Yellowstone's Wolves Were Never Supposed to Hunt Bison — Now They've Set a 31-Year Record

Yellowstone's wolves are doing something scientists once considered extraordinarily difficult — hunting massive American bison. And in 2025, they set a 31-year record. For decades, Yellowstone's gray wolves primarily hunted elk. But something is changing. Wolf packs are increasingly targeting bison — animals that can weigh up to 2,000 pounds and fight back with deadly force. In 2025, Yellowstone researchers documented 153 wolf kills, including 41 bison. That's nearly 27% of all documented kills — the highest recorded proportion in 31 years. So what's happening inside Yellowstone National Park? In this wildlife documentary, we explore: 🐺 How Yellowstone wolves hunt animals many times their size 🦬 Why American bison are among the most difficult prey in North America 🌲 The remarkable hunting behavior of the Wapiti Lake, Bliss Pass, and Mollie's wolf packs ❄️ How Yellowstone's changing elk and bison populations are reshaping predator behavior 🔬 What scientists have discovered — and what remains unexplained From the frozen valleys of Yellowstone to a dramatic wolf attack witnessed in April 2026, this is a true wildlife story about survival, adaptation, and the changing balance between predator and prey. These are the kinds of animal facts that sound almost impossible — but they're rooted in real wildlife research. Can Yellowstone's wolves become even more effective bison hunters? Or are these dangerous hunts still too risky to become common? Share your thoughts in the comments! Subscribe to Invasive America for fascinating animal facts, extraordinary wildlife stories, invasive species investigations, and documentaries about America's wildest animals. SOURCES • Yellowstone National Park — Wolf, Cougar & Elk Project Annual Report 2025 (NPS) • Yellowstone National Park — Wolf Project Annual Report 2024 (NPS) • MacNulty et al. (2014), "Influence of Group Size on the Success of Wolves Hunting Bison," PLOS ONE • Yellowstone Science 24(1) — "Temporal Variation in Wolf Predation Dynamics in Yellowstone" (NPS) • Gunther et al. (2020), Ursus — grizzly bear–caused injuries in Yellowstone backcountry (USGS) • NPS — History of Bison Management; Wolf Ecology in Yellowstone • Cowboy State Daily — Wapiti Lake pack hunt, April 20, 2026; Mollie's pack, July 17 and Sept. 15, 2026 • Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks — northern Yellowstone elk count, April 2025 (via NPS report) FOOTAGE & PHOTOS Most footage and photos: U.S. National Park Service / Yellowstone National Park (public domain), incl. Neal Herbert. [блок атрибуции CC BY — из sources_ep12.txt] Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL). AI DISCLOSURE Three short scenes in the opening (0:12–0:22, 0:40–0:50, 1:02–1:12) are AI reconstructions of a real wolf hunt reported in Yellowstone on April 19, 2026. They are labeled "AI RECONSTRUCTION" on screen. In the real event, two bison were injured and none were killed. #Yellowstone #Wolves #Bison #YellowstoneWolves #WapitiLakePack #AnimalFacts #InvasiveAmerica #WildlifeDocumentary #GrayWolf #AmericanBison