Wolves once thrived in North Dakota. Early settlers considered them a danger to livestock and to the settlers themselves. In the late 19th century, eradication efforts largely drove them out of the state. Local governments began offering bounties on wolves. In 1893, the Emmons County Record reported that the county board approved paying wolf bounties.
The 1897 state legislature considered wolves a serious threat and voted to institute bounties statewide. Hunters received three dollars for a gray wolf. The legislature called the situation an emergency, and the record of that meeting states, “An emergency exists; therefore, this act shall be in full force and effect.”
The state's wolf population began to decline in the late 1800s because of a combination of factors. Intensive hunting and trapping, loss of habitat, and government bounties combined to drive wolves out of their traditional territory. Wolves are skilled pack hunters and can bring down large game like elk and even bison, but human activity reduced their food sources. The wolf population plummeted as human settlement and agricultural activities altered the landscape. As cars began traveling the roads crisscrossing the state, wolves were sometimes killed in vehicle collisions.
On this date in 1912, the Bismarck Daily Tribune announced that South Dakota was decreasing its wolf bounty. Hunters would receive about two dollars less. This was due to a combination of factors. The state budget was one concern, but wolves were simply no longer the immediate threat they had once been.
Wolves are occasionally seen in North Dakota today, but their presence is mainly transient, with no established breeding population. They tend to travel through the state as they move between the robust wolf populations in Canada and Minnesota. Wolves passing through are usually younger animals seeking their own territories. Confirmed sightings are rare, but they have increased since the 1980s. Sightings are most common in areas adjacent to Minnesota and Manitoba. A pack of six wolves was recently spotted at the J. Clark Salyer Wildlife Refuge in north-central North Dakota.
The gray wolf is currently listed as an endangered species under the federal Endangered Species Act throughout North Dakota. This federal designation provides the highest level of protection, making it illegal to harass, harm, pursue, hunt, shoot, or kill a wolf.
Dakota Datebook written by Dr. Carole Butcher
Sources:
- Emmons County Record. “Official Proceedings.” Williamsport ND. 8/11/1893. Page 1.
- Bismarck Daily Tribune. “Wolf Bounty Runs Short.” Bismarck ND. 8/19/1912. Page 1.
- North Dakota Game and Fish. “Grey Wolf.” https://gf.nd.gov/wildlife/id/carnivores/wolfAccessed 7/31/2026.
- North Dakota Legislature. “1897 Regular Session.” https://ndlegis.gov/api/assembly/sessionlaws/1897/pdf/bounties.pdfAccessed 7/31/2026.
- International Wolf Center. “North Dakota at a Glance.” https://wolf.org/wow/united-states/North-Dakota/Accessed 7/31/2026
- MSN. “Hunters, locals address grey wolf sightings in J. Clark Salyer Wildlife Refuge.” https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/hunters-locals-address-grey-wolf-sightings-in-j-clark-salyer-wildlife-refuge/ar-AA1Sp6WrAccessed 8/1/2026.
