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Alaska
State Wild Population: Approximately 7,000-11,000 wolves.
About: Wolves in Alaska rarely encounter humans. However, Alaskan wolves are designated as "fur-bearing animals" and are hunted and trapped in the state.
Michigan
State Wild Population: Approximately 768 wolves.
About: Michigan wolves are classified as a federally endangered species and were relisted in 2022. Currently, small packs reside in Michigan's Upper Peninsula.
New Mexico
State Wild Population: Approximately 136 wolves.
About: New Mexico is a state where the endangered Mexican wolf is federally protected and being reintroduced under the SSP and SAFE programs. Despite Mexican gray wolf populations steadily increasing--standing at roughly 350 in Arizona, Mexico, and New Mexico combined--they are still very much an endangered species.
Arizona
State Wild Population: Approximately 124 wolves.
About: Arizona is a state where the endangered Mexican wolf is federally protected and being reintroduced under the SSP and SAFE programs. Despite Mexican gray wolf populations steadily increasing--standing at roughly 350 in Arizona, Mexico, and New Mexico combined--they are still very much an endangered species.
North Carolina
State Wild Population: Approximately 28-31 wolves.
About: Critically endangered red wolves are federally protected under SSP and SAFE in Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge, North Carolina. Red wolves are susceptible to vehicle strikes, which has called for the implementation of wildlife crossing safety.
Oregon
State Wild Population: Approximately 230 wolves.
About: Oregon wolves were delisted in 2021 but regained their protections in February of 2022. A famous wolf called OR-7 traveled over 1,000 miles across Oregon to California.
Wyoming
State Wild Population: Approximately 253 wolves.
About: Wolves in Wyoming are managed by the Wyoming Game & Fish Department (WGFD). Depending on the location, wolves are legally defined as "trophy game animals" (where their numbers are actively monitored and regulated) or "predatory animals" (where they can be hunted year-round without a license or limit). As of recently, Wyoming wolf numbers have dropped to historic lows due to a canine distemper outbreak.
Wisconsin
State Wild Population: Approximately 1,162 wolves.
About: Wolves in Wisconsin were delisted in January 2021 and relisted in February 2022. Wisconsin wildlife officials plan to maintain the wolf population by keeping it at around 1,000 animals.
Washington
State Wild Population: Approximately 270 wolves.
About: Washington wolves were delisted in 2021 and regained federal protections in February 2022.
Idaho
State Wild Population: Approximately 1,235 wolves.
About: Wolves in Idaho are managed by the Idaho Department of Fish & Game. State regulations allow licensed hunters and trappers to purchase over-the-counter tags with no limit on the number of wolves that can be harvested.
Montana
State Wild Population: Approximately 1,091 wolves.
About: Wolves in Montana are managed by the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife & Parks (FWP). Montana establishes annual hunting and trapping seasons with specific bag limits and geographical quotas.
Colorado
State Wild Population: Approximately 32 wolves.
About: Gray wolves are federally protected in Colorado as a "nonessential experimental population" under section 10(j) of the Endangered Species Act. In 2023, Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) brought 25 gray wolves to the state. In the future, CPW hopes to introduce 10-15 wolves every year for three to five years for a total of 30-50 translocated wolves, and eventually a self-sustaining population of roughly 200 wolves.
Minnesota
State Wild Population: Approximately 2,300-2,900 wolves.
About: Minnesota supports the largest wolf population in the Lower 48. Wolves in the state are listed as "Threatened" under the federal Endangered Species Act. Because of this federal protection, they may only be taken in defense of human life.
California
State Wild Population: Approximately 55-90 wolves.
About: Wolves in California are protected by both state and federal endangered species laws. California's wolf population is steadily increasing, with numbers hitting a modern record at the end of 2025.
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