Wisconsin's Wolf Hunting Season Comes to an End

By CnAgri Print

The state's first modern wolf hunting and trapping season has reached its quota, and therefore has been ended over the weekend. The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources says wolf harvest zone 3 is the sixth and final harvest zone to be closed this season.

"The wolf harvest trend in Zone 3 had been steady through the firearm deer season, but slowed down after the deer season," said the DNR's Kurt Thiede. "This is Wisconsin's inaugural season. We have learned much about hunter and trapper success rates, and will learn more as we analyze additional data. This will help us draft permanent rules and the long-term management of our wolf population"

Thiede says there were 115 wolves shot around the state since the season began on October 15. The wolf harvest quota for Zone 3 was set at 18 wolves and the closure process was initiated when wolf 17 was harvested on December 21.

The species was listed for federal protection under the Endangered Species Act in 1975. But with wolf populations eight times higher than delisting goals and far exceeding the goal for hunting in accordance with DNR's state wolf management plan, wolves were delisted in Wisconsin this past January and management authority was returned to the state.