DNR’s new wolf committee gathers

The individuals — a diverse mix of state and federal biologists, scientists, wildlife damage specialists and representatives from sporting, environmental, wolf advocacy, agriculture, forestry and tribal interests — hope to provide guidance to the Department of Natural Resources on highly controversial wolf management issues.

Committee members were among the first to learn that the state’s most recent wolf population estimate, from this past winter, puts at least 1,226 wolves in 336 packs. That doesn’t include wolves that were not part of a pack, and is a ballpark range. The agency’s model estimated between 299-373 packs and 1,087-1,379 wolves in those packs. The average pack was three to four wolves.
This past winter, the DNR said more than 18,000 miles of track surveys were conducted. DNR and U.S. Department of Agriculture staff tracked more than 13,000 of those. Volunteers, tribal staff and contracted staffers tracked the remainder.

During the winter, 28 wolves had active GPS collars working for at least some of the time. After an unusually high number of GPS collars experienced premature failure, the state recently changed collar companies, which has resulted in a significant decline in the technical failure rate.

DNR large carnivore specialist Randy Johnson said trapping efforts this spring resulted in 23 new collars deployed, for a total of 41 active GPS collars working right now.

“As we roll into fall, we’ll be looking to deploy more collars opportunistically across the state on wolves caught incidentally in coyote or bobcat sets,” Johnson said via email. “This usually results in another handful of collars getting deployed, and is a great opportunity to interact with the trappers and discuss wolves. The trappers usually help us with the collaring.”

Trappers who incidentally capture a wolf while trapping other species are asked to call Dani at (715) 459-8365. If it’s practical, the DNR will put a collar on. Trappers are told if they don’t hear back from staff within a half hour — or feel the animal’s health will be compromised while waiting for staff to arrive — they should release the wolf.

Meanwhile, the agency reported 36 wolf mortalities (including collared and non-collared wolves) detected in the 2024-2025 monitoring period. Nineteen of the wolves were killed in vehicle collisions, 12 were killed illegally, four died of natural causes and one cause of death could not be determined. Two of the wolves dying from natural causes were euthanized because of disease; one tested positive for canine parvovirus and the other canine distemper.

Plan is controversial

The state’s most recent Wolf Management Plan was approved in 2023 after more than two years of public input. For the first time, the plan did not include a numerical wolf population goal, a major point of contention for many Republican lawmakers and pro-wolf management groups.

Wolf delisting bills have been introduced in both the House and Senate. If wolves are delisted, current Wisconsin law requires the DNR to hold a wolf hunting and trapping season.

Animal activist groups have used wolves as a cash cow in their fundraising efforts for decades, often with false or misleading information to evoke strong emotions — and donations.

One group, the Friends of the Wisconsin Wolf & Wildlife, mislead supporters in emails asking for donations which it said would be used to fund legal challenges and mobilize grassroots pressure. The group stated that Wisconsin was preparing to greenlight a hunt before winter and before federal protections are removed.

Johnson said both statements are false. However, he said the agency is doing all it can to be prepared for a season in the event of a delisting.

Much of last week’s meeting focused on setting the tone for working together despite major differences in opinion on wolf management.

As of early September, wolves had killed at least 16 hunting dogs and injured 14 others this year. Wolves also killed a pet dog and injured two others, and while there have been many anecdotal reports of cats missing, the first confirmed wolf kill on a pet cat — an orange tabby — was reported by the agency Aug. 31.

Wolves also killed more than 30 calves, steers and cows, one yak, one duck and one chicken and have harassed hundreds of livestock as well as some pets. In addition, there have been several human health and safety complaints.
Dig deeper in the DNR’s 36-page report on wolves, whitetails and more at https://widnr.widen.net/s/dqmpfrnlpw/wolfreport_2025.