Wisconsin: Wolf hunt at night and with dogs OK?

[bearpaw]

Wisconsin Wolf Hunt: License Quota Set, Controversy Continues

http://www.outdoorlife.com/blogs/newshound/2012/06/wisconsin-wolf-hunt-license-quota-set-controversy-continues
by Courtney Brodie

Since the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service removed the gray wolf from the endangered species list just a few months ago, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources has proposed a wolf hunting season, set to begin Oct. 15.

According to the Wisconsin Tribune, the DNR could issue as many as 1,165 hunting licenses with a $10 application fee plus a cost of $100 for residents and $500 for non-residents.
 
By estimating a hunter success rate of 20 percent, Tom Hauge, director of the DNR’s Bureau of Wildlife Management, estimates hunters will kill 142-233 wolves this fall, according to the Wisconsin State Journal. The DNR has also proposed harvest management zones, each with its own quota, in an effort to contain the majority of the remaining population in suitable areas.
 
The proposal also gives hunters a lot of leeway in their methods. They will be allowed to bait wolves and hunt at night with both lights and dogs, though the agency is attempting to balance this with the proposal of varied hunter permit levels.
 
But the proposal has many folks raising a skeptical eyebrow. We covered the heated delisting debate here on Newshound last September.
 
But the DNR says the population is way over the state limit of 350 wolves (this is the number U.S. Fish & Wildlife set as a recovery goal). It officially reported a current population estimate between 815-880. Still, skeptics question the department’s collection methods.
 
The department will be holding four open house meetings in June to gather public input, but it’s a game of he-said, she-said between northern farmers complaining of livestock under attack and DNR wolf volunteers dropping out in protest of the bill.

In the official announcement of the proposed wolf hunting legislature DNR Secretary, Cathy Stepp, said, “The department is committed to conservation of wolves in Wisconsin. Long-term conservation includes managing this important wildlife population within our borders.”
 
Check out the early arguments for and against the bill.
 
If you can’t make it to the meetings, speak up and comment here!
http://www.outdoorlife.com/blogs/newshound/2012/06/wisconsin-wolf-hunt-license-quota-set-controversy-continues

[Bean Counter]

   

[jgoetz]

AMEN!  One pack was introducted about 10 miles down the road from where we deer hunted as a kid.  Guess what....  they spread out.  As they spread the deer mysteriously began to dwindle.  Over the course of 4 years you could go from expecting to see 20 deer opening morning to being lucky to see 1 in 3 days.

[Special T]

I'm pretty surprised that they made the tag so expensive... They should have taken a lesson Form ID on pricing the tags if they REALLY wanted to thin the numbers down. 

[NRA4LIFE]

I would not even go back there to hunt on my dad's property in N. WI.  He's lucky to even see a deer anymore during the entire season.  Sad.  And my buddy down near Tomah has photographs of them now down that far south.

[bearpaw]

All my wifes family quit going to northern WI and MN to deer hunt. One brother-in-law in MN said he saw more wolves than deer from his tree stand the last year he hunted the northland. My brother-in-law in Eau Claire says there are wolves just a little north of that city now. 

[robodad]

All my wifes family quit going to northern WI and MN to deer hunt. One brother-in-law in MN said he saw more wolves than deer from his tree stand the last year he hunted the northland. My brother-in-law in Eau Claire says there are wolves just a little north of that city now. 

I grew up in the Eau Claire area and you are correct there are lots of them damn things, not suprised to hear them near Tomah either, what a shame 

[ihuntforchrist]

I'm pretty surprised that they made the tag so expensive... They should have taken a lesson Form ID on pricing the tags if they REALLY wanted to thin the numbers down. 

they sent out a questionare to WI resident hunters (myself included) about ideas for a structure for the wolf hunt. They learned that the people want the wolves gone and are willing to pay. We figure $100 to kill a wolf in our backyard is a lot cheaper than going to Canada, Idaho, or Montana. The DNR also wants to make a few bucks in the process, hence the $10 application fee

I would not even go back there to hunt on my dad's property in N. WI.  He's lucky to even see a deer anymore during the entire season.  Sad.  And my buddy down near Tomah has photographs of them now down that far south.

this is very true. I hunted up near Superior (Iron River) for a few years and watched the deer population go down year after year and the presence of wolves and bear increase year after year. The first year i hunted up there (2003) we would easily see 20-30/day on public land! In 2008 i walked miles and only saw 12 deer the entire 9 days. I did see 2 wolves though. 

as for the wolf quota, it shouldn't be a surprise that wisconsinites have been applying the S.S.S. method for a few years now with mixed results so i don't think 20% is too unrealistic.

[lokidog]

Still lots of deer in the Ladysmith area, as well as turkeys and bears.  Maybe the locals have already been taking care of the wolf problem.     My parents have not seen wolves there yet but have had them around their house by Lake Wisconsin near Lodi.  Roughly 20 miles NW of Madison!   

I am sure my parents will both apply for the tags.

[Humptulips]

I wonder how that's going to work out chasing wolves with hounds. I know the Great Lakes wolves are smaller but in ID and MT wolves seem to be doing a number on hounds.
Also wonder how they are going to get a shot at a wolf. Not likely they will tree.

[JimmyHoffa]

Also wonder how they are going to get a shot at a wolf. Not likely they will tree.

I imagine they could use dogs for drives like they do for deer hunting in the South.  When I was stationed in south carolina, a few guys would set up in treestands/blinds on one side of the property and then guys in trucks would drop off packs of dogs on the other.  Pretty quiet for a while and then lots of shooting.  Once the dogs got to the other side it was pretty much over for the day.