If it were an election, it would be a landslide defeat. Instead, it was an informal survey created by a state senator from northern California to gauge the feelings of her constituents about reintroducing grizzly bears into California.  

“I was already skeptical of the idea, but I genuinely wanted feedback, and I got plenty of that,” said Sen. Megan Dahle on her Facebook page. 

More than two thousand residents responded to the question, “Would you support bringing grizzlies back to California?” Seventy-six percent of them said, “no.” The other 24 percent was almost evenly split between “maybe” and “yes.” 

The grizzly is California’s official state animal, although the last one to live there was about a century ago. Talk lingered over the years about possibly reintroducing them, although such talk did not translate into any traction. 

However, in February of this year, State Senator Laura Richardson  introduced a bill co-authored by fellow Senators Catherine Blakespear, Henry Stern and Weber Pierson to establish a state policy framework for introducing grizzlies into California and directs the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) to begin planning for it.   

“Reintroducing grizzly bears potentially into places where people live, recreate and raise livestock would likely necessitate further management of human-wildlife conflicts, which is already extremely challenging with the animal species that are here — notably mountain lions, wolves, black bears and coyotes,” Peter Tira, CDFW spokesman, told the Los Angeles Times.   

Proponents cite a pro-introduction study to best place grizzlies in upper-central or northern California. The sponsoring senators live in southern California. Residents in the northern part of the state are already dealing with predator issues where CDFW lethally removed four problem wolves because of repeated livestock killings. Local government officials also declared a state of emergency there because of the growing wolf population and its impacts.  

“This is not just about fear of change. I appreciate the many thoughtful comments sharing practical concerns,” said Sen. Dahle. “I am grateful for everyone who responded — including those who admire the grizzly and would like to see it return — but reintroducing these bears would be a dangerous proposal at best. I will be opposing SB 1305.” 

Hunt 2 Conserve opposes the legislation as it is not grounded in ecological necessity, but rather in a philosophical vision about what some believe California’s landscape should represent. 

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. 

(Graphic credit: Senator Megan Dahle) 

Washington’s wolf population reached a modern-day record of at least 270 animals within its borders at the end of 2025. That marks a 40-wolf or 17 percent increase since 2024.  

Over that same time period, according to the Washington Gray Wolf Conservation and Management Report, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) documented 19 livestock depredations, a decrease from 56 the previous year. The math does not seem to add up. Perhaps, because it does not. 

“Fish and Wildlife’s numbers are low because they don’t have all the facts,” Stevens County Sheriff Brad Manke told the Capital Press. “They’ve given up hope that the department will do anything for them.”  

Manke said ranchers reported about 20 depredations to his office but not to WDFW. 

“I have ranchers who report depredations to us, but they don’t want Fish and Wildlife to get their information. They do not get satisfaction out of it, and then their information gets spread all over,” Jeff Flood, a wolf depredation specialist who works in several Washington counties, told the Capital Press. “They don’t want to deal with that stress anymore.” 

Flood is referring to animal rights organizations that are critical of ranchers and WDFW and look to publicize or file litigation over depredation decisions. 

In its neighboring state to the south, Oregon recently reported a record minimum population of 230 wolves for 2024-2025 but also 145 attacks on animals over the same period or a 53 percent increase. 

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: Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife)

A new study supports others in recent years that refute popular claims by anti-hunting and animal rights groups that the reintroduction of wolves into the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE) spawned ecological change for the better.

The trophic cascade theory, popularized in 2012, maintains a change at the top of the food chain triggered beneficial impacts that trickled down to the bottom. The new research disputes the method of those 2012 findings by examining the theory that asserts the presence of wolves caused a 1,500 percent increase in the height of willows leading to reshaped rivers and improved landscapes.

“Our re-analysis shows their conclusion is invalid because it relies on circular reasoning and violations of basic modeling assumptions," Daniel MacNulty, study author and Utah State University ecologist, told Science Daily. “Because height was used both to compute and to predict volume, the relationship is circular -- mathematically guaranteed to look strong even if no biological change occurred.”

