Madison, WI – Yesterday, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources announced that the fall wolf hunt quota would be capped at 130, when the Department’s own Natural Resources Board voted 5-2 in August to set the quota to 300:

“When the possibility of a wolf hunt opened up to Wisconsinites for the first time in almost a decade last year, farmers and families in the Northwoods were relieved. Northern Wisconsin was terrorized by wolves for too long – and the state finally had a way to help. A well-regulated hunt has always been a valuable instrument in the toolbox of resource management.”

After a successful spring hunt, Wisconsin’s wolf population is estimated to be around 750 individuals, more than double the state’s goal of 350. According to the new plan the DNR released yesterday, state-licensed hunters and trappers will be allotted only 74 wolves in total, with the other 56 going to the Ojibwe tribes as part of the federal treaty.

“In case we all needed another reminder that the DNR doesn’t consider sportsmen and women valuable partners in resource management, the Department has now gone so far as to defy their own policy-setting board’s decision in setting the parameters for this fall’s wolf hunt. Governor Evers’ department has trampled over the advisory board, which was created in part to take feedback from citizens and ensure that Wisconsinites had a voice in matters of natural resources. It’s sad to see that even the democratic system can’t protect the Northwoods from the Evers administration’s attacks.”

Print Friendly, PDF & Email