The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) announced in November 2025 that creating a national recovery plan for gray wolves is unnecessary. It determined doing so “would not promote their conservation” because listing is no longer appropriate” under the Endangered Species Act due to the success of recovery of gray wolf populations.

Essentially, the USFWS stands by its 2020 assessment and evaluation that wolves have already met recovery goals.

In a 10-page document, it concluded that population levels in the Great Lakes States of Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin are abundant and above recovery, while each state has sufficient wolf management laws and plans in place to maintain that abundance for the foreseeable future. USFWS also stated there were few wolves along the West Coast at the time of the status review five years ago but California, Washington and Oregon each have plans in place to ensure their reestablishment. At last count at the end of 2024, there were a minimum of 50 wolves in California, 204 in Oregon and 230 in Washington.

USFWS also expects wolves in the Western United States to continue to spread into unoccupied areas. Again, as of the end of 2024, there was a minimum estimate of 1,150 wolves in Idaho, 1,091 in Montana and more than 300 in Wyoming, including about 100 in Yellowstone National Park.

Hunt 2 Conserve and the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation maintain that state wildlife agencies can and should sustainably manage recovered wolf populations just as they manage elk, black bears, deer and other wildlife species.

About Hunt 2 Conserve

Hunt 2 Conserve is a 501(c)4 nonprofit organization affiliated with the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation. Its mission is to advance a legacy of hunting and conservation by educating, activating and developing stewards and defenders of these fundamentally American ideals. For more information, go to hunt2conserve.org.

(Photo credit: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service)