Sept. 15 to Dec. 31: Wyoming Wolf Hunting Season Dates and Quotas

Wolf hunting season in Wyoming 2026-27 follows Chapter 47 of the Wyoming Game and Fish Commission’s regulations, which sets hunt areas, season dates and mortality limits for gray wolves designated as trophy game. In 2025, the season ran from September 15 to December 31 in most hunt areas, and the Commission reviewed an updated draft of Chapter 47 in May 2026. Wolves in the rest of the state are treated differently, and that split decides where, when and how you can hunt.

This article covers season dates, hunt areas, quotas, licenses, legal methods, reporting and the limits on where you can hunt. The Wyoming Game and Fish Department (WGFD) publishes final 2026-27 dates and mortality limits, so check its Chapter 47 page before you buy a license.

Wolf Hunting Season Dates in Wyoming 2026-27

The most recent complete season schedule in Wyoming’s official sources is the 2025 schedule in Chapter 47. Under it, Hunt Areas 1-11 and 14 ran September 15 to December 31, Hunt Area 12 ran October 15 to December 31, and Hunt Area 13 ran September 15 to March 31. WGFD’s annual report notes that seasons are held in conjunction with big game hunting seasons and run primarily from September 15 to December 31.

The opening date has moved before. The opener shifted from September 1 in 2018-2019 to September 15 in 2020-2025 to reduce the proportion of juveniles taken. The rule text says the season closes in each hunt area when the mortality limit for that area has been reached, so a hunt area can close well before its listed end date.

Pro Tip: Treat the printed closing date as a ceiling, not a promise. Check the WGFD wolf quota status for your hunt area each day before you head out.

Wolf Hunting Units, Zones and Regions in Wyoming

Wyoming divides wolf hunting into numbered hunt areas inside the Wolf Trophy Game Management Area in the northwest corner of the state. The 2025 Chapter 47 schedule lists Hunt Areas 1 through 14, and WGFD publishes a Gray Wolf Hunting Area Map alongside the regulation.

Area boundaries are written in the regulation using roads, rivers and park boundaries. Area 8, for example, is described using the Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Park boundaries, Teton Pass and Wyoming Highway 22. Read the legal description for your area rather than relying on a rough sketch of the map.

Wolf Harvest Quotas and Season Closures in Wyoming

Each hunt area has its own mortality limit. Mortality means any legal or illegal human-caused gray wolf death during an open season, with exceptions for wolves taken by the Department, under lethal take permits, or dying naturally. Illegal kills count against the quota.

The table below shows the limits from the 2024 version of Chapter 47 as posted on the Wyoming Legislature’s website. Final 2026-27 limits are set by the Commission and published by WGFD.

Hunt Area	Season Dates	Mortality Limit
1, 2	Sept. 15 to Dec. 31	9
3, 4	Sept. 15 to Dec. 31	5
5	Sept. 15 to Dec. 31	3
8, 9, 11	Sept. 15 to Dec. 31	10
10	Sept. 15 to Dec. 31	2
13	Sept. 15 to Mar. 31	3
14	Sept. 15 to Dec. 31	1

Source: Chapter 47 text, 2024 version. Areas 6, 7 and 12 carry additional conditions in the regulation.

Wolf Hunting License and Tag Requirements in Wyoming

You need a gray wolf hunting license to take a wolf in the trophy game area. The regulation states that a person may purchase up to two gray wolf hunting licenses during any one calendar year. WGFD’s 2025 report shows how widely used the license is: a hunter survey was extrapolated to represent 2,731 gray wolf hunting licenses issued.

Hunters taking a wolf in a designated wilderness area have an additional requirement in Section 4 of the regulation, so read that section before a wilderness hunt. Licenses are sold through WGFD and its authorized license agents.

Wolf Tag Cost for Residents and Nonresidents in Wyoming

The wolf license fee is set by Wyoming statute and published by WGFD, and the sources reviewed for this article do not state a 2026 fee for residents or nonresidents. Check the license fee schedule on the WGFD website for the exact current price before you apply.

Budget separately for the other costs of a wolf hunt, including a conservation stamp if one applies to your license type, travel to the northwest corner of the state and any lodging near your hunt area.

Nonresident Wolf Hunting in Wyoming

Wyoming sells gray wolf hunting licenses to nonresidents as well as residents, and the same hunt areas, mortality limits and reporting rules apply to everyone. Nonresidents hunting in designated wilderness areas should confirm the guide or outfitter requirements that apply to wilderness hunting before booking.

Because quotas are small and close without warning, nonresidents who travel a long distance should plan flexible dates and have a backup hunt area in mind.

Wolf Bag Limits in Wyoming

The bag limit is simple. The bag and possession limit is one gray wolf per license during any one calendar year, January 1 through December 31. Because you can buy two licenses, the most wolves one person can legally take in a calendar year is two.

The regulation also states that licensed hunters may take any gray wolf, so there is no restriction by sex or age in the trophy game area.

Legal Weapons and Methods for Wolf Hunting in Wyoming

Wolves designated as trophy game may only be taken during open seasons with legal firearms and archery equipment. Chapter 47 allows archery equipment in all hunt areas.

