EVANSTON, Wyo. — Wyoming wildlife officials say Mollie’s Pack, the last wolf pack still intact from the species’ 1995 reintroduction, was not among the animals killed during a hunting season that opened and then quickly closed this week.
Quick quota reached, hunt areas closed
Dan Smith, interim deputy director of the Wyoming Game and Fish Department, told the state commission that wolf hunt areas one and two closed Saturday after officials reached the mortality limit of four wolves.
“Wolf hunt areas one and two did close on Saturday, after reaching the mortality limit of four wolves,” Smith said. “None of the wolves taken were from wolf packs previously assigned to Yellowstone National Park.”
The announcement relieved wolf watchers and conservation advocates who feared the famous pack might be harmed after members had been spending time outside the park earlier this year.
Pack movements and population notes
Wildlife managers and observers had tracked Mollie’s Pack as it left long-held territory in Yellowstone’s Pelican Valley and spent portions of late 2025 and into 2026 inside Wyoming’s hunt area one, northwest of Cody. The National Park Service reported the pack consisted of five adults and five pups in July and was “mostly” back inside Yellowstone prior to the season.
- Mortality limit: 4 wolves (areas one and two)
- Pack size (July): 5 adults, 5 pups
- Status: No wolves from Yellowstone-assigned packs taken
Local and statewide stakes
The fate of Mollie’s Pack carries symbolic and practical weight for the region. The pack traces directly to the wolves reintroduced to Yellowstone in the mid-1990s, and it is a draw for tourism and wildlife viewing. The political and management debate over wolves in Wyoming has been contentious for years, balancing livestock conflict and hunting interests against conservation and the economic benefits of wildlife watching.
Wildlife advocates had urged closures or tighter restrictions after the pack’s movements put it near active hunt zones. The closure after the mortality threshold was reached underscores how Wyoming’s quota system can limit harvest quickly in a concentrated area.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Closed areas | Hunt areas one and two |
| Mortality limit | 4 wolves |
| Pack composition (July) | 5 adults, 5 pups |
The Game and Fish Department’s confirmation that none of the wolves taken were from packs previously assigned to Yellowstone helps reduce immediate concern over the survival of that historic lineage. Still, the rapid development and heated public reaction around the hunt highlight ongoing tensions in wolf management across Wyoming.
Officials did not indicate whether additional monitoring or restrictions will be implemented in response to this season’s movements. State wildlife managers typically provide updates to the commission and the public as new information becomes available.
For residents and visitors, the outcome means Mollie’s Pack — a direct living link to the reintroduction that reshaped western ecosystems — will remain visible in Yellowstone, at least for now.