According to Science Daily, the statistical method used by the original researchers portrayed the wolf-willow growth connection as a strong one, even if that growth did not change. Other methodology concerns included sampling bias, assumptions and apple-versus-orange comparisons to studies outside of the GYE.

Earlier studies mimic the findings of this most recent research and dispelled trophic cascade. October 2024 research analyzing 21 years of data showed the primary driver of decreased elk browsing pressure and increased aspen tree regeneration was a reduction in elk population density caused by predation from multiple predators – wolves, bears, mountain lions and hunters.

A January 2024 study that spanned more than two decades examined the effects of three GYE apex predators – all carnivores at the top of the food chain not preyed on by other animals in that same landscape. Depleted populations of mountain lions and grizzly bears naturally recovered about the same time wolves were reintroduced to the park in 1995. The absence of these predators for nearly a century transformed the food web and landscape. The designed experiment adds to evidence supporting the theory that degradation of ecosystems may not be reversed when harmful stressors are mitigated. 

The lead researcher of a 2021 study described how the 2012 trophic cascade research measured only the five tallest young aspen in a given stand of trees which led to an “overestimated regeneration of overstory aspen…compared to random sampling because it favored plants taller than the preferred browsing height of elk and overlooked non-regenerating aspen stands.” The scientific team further highlighted the critical importance of basic sampling principles for achieving an accurate understanding of trophic cascades.

In 2019, scientists from three universities in two countries said more testing was needed about this “assumption of reciprocity.” And in 2010, another team of researchers determined young aspen in Yellowstone were not recovering despite the presence of wolves.

Referring to a 2014 viral video promoted by anti-hunting and animal rights groups that proclaimed wolf-related trophic cascade as fact, MacNulty told AccuWeather.com this in 2018: “It’s a really romantic story. It’s a story about a world that doesn’t really exist.”

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: Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation)

There is no debating that high intensity wildfires leave behind a devastating charred imprint on forests by killing trees, shrubs, grass, destroying root systems and opening the door to an explosion of noxious and invasive weeds and vegetation. Depending on the intensity, catastrophic wildfires may also trigger severe and dangerous erosion and mudslides.

According to the National Interagency Fire Center, wildfires burned more than 14 million acres nationwide in 2024 and 2025, including the destruction of tens of thousands of homes and claiming human lives along the way. Fires also decimated vital habitat for big game, small mammals, birds, fish and other wildlife.

Seeking to reduce the risk of high intensity wildfire, improve overall forest health and enhance wildlife habitat with timely and efficient forest management practices, House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Bruce Westerman (R-AR) and Rep. Scott Peters (D-CA) introduced the Fix Our Forests Act (FOFA) before the U.S. House in January 2025. House members passed it one week later when 67 Democrats joined 215 Republicans in a 279-141 bipartisan vote.

"This bipartisan legislation addresses numerous Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation priorities to improve forest management throughout the U.S. by expediting and streamlining the review of forest management projects, strengthening Good Neighbor Authority and removing the duplicative procedural requirements stemming from the Cottonwood decision," RMEF President and CEO Kyle Weaver said at the time. "This legislation reduces litigation and increases management to protect people from wildfire and ensure the future of elk, mule deer and other big game and wildlife."

Three months later, Senators John Curtis (R-UT), John Hickenlooper (D-CO), Alex Padilla (D-CA) and Tim Sheehy (R-MT) introduced a Senate version of the bill.

Though the two pieces of legislation slightly vary, they simplify environmental reviews of forest management projects by expanding categorical exclusions, meaning agencies can do more and larger projects with expedited review criteria. The bill also reverses the Cottonwood decision, a controversial 2015 ruling by the 9th Circuit Court that frustrates forest management by requiring costly and duplicative re-consultations over endangered species even when the proposed projects are to improve wildlife habitat. The Cottonwood ruling also allows frivolous litigation to delay essential forest management projects.

In October 2025, the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry passed the legislation, again in a strongly bipartisan 18-5 vote.

Science firmly supports FOFA. California and Washington created dashboards to track the impacts of fires that burned into previously treated areas. In 2025, 61 California fires burned into 100 treatments with 79 percent having a positive impact on the wildfires. From 2023 to 2025, 58 Washington fires burned into 231 treatment areas with 64 percent reporting positive outcomes.

