BOZEMAN — Despite the wolf hunting quota of Wolf Management Unit 313 being only three, five wolves were harvested in the area near Gardiner in just a single weekend.

"A particular wolf in a pack being removed via harvest could result in the pack just falling apart or eliminating altogether," says Brooke Shifrin, wildlife program manager with the Greater Yellowstone Coalition.

"The impact of that is pretty significant when you think about one of the most iconic national parks in the world that brings millions of people to our region each year to see wildlife alive in the landscape," she says.

A 2022 economic study by Park County says wolf watching generates an average of $82 million annually for gateway communities.

According to Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks (FWP), the harvest of five wolves was technically legal because notice had not been given of closure in the short timeframe in which the wolves were killed.

"Wolf hunters are required to report their harvest in a certain time frame. And then once we receive those reported harvests, we update the status of that quota," explains Morgan Jacobsen, information and education manager, FWP Region 3.

Wolf management units 313 and 316 have two of the smallest quotas in the state due to their proximity to the park.

But Shifrin says these areas represent a geographic pinch point where wolves often cross the boundary of the park and become funneled into increased hunting pressures.

But Jacobsen says quotas take into account many interests, including the way that wolf hunting can help contribute to their management.

Shifrin says, "We have to make sure that each of the states in our region maintains their commitment to responsibility managing on the landscape for the values they provide."