Wisconsin's 2021 Wolf Hunt Quota Lowered

WISCONSIN — The statewide quota for Wisconsin's wolf hunt has been lowered to 130 from 300, the Wisconsin Department of Natural resources announced Monday.

The agency is authorized to make the final decision on the quota for the Fall 2021 wolf harvest, the department said in a statement.

The agency considered scientific modeling, input from the Wolf Harvest Committee, the Natural Resources Board and different groups and members of the public who provided comments when making its decision.

The 130 wolves would be split among state-licensed hunters and trappers who would harvest 74 wolves from six different zones and Ojibwe Tribes who would preserve 56 in the Ceded Territory, the department said.

The department will issue 370 licenses through a lottery system to applicants. The applicants would be notified on Oct. 25, which is also the same day licenses will go on sale.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service took gray wolves off of the federal endangered species list in October 2020. The state wildlife department will continue to plan its wolf harvest season as required by state law, the department said.

The Wolf Management Plan Committee and the department are still updating Wisconsin's wolf management plan, the department said. The agency said it will continue working to complete a 10-year management plan to determine how it will make decisions on wolf hunts beginning in 2022.

Six Ojibwe Tribes sued the department head and the natural resources board in Sept. 21 to stop the wolf hunt. The upcoming hunt violates treaties made in 1837 and 1842 between the tribes and the United States, the lawsuit complaint said.

The Natural Resources Board voted in August to have the quota set at 300, but lowered the number to 130. The wolf hunt will start on Nov. 6.

See Also:

• 6 Wisconsin Tribes Sue DNR Board Over Wolf Hunt
• Wisconsin's Wolf Hunt: 5 Things To Know