What’s it take to kill a Wyoming wolf? Nearly 500 hunting days, and then it’s likely a youngster

Last fall, hunters put in their time pursuing Wyoming deer. They spent 12 days afield, on average, per kill. About 60% were successful.

Elk hunters had a slightly tougher go of it. Statewide, they drove, hiked and glassed an average of 19 days to successfully harvest a wapiti. Nearly 53% punched their tag.

It’s no secret that large carnivores, which occur at lower densities, are notoriously more difficult to locate, close in on and kill. Even aided by stinky bait — a common, legal tactic — Wyoming black bear hunters spent 66 days in the field per animal downed in 2023, the last year of available data. Success rates were starkly lower: Just 14%.

Then there’s the wolf.

Intelligent, relatively sparse in population, and often aided by many sets of packmate eyeballs to spot threats, wolves