Study Finds Little Impact of Wolf Hunting on Livestock Protection in Western U.S.

In 2009, Montana and Idaho initiated regulated wolf hunts with the intent to alleviate pressure on ranchers, as rebounding wolf populations were causing livestock casualties. However, a recent study published in Science Advances reveals that this strategy has shown limited success in reducing livestock losses or minimizing calls for government culls of problematic wolves.

The research compared data from states with public wolf hunts, such as Montana and Idaho, to those without, like Oregon and Washington, between 2005 and 2011. The study found that for every single wolf killed, only approximately 7% of a cow’s worth could be saved. This implies that roughly 14 wolves would need to be eliminated to save a single cow in states with substantial wolf populations like Montana (1,100 wolves) and Idaho (over 1,200 wolves).

Leandra Merz, an assistant professor at San Diego State University and one of the study’s co-authors, commented, “The assumption that if we kill some wolves, the problem isn’t as bad anymore, doesn’t seem to be accurate. It does reduce predation a little bit, but not nearly as much as we hoped for.”

Non-lethal strategies such as adding fencing or flags to grazing pastures, or paying ranchers for perimeter patrols have been employed in many Western states to manage livestock predation. However, Merz explained that the costs of these methods often fall on the already burdened ranchers who face additional challenges like wildfires and drought.

The study doesn’t aim to address the ethics or merits of wolf hunting but rather seeks a management tool that can assist ranchers in managing livestock predation more effectively. When wolves reintroduce themselves into an area naturally, or through human intervention as seen in Yellowstone National Park and Colorado, human-wildlife conflicts inevitably arise, leading to potential human-human conflict.

Ongoing debates surrounding wolf management and the need for federal protections continue, with wildlife groups arguing that gray wolves have yet to fully recover as a species while Mountain West states claim populations have grown excessively high. A federal judge recently ordered the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to reassess threats to gray wolf populations in the Western U.S., including hunting, following a petition by wildlife groups seeking re-listing of the species under the Endangered Species Act.

Meanwhile, Montana and Idaho have been pursuing increasingly aggressive wolf hunting quotas and methods. The Montana Fish and Wildlife Commission is considering a proposal to increase the statewide quota of wolves that can be harvested from 334 to 500. As of yet, there has been no response from Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks regarding the new study’s findings.

An Idaho Fish and Game spokesperson declined to comment directly on the study due to insufficient time for review but stated that they manage predators with a range of goals, including providing hunting opportunities, maintaining balance between predators and big game species, and reducing or mitigating social conflicts like livestock depredations.

In 2024, Montana hunters and trappers killed 297 wolves while Montana ranchers lost 62 livestock to wolf depredation according to the USDA Wildlife Services department. During the same period, Idaho Wildlife Services investigated 99 wolf depredations.

When a predator threatens humans or livestock, federal wildlife officials are often called upon to remove the animal, typically through lethal means or dismantling the entire pack in some cases. This practice is contentious and costly, prompting the researchers of the new study to investigate whether public wolf hunting has reduced the need for these targeted removals.

Despite the data not supporting a reduction in government spending due to wolf hunts, Neil Carter, associate professor at the University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability and senior author of the new study, expressed surprise at how minimal the impact on livestock depredations was. He believes the study is pertinent given the ongoing discussions in Europe and states like Oregon, Washington, and Michigan, which may consider wolf hunts if the species gets federally delisted. Carter emphasized that if public opinion is misled about the effectiveness of wolf hunts in reducing livestock depredations, it creates a predicament since the strategy doesn’t actually solve the problem, and divisiveness remains high around this management tool.