Hunter Nation Praises Senators Johnson, Lee and Barrasso for Introduction of Bill to Delist Gray Wolf from Endangered Species Act

Grassroots Hunting group urges Congress to pass legislation that returns control of recovered species back to states. 

MISSION, Kan., April 8, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Hunter Nation, the leading grassroots organization for America's hunters, thanks US Senators Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, Mike Lee of Utah and John Barrasso of Wyoming for standing up for American Hunters, farmers, ranchers and pet owners by introducing a bill in the United States Senate to delist the Gray Wolf from the Endangered Species Act (ESA) with no judicial review, and return management of the fully recovered species back to the states.

The Senate Bill filed on Friday, April 4th, 2025 is identical to the "Pet and Livestock Protection Act of 2025" (H.R. 845) that was introduced in the United States House of Representative in January 2025 by WI Congressman Tom Tiffany and CO Congresswoman Lauren Boebert.

"On behalf of the American Hunter, thank you Senator Johnson and Senators Lee and Barrasso for taking this much needed action to return management of the gray wolf to each state, without judicial review," stated Keith Mark the Founder and President of Hunter Nation. "The gray wolf is a conservation success story and the time has come to celebrate that. This legislation does just that by returning management of the wolf to each impacted state and it will also prevent activist, anti-hunting judges from using the courts to prevent science based management of this recovered animal," added Mark.

"This is a needed change to the Endangered Species Act and will be a generational benefit to hunting and hunters, stated Rock Bordelon, Chairman of the Hunter Nation Board of Directors. "Hunter Nation is committed to getting this important legislation passed and implemented into law," concluded Bordelon.

"I'm fully committed to getting the science-based Pet and Livestock Protection Act signed into law to protect rural communities," stated Wisconsin Congressman Tom Tiffany. "The gray wolf has fully recovered, and without proper management, it's destroying Wisconsin's deer population and slaughtering pets and livestock across our state. I appreciate Hunter Nation's strong support and thank them for leading the charge to delist the gray wolf nationwide."

 At a recent Congressional hearing in Washington DC, where the merits of delisting the gray wolf were being debated, Hunter Nation member, biologist and wildlife management expert, Dr. Nathan M. Roberts, testified and laid out these undeniable facts:

• In the Great Lakes region alone, there are an estimated 4,000 to 5,000 wolves, a population level more than ten times the original recovery goal.
• Recovery goals have been surpassed every year since at least 1994, yet the wolf remains listed, tying the hands of state wildlife managers.
• Scientific studies, including work by Adams et al. (2008), show that harvest rates of up to 29% of a state's wolf population will have no negative impact on wolf population trajectories.

It's Time for Congress to Act

Hunter Nation is calling on the US Senate and the US House to pass the Senate bill introduced by Johnson, Lee and Barrasso and pass H.R. 845 and other common-sense reforms to the ESA that restore management power to the states. We stand with America's hunters, ranchers, and state wildlife managers who know firsthand that local control works.

Hunter Nation remains committed to holding Congress accountable and ensuring that common sense and science, not radical activism, drive America's wildlife management policies.

Hunter Nation is America's leading grassroots organization advocating for the rights of hunters and the responsible management of wildlife. We fight for the freedom to hunt and fish, and we champion science-based wildlife management policies.

SOURCE Hunter Nation