In August 2025, Montana’s Fish and Wildlife Commission presented a number of possible changes to its statewide wolf management plan, including a proposal that would directly and negatively impact the Bob Marshall Wilderness by greatly expanding wolf killing to a year-round hunting season. Wilderness Watch fought this proposal to manipulate predator-prey populations in the Wilderness (the stated goal was to increase elk numbers by killing more wolves) by submitting written comments and testifying in person at the commission’s meeting. In our comments, we noted that not only is it wrong to interfere with natural wildlife population dynamics in Wilderness, but collecting bounties
for dead wolves violates the Wilderness Act’s prohibition on commercial enterprise in Wilderness.
Ultimately, the Fish and Wildlife Commission voted down the proposal to create a year-round wolf hunting season in the Bob Marshall Wilderness. While we’re glad this bad proposal was defeat-
ed, Wilderness Watch supports ending wolf hunting and trapping in Wilderness, period.
Read our comments (found on page 23).
Photo: Sam Parks