Examples of proactive management treatment that positively impact fires (includes links to research):

• Reduced severity – Since 2000, more than three dozen peer-reviewed and published scientific papers studied 172 sites where wildfires burned into the footprint of forest management treatments. An analysis shows when wildfires burned into western conifer-forested areas previously treated with a combination of selective thinning and prescribed fire, the severity dropped by nearly 70 percent.
• Reduced smoke – In 2020, when California fires burned into areas treated with prescribed fire, the fire's severity dropped by 16 percent, resulting in a reduction of 14 percent in smoke emissions.
• Carbon storage – In 2016, when the Caldor, Dixie and North Complex Fires burned into areas of the Central Sierra previously treated with mechanical thinning, the prevalence of high-severity fire decreased by 88 percent. By 2023, nearly 75 percent of treated areas had higher carbon stores than untreated areas.

Examples of the potential of proactive management to create better outcomes (includes links to research):

• More water – Increasing the scale of thinning and prescribed fire treatments to restore pre-colonial conditions in the Sierra Nevada is expected to increase streamflows by up to 14 percent.
• Fewer extreme fires – According to researchers, future climate warming is expected to increase high intensity wildfires by 25 percent under current practices. However, increasing fuel reduction treatments across California has the potential to fully offset the expected increase in wildfire intensity due to climate change.
• More critical habitat for endangered species – If the management approach remains as is today, a complete loss of mature and old-growth forest habitat critical for the endangered Sierra Nevada fisher, a small mammal in the weasel family, is expected by 2100. But expanding the use of beneficial fire and thinning can save at least half of the currently available fisher habitat in the Sierra Nevada.
• Less smoke – Increasing the use of prescribed fire in California to treat one million acres annually could reduce smoke emissions by 655,000 tons over the next five years.

Potential environmental outcomes from extreme wildfires if a hands-off approach takes place (includes links to research):

Loss of biodiversity

• More than 4,400 terrestrial and freshwater species face worldwide threats associated with ecologically inappropriate fire regimes.
• High-intensity wildfires in California killed an estimated 13 to 19 percent of the world's giant sequoias since 2015, which could lead to a loss of mature sequoia groves.
• A 2025 study showed that areas burned by high-severity fire were largely abandoned by spotted owls, an endangered species, for at least two decades.

Loss of forests

• Increasing occurrences of high-intensity fires transform forestland into shrublands or non-native grasslands.

Degradation of air and water

• Wildfire smoke pollution has stalled or reversed the trend of air quality improvements across most of the U.S. in the past several decades.
• Post-fire runoff has severely degraded drinking water systems due to increased sediment, nutrients and heavy metals, affecting fish populations and requiring massive filtration costs.

Loss of forest carbon

• Boreal forests, once stable carbon sinks, are now releasing more carbon than they store, in part because of longer and more extreme fire seasons.

Additional studies:

• Fire suppression makes wildfires more severe
• Thinned forests are healthy forests
• Removal/thinning encroaching conifers helps sage grouse, elk and landscape health
• Prescribed fire does a forest good
• Small fires benefit elk and bees
• View more studies here (scroll down to What Research Tells Us)

"There is no 'one size fits all' for every ecology, and FOFA doesn't set arbitrary targets – it simply provides the tools we need to apply the right treatment to the right acre of forest. We have to start using those tools now to save the future of our forests, homes, families and communities," said Matt Weiner, founder and CEO of Megafire Action.

As of today, the Fix Our Forests Act is yet to go before the full Senate. Hunt 2 Conserve urges senators to schedule a vote and pass it.

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 source: Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation)

Idaho's 2026 legislative session adjourned sine die on April 2. Budget constraints colored most decisions. Gov. Brad Little’s “Enduring Idaho” budget plan held agency expenditures tight, and the legislature enacted broad cuts to state services. For sportsmen and wildlife, the session produced several notable outcomes, including an historic designation for hunting, a significant restructuring of the Idaho Department of Fish & Game (IDFG) governance, clarification of hunting technology restrictions with predator carve-outs and the defeat of several sportsmen-backed bills. Some key bills we tracked are below. 

