For over 20 years, the Sportsmen’s Alliance has stood as the definitive authority in the courtroom and the capitol, defending hunters, trappers, and state wildlife agencies against a relentless onslaught from animal extremists. We have fought to return wolf management to where it belongs: in the hands of state biologists, not federal judges or D.C. bureaucrats.
Background
The recovery of the gray wolf in the Western Great Lakes is an undeniable conservation success story. Populations in Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin have long surpassed federal recovery goals. Originally, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) set a recovery goal of roughly 1,400 wolves for Minnesota and a combined 100 for Michigan and Wisconsin. Today, the population in this region exceeds 4,000 animals.
The science is settled. As far back as 2015, 26 preeminent scientists and wildlife professionals—many of whom originally lobbied for the wolf’s protection—wrote to the FWS confirming that wolves in the Great Lakes are recovered and that continued listing under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) is “counterproductive.”
Despite this, the return of state management has been repeatedly thwarted. Well-funded extremist groups like the Humane Society of the United States have exploited the court system, using legal technicalities regarding “remnant” wolves in other states to keep Great Lakes wolves listed. While we have secured key legal victories—such as the appellate court confirming that the ESA allows for “Distinct Population Segments” to be delisted separately—the FWS has failed to use these tools effectively to finalize delisting.
Impact to Hunters
The refusal to delist a recovered species has real-world consequences for American sportsmen and women. When the FWS bows to political pressure and litigation threats, state agencies are handcuffed, unable to manage apex predators that impact deer and elk herds.
This paralysis serves a darker purpose for our opponents. For radical groups, the “wolf wars” are a fundraising juggernaut. By keeping wolves listed, they ensure a perpetual crisis they can market to donors, raising millions of dollars to fund further anti-hunting measures. Meanwhile, limited conservation resources are diverted away from species that are truly imperiled to manage a population that is already thriving.
Hunters have borne the brunt of this obstruction. We have watched as science is ignored in favor of ideology, and as the ESA is twisted from a tool of recovery into a weapon against our heritage.
Where We Stand Now
In June 2023, the Sportsmen’s Alliance Foundation, alongside a coalition of bear hunter associations, launched a new strategic offensive. We filed two petitions with the FWS offering a “blueprint” for delisting that directly addressed the courts’ concerns. The first petition called for delisting the recovered Western Great Lakes wolves. The second proposed downlisting “remnant” West Coast wolves to “threatened” status, creating a legal pathway to free the Great Lakes population from the “remnant” trap.
True to form, the FWS ignored these petitions for over a year, violating the timelines mandated by the ESA. We did not wait; we filed suit in September 2024 to compel them to act.
On January 7, 2025, the Biden administration delivered a “politically motivated farewell folly.” Instead of evaluating the petitions on their individual merits, the FWS merged them and issued a blanket “not-warranted” finding, effectively using the status of West Coast wolves to justify keeping Great Lakes wolves listed.
This fight is far from over. The Sportsmen’s Alliance immediately started assessing new legal challenges to hold the agency accountable. We will not compromise, and we will not back down until scientific management is restored.
Help Us Fight for You
Your tax-deductible donation to the Sportsmen’s Legal Defense Fund directly supports our legal fights in courtrooms nationwide. The Sportsmen’s Legal Defense Fund was established to represent sportsmen in lawsuits that affect your ability to hunt, fish, trap and own firearms. Its funding ensures the sportsman’s voice is heard above the rhetoric of anti-hunting groups.
Join the fight for your hunting and fishing future by donating to the Sportsmen’s Legal Defense Fund today!