• Open hours: one-half hour before sunrise to one-half hour after sunset.
• Radio tracking: no person, except as authorized by the Department, may take a gray wolf with the use of or by the aid of radio tracking equipment.
• Collared wolves: if a wolf is wearing an electronic radio tracking device in the listed hunt areas, you must surrender the device to the Department.

Hunting Wolves Over Bait, at Night and With Electronic Calls in Wyoming

Night hunting is off the table in the trophy game area because of the shooting-hours rule above. Hunting over bait and using electronic calls are governed by Wyoming’s general hunting regulation (Chapter 2) and by the specific provisions of Chapter 47, so read both before you set up.

The rules are different for wolves classified as predatory animals outside the trophy game area, where methods can be broader. Confirm which classification applies to the exact spot where you plan to hunt.

Wolf Trapping Season and Trapper Requirements in Wyoming

Chapter 47 covers hunting seasons, not trapping. In the trophy game area, wolves can only be taken during open hunting seasons with firearms and archery equipment, so you cannot trap them there under this regulation. Trapping of predatory animals outside the trophy game area falls under separate Wyoming rules, and WGFD is the agency to ask about trapper requirements.

Where Wolf Hunting Is Not Allowed in Wyoming

Several areas are closed. The regulation closes areas where human presence is prohibited to protect wintering wildlife to gray wolf hunting during the period for which those areas are closed. It also closes wolf hunting in part of Hunt Area 6 within the National Elk Refuge.

Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks are not open to wolf hunting, and the Wind River Reservation has its own wolf hunting seasons set separately. Hunt Area 12 has a split status, covered next.

Reporting, Sealing and Tagging a Harvested Wolf in Wyoming

Every harvested wolf must be registered. WGFD says it requires mandatory registration of all harvested gray wolves and surveys hunters to quantify harvest, hunter success and hunter effort. The reporting window in the 2025 regulation text is 48 hours, so confirm the deadline in the final 2026-27 Chapter 47 before you hunt.

At registration you must give the Department your license number, date of kill and the kill location, including hunt area, section, township and range or UTM coordinates. A false statement on the registration is a violation of the regulation.

Killing Wolves That Threaten Livestock or Pets in Wyoming

Outside the trophy game area, gray wolves in Wyoming are designated as predatory animals, and under Chapter 47 any person taking a wolf designated as a predatory animal has reporting duties set out in the regulation. In Hunt Area 12, wolves are trophy game from October 15 through the last day of February and predatory animals the rest of the year.

Take of wolves in defense of life and property and under lethal take permits is allowed under state law and is handled separately from hunting seasons. Livestock owners should contact WGFD about compensation and permits.

Wolf Population and Management Status in Wyoming

Wyoming manages wolves under the Wyoming Gray Wolf Management Plan. The state’s regulation was part of the framework evaluated and approved by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service during the Endangered Species Act delisting process.

Harvest has been modest in recent seasons. WGFD reports that 31 gray wolves were harvested in Wyoming during the 2025-2026 hunting season. The Commission sets seasons using public input, annual harvest data and population information.

Where to Hunt Wolves in Wyoming: Public Land and Private Land

Wolf hunting in the trophy game area takes place largely on national forest and other public land in the northwest corner of the state, including areas near Jackson, Pinedale and Cody. Private land hunts need landowner permission, as with any other game species.

Check each area’s closures before you go, since parts of public land are closed to protect wintering wildlife. For similar Wyoming planning, see this article on deer hunting season in Wyoming.

Best Time to Hunt Wolves in Wyoming

Most of the season overlaps with big game seasons, so September and October give you the most company in the woods and the earliest access to high country before snow. Late season (November and December) brings snow that helps with tracking but also cuts access on some roads.

Because the quota can close an area early, early-season hunts reduce the risk that your area closes before you arrive. Hunt Area 13’s season extends to March 31, which offers a late-winter option.

Guided Wolf Hunts in Wyoming

Several Wyoming outfitters offer wolf hunts, often paired with other late-season hunting in the northwest part of the state. A guide can help you with area boundaries, closures and registration timing.

Hiring a guide does not change the legal requirements. You still need your own license, must follow the mortality limit rules and must register any wolf you take. If you also plan upland hunting on the same trip, see this article on pheasant hunting season in Wyoming.

Wolf Hunting Season in Wyoming 2026-27: Frequently Asked Questions

When Does Wolf Season Open in Wyoming?

In most trophy game hunt areas, the season has opened September 15 and closed December 31, with Hunt Area 12 opening October 15 and Hunt Area 13 running to March 31 in 2025. Final 2026-27 dates are published in the Commission’s Chapter 47.

How Many Wolves Can You Kill in Wyoming?

You can take one wolf per license in a calendar year and buy up to two licenses, for a maximum of two.

Do You Have to Report a Wolf You Harvest?

Yes. All harvested wolves must be registered with WGFD, and the report includes your license number, kill date and location.

Can Wolves Be Hunted Anywhere in Wyoming?

Wolves are classified as trophy game only inside the designated management area. Elsewhere they are predatory animals, and different rules apply. Read the full regulation on the WGFD gray wolf regulation page before you hunt.