  Passed/Signed into Law 

• HB 652 — Hunting as Idaho's State Sport. Signed into law on March 19. Idaho is the first state in the nation to designate hunting as its official state sport – a clear, symbolic affirmation of hunting's cultural and economic importance to the state. 

• HB 939 — Hunting and Advanced Technology. Signed April 2. Establishes restrictions on thermal/night vision optics, transmitting trail cameras and drones for big game hunting from August 30 through December 31, consistent with IDFG’s own Hunting and Advanced Technology working group recommendations. The bill also creates exemptions for pursuing wolves, mountain lions and other predators; livestock protection; trap monitoring; and retrieving wounded game.  

• HB 678 — Wolf Trap Check Requirements. Signed March 31. Establishes requirements for the frequency of checking wolf traps while also allowing trappers to inspect their traps remotely with the use of transmitting cameras.  

• H 737 — Agency Consolidation: Species Conservation and Energy & Mineral Resources. Signed March 19 (Ch. 66, effective July 1). Merges the Office of Species Conservation and the Office of Energy and Mineral Resources. Part of the legislature's broader agency streamlining push to reduce redundancy. It remains to be seen if this affects the state's capacity to manage wolf conflict and species recovery programs. 

• SB 1300 — Fish & Game Director Appointment. Passed and sent to the secretary of state. Shifts appointments of the IDFG director, as well as directors of Idaho Parks & Recreation and the Transportation Department, from independent boards to governor-appointed and Senate-confirmed positions. We have seen in Colorado, Washington and other states what happens when wildlife commission appointments become politically driven.  

• HB 855 — Lifetime License Residency Requirement. Passed. Increases the residency requirement for lifetime hunting and fishing licenses from 6 months to 5 years.  

• SCR 124 — Wildlife Crossings. The Senate concurrent resolution stating legislative support for wildlife crossings passed and was delivered to the secretary of state. The House companion (HCR 26) was returned to committee. Non-binding, but meaningful, wildlife crossings are among the most cost-effective tools for reducing vehicle collisions and maintaining habitat connectivity for elk, mule deer and other species. 

• SJM 111 / HJM 9 — Public Lands Retention and FLPMA. Both resolutions to Congress passed. SJM 111 urges retention of public lands in federal ownership and passed on a voice vote; HJM 9 requests federal adherence to the Federal Land Policy and Management Act. Non-binding but demonstrates Idaho's continued engagement on federal land management that has direct implications for elk habitat and access. 

  Failed or Did Not Advance 

• HB 630 — Aerial Shooting of Coyotes, Wolves and Red Foxes. Failed. Would have authorized shooting wolves, coyotes and red foxes from aircraft. Passed the Senate committee but was returned from the full Senate and failed. Predator management is a legitimate tool, but aerial lethality programs raise fair-chase and public perception concerns that can harm hunting broadly. 

• SB 1348 — Shotgun Sporting Complex at Farragut State Park. Did not advance. Would have established provisions for opening a shotgun sporting complex within Farragut State Park and provide an opportunity to grow shooting sports participation in northern Idaho. We expect this issue to return. 

• HB 677 — Blind Location Restrictions Near Water Sources. Died in committee. Would have prohibited constructing a blind, pit, platform or tree stand within 300 feet of a water trough or stock pond on public land. While this bill attempted to alleviate livestock conflict concerns, broad restrictions on public land limits hunter access and opportunity. 

• HB 653 — Wildlife Relocation Notice Requirements. Died in committee. Would have required IDFG to provide advance notice and an objection opportunity before planned wildlife relocations, with an exemption for emergency responsive movement. A transparency measure that the Idaho Farm Bureau supported. We expect it to be reintroduced. 

• SJR 103 / HJR 8 / HJR 10 — Constitutional Amendments on State Land Management. All three did not advance. These competing proposals would have amended the Idaho Constitution to establish provisions for managing lands granted or acquired from the federal government. The broader public lands ownership debate remains active and will return. 

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. 

Hunting is not just an outdoor recreational activity. It is an important and measurable contributor to feeding Americans and bolstering the U.S. economy. 

