Despite a strong recommendation by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources to trim the proposed statewide wolf hunting quota to just 130 animals, members of the citizen-based Natural Resources Board voted to set the limit at 300.
During the panel's monthly meeting in Milwaukee on Wednesday, the board felt the quota was adequate because the wolf population is currently estimated at more than 1,100 animals--much higher than the state's wolf management goal of 350.
Earlier this month, the agency asked the group to reduce the season's kill limit after it put an early stop to the last hunt in February 2021 when hunters and trappers exceeded the department's limit in just 24 hours. That's when 218 gray wolves were killed--about 82 percent more than the quota for that particular season.
The next wolf hunt is slated to begin on November 6.
Categories: Wisconsin, Government & Policy, Rural Lifestyle