Wisconsin wildlife officials have unanimously approved a new wolf management plan that has sparked heated debates among hunters, farmers, and conservationists. The plan, which does not include a specific population goal, aims to address concerns surrounding the growing wolf population in the state. Despite criticisms from some stakeholders, the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) policy board members have praised the plan as a scientifically sound compromise.
The issue of wolf management has become a contentious topic in Wisconsin, with farmers in the northern region reporting livestock losses due to wolf attacks. The DNR has recorded an increase in confirmed or probable wolf attacks on livestock, pets, and hunting dogs in recent years. Meanwhile, hunters argue that the growing wolf population is negatively impacting the deer population in the state’s northern reaches.
In 1999, the DNR adopted a wolf management plan that called for capping the population at 350 wolves. However, the latest estimates suggest that there are around 1,000 wolves in the state, prompting Republican legislators to pass a law in 2012 requiring an annual wolf hunting season. This move has ignited a debate between animal rights activists and those who support high kill quotas based on the 350-wolf limit.
Last year, a federal judge placed gray wolves in the lower 48 states back on the endangered species list, making hunting illegal and limiting farmers to nonlethal control methods. In anticipation of wolves being removed from the list and hunting resuming, the DNR has been working on an updated wolf management plan. The new plan recommends a statewide population of about 1,000 animals but does not set a hard limit. Instead, it suggests allowing the population to grow or decline within certain numerical thresholds, allowing for more hunting pressure in overpopulated areas.
The proposed plan has faced criticism from farmers and hunters who advocate for a specific statewide population goal. The Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation and Republican lawmakers have called for maintaining the 350-wolf cap and are pushing for a bill that would require the DNR to insert a specific number in the plan. This controversy has also led to political tensions, with Republican-controlled state Senate refusing to confirm four members of the DNR board who supported the new management plan.
Public opinions on the plan have been divided. Conservationists have praised the DNR’s move toward a flexible management approach, while some sportsmen have expressed concerns that the plan disregards the opinions of those who live among wolves. Despite these differing perspectives, the DNR aims to persuade federal wildlife officials that they can hand over wolf management responsibilities to the states.
In addition to approving the new management plan, the DNR policy board has also unanimously voted for new regulations governing the state’s wolf season. These regulations largely mirror the emergency provisions put in place after the 2012 law establishing a hunt but include some changes to align with the goals of the management plan. Notable changes include a reduction in the period for registering kills and restrictions on hunting wolves with dogs at night.
The approval of the new wolf management plan and the accompanying regulations signal a significant step forward in addressing the wolf population issue in Wisconsin. While debates and controversies continue to surround the topic, the DNR hopes that the plan will demonstrate Wisconsin’s commitment to responsible wolf population management and pave the way for the federal government to remove protections for the species in the future.
