Wolf Slaughter: The Sequel, Coming Soon to Wisconsin
A second 2021 wolf hunt has been planned for November and it could be devastating for Wisconsin’s wolf population.
In August, WI DNR’s Natural Resource Board approved a kill quota of 300 wolves for the November hunt against the recommendations of DNR biologists who proposed a more conservative quota of 130.
In response, many of Wisconsin’s Ojibwe tribes, who share wildlife management rights with the state, have filed briefs in support of returning wolves to federal protections. On September 21, six Wisconsin tribes filed a lawsuit against the state claiming that the planned November hunt violates tribe treaty rights.
Grey Wolves (Canis lupus) were delisted under the federal Endangered Species Act in January of 2021 shortly before Donald Trump left the office of the president. In the absence of federal wildlife protections, management of the wolf population within the state returned to WI DNR.
WI DNR decided to forego a late winter hunt, instead planning to hold a hunt in November of this year. However, because of a court order won by Kansas-based organization Hunter Nation, the DNR was forced to hold a rushed hunt in February 2021.
The state had just 5 days to prepare for this February’s hunt which was the first legal hunt to be held in February in the state since 1956 — the last fall hunt happened in 2014.
The DNR set a kill quota of 119 wolves for non-native hunters for the February 2021 hunt, Wisconsin tribes decided not to hold a hunt. The public hunt lasted less than 72 hours and resulted in the death of 218 wolves, nearly doubling the quota that was set by the department.
The February hunt was particularly problematic for the health of Wisconsin’s wolf population because wolves breed in late winter. Typically only the dominant pair of wolves in a pack breed, producing 5 to 6 pups once a year. The implications of the February 2021 hunt for the health of the population is not yet fully understood and yet the state plans to hold another hunt November 6 through February 28.
University of Wisconsin Madison scientists have published findings suggesting that further illegal killing of wolves following their removal from federal protections and the midwinter hunt may have led to a 27%-33% reduction in the overall Wisconsin wolf population.
Wolves are being managed under a plan written in 1999 that was last updated in 2007. The 1999 plan sets the desired population of wolves at 350 individuals. The DNR state’s on its website that its understanding of wolf population dynamics has improved since the current management plan was written and it is currently at work on an updated plan. A draft is expected to be available for public comment in February 2022. In the meantime, however, wolves are being managed through an outdated plan.
Wolves are an apex species meaning their presence — or absence — has cascading effects on the other species in an ecosystem. In Wisconsin, Wolves help ensure ecological diversity by preying on deer and other small mammals which might otherwise overgraze forested areas.
Their reintroduction to Yellowstone National Park in 1995 has provided striking evidence of wolves’ positive impact on an ecosystem. Wolves are considered a keystone species in Yellowstone and have helped stabilize the park’s native species, literally reshaping the landscape.
A healthy wolf population in Wisconsin can also provide economic benefits for the state. A study of traffic data from the state found wolves helped lower the occurrence of deer car collisions by 24% by scaring wolves and changing their behavior. Saving Wisconsin residents an estimated $10.9 million a year. In comparison, depredation payments— instances where the state paid owners for wolves preying on livestock or pets — cost the state less than $200,000 in 2020.
The planned November 2021 hunt would be devastating for Wisconsin’s wolf population and represents a gross mismanagement of this vital native species. It is well past time we start listening to indigenous voices and those of biologists on how to best manage natural resources in the state.
