992 (Provided by the National Park Service)Yellowstone National Park is on pace for its third busiest season on record, falling just off record pace during July. Park officials released the latest monthly and year-to-date statistics showing that 958,706 visited Yellowstone in July, down 2% from last year. It was also 11% fewer visitors than in 2021, the park’s record-break…
Yellowstone reports 958K visitors in July; visits down 2% from 2025
YELLOWSTONE, Wyo. — Yellowstone National Park hosted 958,706 recreation visits in July 2026, down 2% from July 2025, when 975,109 people visited the park. Visitation in July 2026 showed an 11% decrease from July 2021, when the park hosted 1,080,767 visits, both part of Yellowstone’s record-breaking year with over 4.8 million recreation visits and the busiest July on record. So far in 2026, the park has hosted 2,635,384 recreation visits, down 1%…
Helena Independent Record
The Livingston EnterpriseChanges proposed for Montana's most popular wolf hunting area near Yellowstone
This year, Region 3 Fish and Wildlife Commissioner Susan Kirby Brooke is proposing that Region 3 hunters be limited to five wolves.
Wolf hunting changes floated
When it comes to wolf hunting in Montana, the state's southwestern corner bordering Yellowstone National Park attracts about 40% of the estimated hunters and hunter days for the expansive state, according to Fish, Wildlife & Parks.
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