USA Gray Wolf Range Map
Gray wolf range across the contiguous United States as mapped in 2001 — before significant range expansion in the Western Great Lakes and Northern Rockies.
What this map shows
The shaded green area is the species' primary contiguous range as mapped by the USGS Gap Analysis Project in 2001. This represents the areas where populations are established, breeding, and ecologically meaningful — not individual sightings or scattered isolated populations.
An unshaded state doesn't mean the species is absent — it only means the species isn't part of the contiguous breeding range at the scale USGS mapped. Small, localized, or recently-reintroduced populations may exist in unshaded areas.
Important: data is from 2001
This is the best publicly-available research-grade range data for the species, but it was compiled from observations collected between roughly 1990 and 2001 and published by USGS in 2011. Many species have expanded significantly since then.
Examples: black bears have recolonized much of the Midwest and South, elk have been reintroduced in Kentucky, Virginia, Wisconsin, and Missouri, gray wolves have expanded substantially in the Northern Rockies and Western Great Lakes, and wild turkeys have pushed into the northern plains. For current distribution, always check your state wildlife agency.
Hunting notes
Legal status varies significantly by state and has changed multiple times since 2001. Currently huntable in Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Wisconsin, and Minnesota under state management. Federally protected in many other states. Always check current regulations — wolf status is one of the most frequently changing in wildlife law.