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Wyoming cuts wolf hunt in half to buoy Yellowstone region’s disease-depleted population
State biologists say the lower cap is meant to rebuild wolf numbers after a distemper outbreak cut pups and adults across the Yellowstone region.
- Wyoming Game and Fish Department wolf biologist Ken Mills proposed cutting the 2026 wolf hunting mortality limit by 50% to a 22-wolf cap, the fewest available to licensed hunters since protections ended in 2012.
- A regionwide canine distemper outbreak primarily caused the population decline, with biologists detecting the measles-like disease in 64% of handled animals; Yellowstone packs produced only 17 surviving pups, the lowest in 30 years.
- Mills and federal biologists tallied 253 wolves and 14 breeding pairs as the calendar turned to 2026, marking decreases of 23% and 42% from 2024 levels, well below the 160-animal objective.
- Public meetings will take place through early June in Jackson, Cody, Pinedale, and Lander, with Commissioners set to consider draft regulations on July 14-15; Mills anticipates frustration from those seeking lower limits and those opposing hunting entirely.
- While wolves are classified as a "predator" in 85% of the state with no hunting limits, it remains unclear if Montana and Idaho will similarly decrease hunting pressure near Yellowstone National Park.
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Wyoming cuts wolf hunt in half to buoy Yellowstone region’s disease-depleted population
Wyoming wildlife managers plan to reduce how many wolves can be hunted by 50% following a canine distemper outbreak that has cut the state’s wolf numbers to the lowest level in two decades.
·United States
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Total News Sources8
Leaning Left4Leaning Right0Center4Last UpdatedBias Distribution50% Left, 50% Center
Bias Distribution
- 50% of the sources lean Left, 50% of the sources are Center
50% Center
L 50%
C 50%
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