A new study highlighting the economic value of wild meat shows regulated big game hunting in the United States generated 235,760 tons or 519,761,829 pounds of protein per year. Based on a 6-ounce serving size, that equates to 1.39 billion meals. Researchers estimated that replacing wild, hunter-acquired meat with the equivalent of domestic meat in 2024 would cost $3.21 billion. 

“This wild meat harvest may positively contribute to conserving biodiversity by reducing dependence on industrial agricultural systems and through direct financial support for conservation efforts provided by the harvesting community,” according to the study.  

Researchers drew on state harvest data from hunting seasons in 2014 to 2019. Their findings demonstrate compelling evidence for understanding wild harvest is not only as a management or cultural issue but also a measurable form of food provision. 

Findings of interest: 

• There are 16.2 million licensed hunters in the United States 

• Global meat production in 2023 reached 371 million tons globally—a fivefold increase since only 1961 

• If wild meat were replaced with an equivalent mass of domestic meat products, it is estimated that 60,860 tons of chicken, 32,760 tons of cold cuts and cured meats (excluding bacon), 273,000 tons of beef (excluding ground) and 58,700 tons of other products would need to be bought each year 

• Wild meat from big game represents 1.44 percent of all red meat (beef, veal, pork and lamb) available for consumption in America 

• Hunters harvested at least 23 big game species for consumption in the U.S. 

• The top seven most harvested big game species were (in order) white-tailed deer, feral hogs, elk, mule deer, moose, pronghorn antelope and black bear 

• Texas hunters obtained the most wild meat followed by Alabama, Mississippi and Michigan 

• Wyoming and Montana hunters generated the most wild meat per capita 

• Wild meat is higher in protein and lower in calories than the domestic meat product diet of Americans 

• Study data does not include harvests by Indigenous Peoples whose hunting practices are managed by Tribal governments 

• Historically, regulated hunting led to the creation of policies, laws and regulations, including the prohibition of the sale of wild meat and other products, that ultimately restored the abundance of many species 

“Our findings highlight the food security, health and environmental benefits of restoring and managing habitats to support wild meat harvests,” said researchers. “We argue that recreational hunting should be more rigorously considered in research and policy frameworks as an example of how regulated animal harvest can sustainably generate wild food while having positive economic and conservation outcomes.”  

The Wild Harvest Initiative is meant to be the first complete assessment highlighting the economic, social and ecological significance of hunting and fishing. It is supported by Conservation Visions Inc. 

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. 

Citing a healthy and expanding population, the California Fish and Game Commission (CFGC) unanimously approved a motion to allow hunters to kill two black bears during the hunting season. Previously, the limit was one bear per season. 

“It feels really conservative to me still to propose an increase that the scientists in the department have told us it would result, probably, in the order of 100 to 200 more. In that range, bears harvested are still well below the cap," said Erika Zavaleta, CFGC member. 

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) currently allows for a harvest limit of 1,700 bears per season. The new motion keeps that same quota. Hunters took 1,181 bears in 2025. 

CDFW cites data that showed there were about 15,000 black bears statewide in the 1980s. Today, there could be as many as 80,000 with the animals expanding into Marin and Sonoma Counties north of San Francisco. 

“For me, it’s a scientific question and the second tag is supported by the information that we have. According to multiple lines of information and data and evidence, we have a stable black bear population,” said Samantha Murray, CFGC member. “I believe in hunting. I believe it’s a natural way to eat meat.” 

Fellow CFGC member Darius Anderson, who claims to be the only bear hunter on the commission, spoke of the experiences he gains from hunting black bears. Yet, he wanted to see how California’s science matched up against other state agencies, so he visited North Carolina, which he says has a very prolific bear management plan and roughly 21,000 animals. 

“Their bear population has been steadily expanding and their bear population has been growing to new areas. They are currently harvesting 4,200 bears,” said Anderson. “So, when I look at our number of a cap of 1,700, I think it’s not only reasonable but I think it does protect where many people in this state feel and have an unusual feeling about bear hunting, that the department has managed both the science and the emotion that goes along with this issue.”    

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: Phil Burkhouse) 

Marking a clear and decisive win for hunting and science-based wildlife management, two Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) Commission candidates withdrew their nominations prior to their scheduled confirmation vote on April 24 in the Colorado Senate. 

