State wildlife agencies in Oregon and Washington announced gray wolf populations in their respective states reached all-time record high totals for the end of 2025.
The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) reports that the minimum wolf population in Washington jumped to 270 or a 17 percent increase since 2024. WDFW and partnering tribes counted 270 wolves, 23 breeding pairs and 49 packs across Washington. The previous year’s count was 230 wolves, 18 breeding pairs and 43 packs. Pack sizes at the end of 2025 ranged from two to 12 wolves with most of them made up of three to seven individuals. Several packs either formed or reestablished in 2025.
“We confirmed six new or reestablished packs in the annual count,” said WDFW Wolf Biologist Trent Roussin. “Those that reestablished include the Salmo, Smackout and Vulcan packs in northeast Washington. New packs include the Cameron Lake pack on the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation and the Billy Goat and Tupshin packs in the North Cascades Recovery Region.”
No packs or breeding pairs were documented in the Southern Cascades and Northwest Coast Recovery Region at the end of 2025. Though managed by WDFW in eastern Washington, wolves in the western two-thirds of the state remain listed under the Endangered Species Act (ESA).
Click here to view the Washington Gray Wolf Conservation and Management Report.
According to the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW), the minimum wolf population in Oregon at the end of 2025 numbered 230. That marks a 13 percent increase from an estimated total of 204 and the end of 2024. ODFW counted 30 packs and 23 breeding pairs statewide. The Statesman Journal reports the population grew by 79 percent in the western part of the state.
The Oregon Wolf Conservation and Management Report shows wolf depredation on livestock jumped by 53 percent with the state awarding compensation grants totaling $729,318 across 14 counties. Wolves west of Highways 395/78/95 in Oregon remained listed under the federal ESA during 2025.
Hunt 2 Conserves maintains that state wildlife agencies like ODFW and WDFW should be able to manage all wolves within their borders.
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 and graphic credit: Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife/Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife)
