SASKATCHEWAN — The Saskatchewan Trappers Association (STA) were caught off guard when they picked up the newest copy of the 2026 Hunters Guide, put out by the Ministry of Environment, showing the wolf hunting season has been extended by three months.
The wolf hunting season was first established in the 2023-24 hunting season, running until the end of white-tail deer season, which allowed the Northern Fur Conservation Area (NFCA) trappers to continue normal trapping operations until March 15. With no consultation from the STA or other trapping organizations, the wolf hunting season will run in conjunction with the trapping season, and the STA is not in favour of this change.
Don Gordon, president of the STA, said there are a few concerns that have the organization’s hair on end, one of which is the outdated information the ministry is using to allow this change to take place.
“One of the Ministry of Environment’s reasons behind their decision has come from inaccurate harvest data and outdated population surveys, reflecting inaccurate numbers of wolves trapped. The ministry is convinced that more wolves can be taken by hunting without affecting trapper harvest or population numbers,” said Gordon. He said the last record he could find through the government was from 2020, which uses information based on the skins that are exported to fur auction companies.
“The only auction company now for harvesters is in North Bay, Ont., so only the wolf pelts that leave Saskatchewan for the auction are recorded. There is no way of recording individual catches that are sold privately or animals of no value, like those with mange or other damage on the pelt, so they are left in the bush,” continued Gordon.
Gordon took on the task of contacting 24 of the fur blocks within the NFCA, determining that approximately 750 wolves were trapped in the 2024 season and 560 last year. In that same time frame, roughly 500 wolf licences were sold, with only 14 or 15 filled by outfitters or resident hunters, or roughly two per cent. In his 30 years of trapping, Gordon said he has only seen a wolf in the forest once.
“In a statement from Minister Rowden to the Saskatchewan Stock Growers Association (SSGA), he said the ministry considers trapping to be the most effective method for regulating wolf populations, and in cases of wolf predation, it is more effective to engage with trappers or contact Saskatchewan Crop Insurance to access a predation specialist. This is a statement that should be used before limiting a trapper’s success in a season,” said Gordon.
With the expansion of the wolf hunting season, there will be more traffic disruption in the areas, driving the animals from the trapping lines. Many of the STA trappers utilize the Saskatchewan Snowmobile Association trail network. With the potential of having outfitters or residents travelling the same trails frequently, it will disrupt what the trappers are trying to do and potentially endanger others on the trails, he said.
“To hunt wolves with an outfitter, the hunter can pay anywhere from $3,500 to $6,000 USD for an all-in six-day hunt. That’s a lot of money to pay for a two per cent chance of getting something,” said the STA president. He said he spoke with some outfitters who are opposed to the hunt being extended and would prefer the trappers to look after the wolves in the area, saying “they have a good working relationship with them and it is a market for the trappers to sell a wolf privately if there are clients who want to buy a wolf skin.”
After talking to some fellow trappers, Gordon said many trappers have noticed the wolf population has declined immensely, with much of the decline due to lack of deer in the bush.
“The deer have moved out to the farmland due to the 2025 wildfires and some severe winters with a lot of deep snow. Deer will move to areas where they can get out, and the wolves go with them. Once those animals leave the forest and get out into the open land, they are an easier target,” said Gordon.
For many trappers, the harvesting of pelts is not only a traditional right, but also a source of income, he noted. Between trap lines being lost to wildfires, an already depleting wolf population and now an extended season, Gordon and the STA said they want the ministry to reverse their decision, moving the wolf hunting season back to end on Dec. 7.
“Outfitters will still be able to offer wolf hunts, and trappers can resume with trapping operations, which is what the ministry considers to be the most effective method to regulate wolf populations.”
SaskToday has reached out to the Ministry of Environment for a response and will update this story.
