Despite those mortality figures, FWP officials noted the wolf recovery in the northern Rockies has been one of the fastest species recoveries ever recorded. Which lends cause for worry in reporting of numbers from Fish and Game Departments
The five-year monitoring program for wolves in Montana comes to an end in May 2016, and the 2015 wolf count well exceeds the minimum required by federal guidelines following the 2011 decision to delist wolves from the Endangered Species Act.
Source: Federal wolf oversight program ends in May – The Western News: Members