Chris Sichko was nominated to serve as the sportspersons representative and John Emerick as an at-large representative. The Senate Committee on Agriculture and Natural Resources gave each of them a not-be-confirmed recommendation during a hearing two days earlier, while recommending Frances Silva Blayney as sportsperson and outfitters representative.  

“I just don’t think we should have somebody filling the sportsman’s seat that has not garnered any support from the sportsman community and doesn’t have the experience to recognize CPW’s funding source from the sportsman community,” said Sen. Dylan Roberts (D-Avon) during the committee hearing, as he addressed Sichko. “CPW’s current financing is almost entirely from hunting licenses. We have someone, in your nomination, who has not ever big game hunted in Colorado.”   

Sichko is a self-proclaimed angler and small game hunter and was appointed to take the place of Murphy Robinson, an active hunter, who resigned in late 2025. 

Emerick served as treasurer of Colorado Wild, one of the state’s leading wolf advocacy organizations, and was actively involved in the 2020 ballot initiative that forcefully introduced wolves into Colorado. As a parliamentary maneuver, the Senate voted to lay over appointments for Sichko and Emerick until May 14. The session ends on May 13. The Senate approved Silva Blayney. 

Every member of Colorado’s 13-person CPW Commission has been appointed by Governor Polis. Hunter and outdoor groups say the commission’s actions show it has changed in recent years to favor animal rights and anti-hunting policies. Most recently, it ignored recommendations  from both CPW leadership and its biologists by voting in favor of a petition from an activist environmental organization to ban the sale, barter or trade of wild fur. 

“I believe we are continuing to see this administration trying to move the commission in a direction that is out of the mainstream of Colorado. I don’t think we should continue to support the direction that this administration is trying to move the commission, particularly with something that funds the agency,” said Sen. Roberts.  

Hunt 2 Conserve lauds the outdoor community for standing up for hunting and scientific wildlife management. 

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: Colorado Senate)

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)

The Colorado Senate Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee rejected two of three candidates appointed by Governor Jared Polis to become members of the Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) Commission.  

Committee members voted 7-0 in favor of Frances Silva Blayney but 5-2 against at-large representative John Emerick and 4-3 against sportsman’s representative Christopher Sichko, who has no experience hunting big game and opposes scientific predator management. 

“I just don’t think we should have somebody filling the sportsman’s seat that has not garnered any support from the sportsman community and doesn’t have the experience to recognize CPW’s funding source from the sportsman community,” said Sen. Dylan Roberts (D-Avon), who also serves as committee chair, as he addressed Sichko. “CPW’s current financing is almost entirely from hunting licenses. We have someone, in your nomination, who has not ever big game hunted in Colorado. There were 12 other people who had big game hunting experience who applied for this job and met the statuary requirements.”  

Hunt 2 Conserve, the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation and other hunting and conservation organizations actively oppose both the Sichko and Emerick appointments. 

Emerick served as treasurer of Colorado Wild, one of the state’s leading wolf advocacy organizations and was actively involved in the 2020 ballot initiative that forcefully introduced wolves into Colorado. 

“You have a history of very specific activism...but given the responsibility that the commission has, I do not think you are qualified or prepared or suited to serve in the at-large position,” Sen. Roberts told Emerick. 

As part of his comments, Sen. Roberts also took aim at the Polis Administration and its continual emphasis on placing or trying to place candidates on the commission lacking hunting experience and/or an understanding of conservation and scientific wildlife management. 

 “I believe we are continuing to see this administration trying to move the commission in a direction that is out of the mainstream of Colorado. I don’t think we should continue to support the direction that this administration is trying to move the commission, particularly with something that funds the agency,” added Sen. Roberts. 

The committee’s actions do not disqualify either candidate. However, their nominations go forward with an unfavorable designation to the full Colorado Senate for a scheduled vote on Friday, April 24.  

Hunt 2 Conserve agrees with and appreciates the committee’s action and urges the Senate to follow suit and reject both Emerick and Sichko.  

Click here to watch the hearing. 

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: Colorado Senate Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee)