Four wolves killed in hunts with dogs in WI; DNR says hunters are following the law

Map: WI DNR wolf map

Zone 3 is the only hunting zone with a remaining wolf quota.

Posted: Monday, December 16, 2013 

By Chuck Quirmbach Wisconsin Public Radio

 

The Department of Natural Resources says four wolves have now been killed in northwest Wisconsin by hunters using dogs. Meanwhile, some critics of the wolf hunt gathered over the weekend to try to unify their opposition.

DNR wildlife officials say wolves killed this week in Rusk and Burnett counties were taken by hunters helped by hounds. That brings the number of wolves harvested with the aid of dogs to four, since dogs were allowed into the wolf hunt on December 2.

DNR large carnivore specialist Dave MacFarland says as far as he knows, hunters are following the law. “To our knowledge, there have not been injuries to the dogs or to the wolves from the dogs.”

MacFarland says the successful wolf hunters don't have to register their kills with a warden until January 5. He says wardens could give hunters a ticket if dog bites or scratches help kill the wolf, but local law enforcement would take the lead if hunters let the dogs and wolves fight.

Kenosha resident Elizabeth Huntley of Wisconsin Wolf Defenders says wolf-dog fights are possible, and she says people may never know if dogs are killed. “It will be hidden, it will be swept under the rug, because the hounders do not get reimbursed for any death of their dog by a wolf.”

On the flip side, Huntley worries about hunters trying to cover up any bite wounds given by dogs to the wolves.

Huntley and other members of the Wisconsin Wolf Front will hold a meeting in Madison Saturday, aimed at coalescing wolf supporters, to prepare to lobby state lawmakers to make this the last wolf hunt in Wisconsin. The current hunt could last as long as the end of February. This year's quota will allow 29 more wolves to be killed.

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