Montana's wild
animals
deserve better.

Every year, tens of thousands of traps and snares sit hidden on Montana's public lands, the same trails where you hike, ski, and walk your dog. Footloose Montana is changing that.

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Our Impact

Two decades of work.
Measurable results.

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of Montanans support ending trapping on public lands

Up from 46% in 2012, a measurable shift driven by two decades of public education.

Montanans voted for trap-free public lands

One in three voters statewide cast a ballot to end trapping in Montana in 2016.

years of wildlife advocacy

Federal court victories, statewide TV campaigns, and a growing constituency for change.

The Issues

What we're fighting.

Wolves

Montana's wolves are being trapped, shot, and snared to near-extinction.

Since 2021, Montana has passed some of the most extreme wolf-killing laws in North American history. Footloose Montana is fighting back in federal court.

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Pets & People

Every year, dogs, pets, and people are caught in traps on public land.

Montana allows trapping on all public lands with few restrictions for 'furbearing' animals and nearly none for predators and nongame animals.

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Furbearers

Beavers, lynx, wolverines: trapped for pelts at enormous ecological cost.

Montana's commercial and recreational trapping kills thousands of animals annually, many of them keystone species essential to healthy watersheds and wild landscapes.

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Black Bears

Trophy hunters kill 1,600 black bears a year, including mothers in spring.

Bears are killed even in spring, when they emerge from their dens searching for food and are most vulnerable. Many are mothers, and their orphaned cubs die of starvation. FWP keeps no count.

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Mountain Lions

A nearly eight-month season chases lions with hounds, then shoots them from the trees.

Hounds run mountain lions until they are treed, where the exhausted animal is shot at close range. FWP has no statewide population estimate, yet sets high quotas and even allows killing on wildlife refuges.

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Our Work in 2026

The 2026 Wildlife
Voter Campaign.

This is the most consequential year for wildlife in Montana's recent history. We're running on three tracks simultaneously, and we need your support.

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Active right now

State challenge to Montana’s wolf counting methodology

Our coalition is suing FWP for its flawed methodology of estimating the statewide wolf population — known as IPOM (Integrated Patch Occupancy Model) — as biased and overestimating the number of wolves in the state, leading to a quota that is too high and scientifically unjustifiable.

More active cases → Past and current legal actions

Cruelty & Protection

Montana polling is clear: the leading concern for Montanans is the animal cruelty inherent in trapping. Our 2026 campaign leads with that truth and pushes for concrete protections.

Climate & Ecology

Beavers build wetlands. Wolves restore balance. Wild animals are the true managers of ecosystems, their prey and other wildlife populations. The animals being trapped are the same ones we need most in a changing climate.

Wildlife Governance

Montana's wildlife management is unethical, undemocratic, and increasingly commercialized. We're challenging flawed wolf counting methodology in court, pushing for science-based governance, and compassionate stewardship that serves all Montanans.

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