DNR announces wolf quota of 130 for fall hunt; NRB had set quota at 300

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has announced that the statewide quota for the fall 2021 wolf season has been set at 130 wolves.

The department is claiming it is authorized by state statute and the department’s rules to make the final decision on the quota for the fall 2021 wolf harvest. The DNR is going against the quota of 300 that was set by the Natural Resources Board on Aug. 11.

In determining the quota, the department considered the best available information and scientific modeling, as well as the input from the Wolf Harvest Committee, the Natural Resources Board and the many groups and members of the public who provided comments to the department and the board.

State-licensed hunters and trappers will be authorized to harvest 74 wolves within the six zones established in the department’s regulations. The department will honor the Ojibwe Tribes’ treaty right within the Ceded Territory of 56.

The department will use a license ratio of 5:1 to offer the opportunity to 370 successful applicants to purchase a state wolf hunting license. The department plans to notify successful applicants Oct. 25, at which point licenses will also go on sale.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service removed gray wolves from the federal endangered species list on Jan. 4, 2021, returning management authority to state agencies. As required by state statute, the DNR will continue to plan for a wolf harvest season to open on Nov. 6.

The DNR is currently updating Wisconsin’s wolf management plan with input from a Wolf Management Plan Committee. The department will continue working toward completing a 10-year wolf management plan to guide management decisions beginning in 2022.

More information on the fall 2021 quota and license information is available at https://dnr.wisconsin.gov/ topic/hunt/wolf/index.html.