The modern range of the species in North America is mainly limited to Alaska and Canada, with populations also occurring in northern Minnesota, northern Wisconsin and the Upper Michigan Peninsula, and small parts of Washington, Idaho, north Oregon and Montana. Canadian wolves began to naturally recapture northern Montana around the Glacier National Park (USA) in 1979, and the first wolf in the western United States in more than half a century was recorded there in 1986. Wolves in northwest Montana originally developed due to natural reproduction and dispersed to about 48 wolves by the end of 1994. From 1995-1996, wolves from Alberta and British Columbia were moved to the Garden. Yellowstone and Idaho countries. In addition, the Mexican wolf (Canis lupus baileyi) was brought back to Arizona and New Mexico in 1998. The gray wolf was found in about 80% of its historic range in Canada, thus making it a Strongholds are important to the species.

Canada has approximately 52,000–60,000 wolves, with different legal status by province and territory. Residents of the early nations could hunt for wolves without restriction, and some provinces required permits for residents to hunt wolves while others did not. In Alberta, wolves on private land can be exploited and hunted by landowners without a permit, and in some areas, bounty hunting programs exist. The control of large-scale wolf populations through poisoning, trapping and aerial hunting is also carried out by government-mandated programs to support populations of endangered prey species such as species. forest reindeer.