Ed Bangs, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s wolf recovery coordinator, says the recovery goal of 30 breeding pairs in the Rocky Mountain population, in which Wyoming is included, will likely be achieved this winter.

“Reports by hunters are important to ensuring the wolf population status is thoroughly documented so that wolf management can be turned over to the state and tribal wildlife agencies in a timely manner,” Bangs said.

Although both wolves and coyotes have bushy black-tipped tails, wolves are universally bigger than coyotes and can reach 130 pounds. While most coyotes are dusky brown and gray in color, wolves can range from white to black, with grizzled gray or black being the most common color in this portion of the United States. Wolves are also typically two to three times the size of coyotes. Track size is also much larger than coyotes with most wolves measuring 4 inches wide by 5 inches long.