Home Forums Hunting & Shooting General Big Game Wisconsin's 2014-2015 wolf season over

2012-2013 117 wolves were taken.
2013-2014 257 wolves were taken.
2014-2015 154 wolves were taken.

528 wolves in three years...that should be the number every year if the DNR is really serious about managing the Gray wolf in this state.

http://www.fox21online.com/news/article/2014-2015-wolf-hunting-season-ends-friday

MADISON, Wis. - Wisconsin wildlife officials say they're going end the 2014-15 wolf hunt on Friday.
The Department of Natural Resources has already closed four of the state's six wolf hunting zones.

The agency announced Thursday it will close the last two zones on Friday.

According to agency data, hunters had taken 151 wolves as of Thursday, one more than the statewide quota.

They could take even more animals before the zones close on Friday.

According to state law, the DNR must give the public 24 hours' notice of zone closures.

A DNR spokesman didn't immediately return an email message inquiring about why the agency didn't close the two zones sooner to ensure hunters didn't exceed the quota.

Wayne,
I'm always amazed at how quickly they get to the quota.
Must be a fair amount of trapping thrown in there?

You would be correct, Scott. During the 2013-2014 wolf season trappers accounted for 70% of the kill. I would expect trappers would account for the greatest share of the kill in the 2014-2015 season.

I have talked to a couple of unhappy guys who use trailing hounds. They couldn't hunt until after the gun deer season and it was just a matter of days and the DNR shut the hunt off.

cold in wisconsin? the fur is already prime?? i would think dec 15th or so to start to be sure??

Yep, cold in Wisconsin. Temps in November were below normal. I did not see any wolf kills in the northern zones, but was told fur was good.

I had a chance to look at a wolf kill that occurred in Zone 2 within the mid-central part of the state. Fur could have been better.

Yeah, but those numbers don't include SSS kills which should be almost as many if folks are doing their part.

Minn closed most of the state today, 79 dead wolves in the northwest part of the
State, may they rest in peace!

I would like to obtain a federal grant to study the impact of SSS kills.

There were 12 protesters in Madison just the other day complaining about the wolf hunt. For the most part they have given up on WI and moved to the easier target of MI.

The way the State game regulations are, MI allows the 'ballot initiatives' an easier path for changes. I think they may change on game laws next year.

Meanwhile the WI deer kill is down 30%, the lowest in decades.

Do you suppose your DNR is padding the figures, kinda like our Fish & Game does...?

Probably. You can not trust any numbers or studies that come out of WIDNR.

So how many wolves did WI have before the hunting/trapping season?

Obviously, this hunt is not intended to significantly reduce wolf populations. MN does the same exercise and ends up with more wolves and less moose and deer.

The wolf count which the DNR calls "late winter" count was conducted in early 2014 before pups were born was 660-689 wolves.

It is sad that I have to pay for FWP to manage the local wolf populations. More and more I have a hard time remembering to be grateful for my 'freedom' in this country.

WI DNR has become such a political whipping boy it truly is sad. Want to win an election in WI? Tell the deer hunters that you're going to fix deer hunting. No one has been able to do it since Aldo Leupold's time and even he had trouble with it throughout his career. Seems public opinion is always correct.

I heard that 5.56 tracer ammo is the best medicine for SSS.

I didn't see any wolf sign since the spring shed antler hunt. I only saw coyote sign this gun season . The scat had no hair in it . It was just green, most likely form them eating grass. Those wolves are going to starve this winter with so few deer in the woods. There is very little in northern WIs. for them to eat. There are almost no fawns, just adult mature deer and those are not easy targets for wolves especially with the little snow on the ground the last few weeks. Only a few inches of snow as of now. Many wolves are going to starve this winter. Really , all they have to eat is coyotes, grouse and red squirrels.

No more wolf hunts in Wi, MI or MN. Federal judge put them on the endangered list again. Its a shame one judge can make that decision.