Wolf re-listing

According to bowhunting.com, the longtime wolf controversy across the U.S. comes full circle with a recent decision to re-list Gray Wolves to the Endangered Species list. The seemingly endless drama regarding the wolf population across the country is now tipped in the favor of those who feel like hunting is not a viable option when it comes to the wolves that roam in wild places across the nation. This comes as a result of a February 10th ruling by a federal judge in California. 

The Trump administration removed gray wolves from the endangered list back in 2022. It was a move that brought great opportunity for hunters across the country to take part in the management of the growing wolf population.

Why did they make that call?

The numbers showed that wolf populations were thriving and had grown beyond the target goal, showing successful recovery of the gray wolf.

However, that all came to a screeching halt this last week with a reversed decision by U.S. District Judge, Jeffrey S. White, who ruled that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service “failed to adequately analyze and consider the impacts of partial delisting and of historical range loss on the already-listed species.”

The ruling protects wolves in 44 of the 48 lower states, so it does not impact states like Montana, Idaho, and Wyoming, states that have experienced the greatest loss in their deer and elk herds due to the growing number of wolves across the landscape.  

“We are disappointed that an activist judge from California decided to tell farmers, ranchers, and anyone who supports a balanced ecosystem with common-sense predator management that he knows better than them,” says Luke Hilgemann of the hunting advocacy group Hunter Nation.