Experts say rushed wolf hunt could leave long-term effects

Wisconsin’s rushed wolf harvest season saw hunters blow through the state-set goal, posing potential challenges to the future of the animal in the state, experts said. 

Hunters and trappers killed 216 wolves, which is 82% above the state-licensed goal, according to the Department of Natural Resources data released Feb. 25. The represented 20% of Wisconsin’s estimated wolf population.

This rushed season began Feb. 22 and ended Feb. 24 as kills surpassed the fixed numbers in each of the six wolf management zones. The harvest goal was set at 200 wolves with hopes of stabilizing the population. Native American tribes claimed a quota of 81 which left 119 for state-licensed hunters and trappers. 

The majority (86%) of wolves were taken by hunters using dogs, while 9% were killed by hunters using calling or bait and 5% were by trappers. Of the wolves harvested, 54% were male and 46% female.

Methods in previous seasons however (52% in 2012, 70% in 2013 and 80% in 2014, ) were by trapping rather than using hounds according to reports made by the DNR. This causes a turnaround that is not only dangerous for the wolves, but the hounds involved as well as both are more likely to be killed or severely injured during the hunt. 

The overage was made worse by a state statute that required 24-hour notice of the season closure; instead of immediate like previous years. The Natural Resources Board also made the decision to issue twice the normal amount of permits which affected the end result of this season.

Adrian Treves, a professor of environmental studies and environmental science at the University of Wisconsin Madison who studies the relationship between humans and wildlife, said the timing of the hunt could create long-term challenges for the species in the state.

February’s wolf harvest occurred during their mating season. According to Treves in an interview with KTAL101.5 FM, January and February every winter, alpha males and females will be bonding, mating, and potentially getting pregnant. 

“We actually have no idea how badly the reproduction will be affected and harmed; the best guess is it’ll be serious,” said Treves in the interview. “A less conservative estimate would suggest almost no successful reproduction this year.”

Not only are experts like Treves concerned about the timing of this hunt, but they are also concerned about the amount of illegal killing that came from this season as well. 

Treves made it clear that illegal killing of wolves is very well known. He states that in his research for every legally reported kill there may be multiple illegal kills done in ways such as poaching or cryptic poaching; meaning the numbers could be very off.

In contrast, Luke Higgleman, CEO of Hunter Nation Inc., told Science Friday in their interview that it was about managing the resource, just like deer or turkey.

“There’s an abundance of wolves in Wisconsin. Managing their numbers and keeping them in check is an important part of our conservation puzzle,” Higgleman said. 

Some Wisconsin residents agreed with how this hunt played out and want to see more changes happen in the future. Kevin Naze, an Algoma resident who has tried to be involved in past wolf hunts, states that the wolf population needs to be managed sharply downward because the numbers are killing livestock. 

“I believe that there is a place for wolves in the wildest of areas,” Naze said. “I do not believe that they should be in farm country, where they can cause issues killing, attacking or harassing livestock and pets.” 

The season was prompted by a Jan. 4 decision by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to remove gray wolves from the endangered species list. According to Wisconsin law, if the wolf is not listed on the federal or Wisconsin endangered list, the department shall allow the hunting or trapping of wolves. A Jefferson County Circuit Court ordered the season in response to a lawsuit filed by the Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty on behalf of Hunter Nation Inc.

Proceeding the end of the wolf hunt, Elizabeth Ward, Sierra Club chapter director, stated that the DNR is required to manage Wisconsin’s Wildlife  for every Wisconsin resident, not groups like Hunter Nation that represent a minority of Wisconsin. 

“This hunt represents an unprecedented and extreme departure from sound, science-based wildlife practices on the part of Wisconsin DNR. No doubt this hunt is an insult to science, democracy and good conscience,” said Ward.

Wisconsin researchers Erik Olson, Stenglein, Van Deepen Wydeven and others in 2014 wrote an article about conservation titled “Pendulum Swings in Wolf Management Led to Conflict Illegal Kills, and a Legislated Wolf Hunt.” Here they state that wolves become not only a social problem, but a legal problem as well, causing an increase in negative attitudes on both sides.

Regarding wolf hunting they state, “Inconsistent state management authority to kill depredating wolves, as a result of legal challenges, was concurrent with increases in wolf–human conflicts and negative attitudes toward wolves.”

Naze said wolves can be sustainably managed to reduce negative impacts while still maintaining a large enough population to take advantage of some of the benefits. 

“Many people love them; some others wish they would never have been allowed to come back from the brink,” said Naze. “Ignoring the problems that having a wolf population so far above the goal causes us to be ignorant. So is ignoring the good that having some wolves on the landscape brings, but there needs to be a better balance than we’ve had the past two decades or so.”

During the three previous regulated wolf seasons, 117 wolves were killed in 2012, 257 in 2013 and 154 in 2014. Previous seasons, unlike the 2021 season, lasted about two months and ended in late December. 

According to the DNR, Wisconsin had had an estimated 1,195 wolves in 256 parks in winter 2020. Their next step is completing its annual wolf monitoring project in late 2021, which will be used to get an estimate of the current wolf population. 

If wolves remain in state control, the next wolf hunting and trapping season would begin Nov. 6.