Wisconsin’s third wolf hunt begins Wednesday.
This season’s quota is 150 wolves, about a hundred fewer than the previous season. That means 1500 people have been authorized to purchase a permit.
DNR Carnivore Specialist Dave MacFarland says hunters and trappers that hope to harvest a wolf are likely to try and do so as soon as they can.
“What we’ve experienced in the first two years would suggest that people are getting out early in the season, and taking advantage of the opportunity fairly quickly. So we would anticipate again this year that we’ll have a number of hunters and trappers out for the first days of the season.”
Last year two thirds of the allowable quota of wolves was taken in the first few weeks of the season.
New this year is a protocol that the DNR hopes will reveal more about how wolves and hunting dogs interact. MacFarland explains that experts want to inspect the harvested wolves as their pelts are being removed...in order to look for evidence of bite marks.
But the procedure is voluntary for hunters.
“They’ll be asked at the time of registration if they choose to participate. Then a USDA wildlife specialist will join them for the skinning process and collect data at that time.”
Early in the wolf hunting season, it is legal to hunt with the use of bait, electronic calls, and foothold traps. In early December after the gun-deer season, the use of cable restraints and hunting with aid of dogs both become legal.
