Wolf hunt

Read where a judge ordered the DNR to immediately open the wolf season in WI

Luckies! I’ll pay cash per wolf pelt taken in Aitkin county.

One major issue. Wi treaty with tribes

https://www.jsonline.com/story/sports/outdoors/2021/02/11/dnr-required-hold-wolf-hunt-february-judge-rules/6721784002/

Interesting.

https://madison.com/wsj/news/local/crime-and-courts/judge-orders-wisconsin-dnr-to-hold-immediate-wolf-hunt/article_ad3a13b9-418f-5ae0-ac76-574eaceff5cd.html

It looks like WI has a state law that requires a wolf hunting and trapping season so long as the wolf is not on the endangered species list. A lawsuit apparently challenged the WI DNR’s assertion that opening a season next fall was good enough.

Will be interesting to see if the ruling stands or if the WI DNR appeals.

And I’ll say here what I always say, don’t expect wolf hunting to have any significant impact on numbers. Only trapping can really reduce the numbers, the problem is that due to low fur prices there are so few trappers left.

Don’t look for a MN season anytime soon. We have no law requiring it.

Grouse

I don’t think all Minnesota residents require a license to drop a Wolf if they see one.

Dutchboy wrote:

I don’t think all Minnesota residents require a license to drop a Wolf if they see one.

I think that is what happened in northern WI before there was a legal wolf hunt. If you don’t get caught, is it still illegal?

TheFamousGrouse wrote:

And I’ll say here what I always say, don’t expect wolf hunting to have any significant impact on numbers. Only trapping can really reduce the numbers, the problem is that due to low fur prices there are so few trappers left.

Yes, I agree. When MN had a lottery drawn quota based season years ago, the success rate for trapping (11%) was more than double as effective as hunting (5%).

Hunting Wolves would be no different then opening a season on any other animal. It would take hunters a few years to learn the art of hunting them but sooner or later they would start filling tags at a acceptable rate.

Dutchboy wrote:

Hunting Wolves would be no different then opening a season on any other animal. It would take hunters a few years to learn the art of hunting them but sooner or later they would start filling tags at a acceptable rate.

Not saying you’re wrong, but personally I doubt it. My thought is very few hunters will have or develop the patience and dedication necessary to hunt wolves successfully.

The wariness of wolves is on a whole different level compared to other predators. I call coyotes in prime wolf country where wolves have been present in increasing numbers for years. I’ve yet to call in a single wolf.

The most successful method for wolves (where allowed) is staking out a bait. It’s a higher chance of success, but hunters have to be willing to put in the work of procuring and establishing an active bait, then sit in a blind in the dead of winter watching the bait for all daylight hours to maximize the chances. Not impossible, but to the average hunter who struggles to sit in a deer stand for 4 hours in November, watching a wolf bait for 10 hours a day or trudging through deep snow to make calling stands will probably lose its appeal quickly.

If the season is structured during deer season where a chance encounter would make it possible for a hunter to fill a tag, then success rates would probably be higher than in a wolf-only hunt situation.

TheFamousGrouse wrote:

Not impossible, but to the average hunter who struggles to sit in a deer stand for 4 hours in November, watching a wolf bait for 10 hours a day or trudging through deep snow to make calling stands will probably lose its appeal quickly.

I have to admit Grouse, the idea of hunting a wolf always appealed to me until you described it in that manner. All of the sudden it doesn’t sound like much fun.

If you look the last time wi opened wolf hunting they where closing it down within days of the opening most guys trapping then shooting. I’m ok with that, it just tells ya we have a wolf problem if they are closing units down so fast because the quota is filled. then we go years without a wolf season. Makes no sense to me.

61orbt wrote:

but a non-res wolf tag in Idaho is just $32.

Is that all? That seems ridiculously low for a non-resident hunting license.

gim wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>61orbt wrote:</div>
but a non-res wolf tag in Idaho is just $32.

Is that all? That seems ridiculously low for a non-resident hunting license.

With the purchase of a non-res archery elk license in Oregon, my bear/cougar tags were only $15 each the past couple years.

It definitely isnt easy. Last time it was open my buddy didnt get anything and he had help from an experienced trapper. If they really wanted to lower the population they would use a different approach like allowing one on a deer tag or letting homeowners apply. Open up areas for short periods of time to everyone, etc. There are ways to cull them.

I know the area I hunt in MN has had established wolves for a few decades. I do get a few trail cam pics and see the tracks but I think I’ve personally only witnessed a wolf in person on three occasions in the last 30 yrs. One thing that makes hunting them a challenge is the home range can be quite large. Chance encounters while hunting a couple hundred acres becomes problematic when the home range can be in the thousands of acres. Based on trail cam pics the situation seems more like I could have had a hypothetical hunting opportunity if I was at this location, at this time 13 days ago. Realistically you would likely need a large hunting party spread out on all day stands with the hopes someone might get an opportunity. As done in the recent past it makes sense to hold any kind of wolf hunt during the deer season where party hunting is allowed.

gim wrote:

I have to admit Grouse, the idea of hunting a wolf always appealed to me until you described it in that manner. All of the sudden it doesn’t sound like much fun.

A lot is going to depend on the property you have access to and how dedicated you are to creating a baiting setup.

A good hunter I know in western Canada sets up bait sites on frozen rivers that the wolves seem to like to use for travel routes. He takes a lot of measures to avoid leaving human scent around the bait site.

Then he has an insulated ice fishing flip over that he has done a custom snow camo paint job on and the front window is customized so he can flip it down and shoot out of it. He sets that up on the ridge overlooking the river and usually about 200 – 300 yards away in a position that is as wind-favorable as the location allows. He does run a Mr. Heater because it’s often well below zero.

He sits all day, every day once the bait is established. Dawn to dusk. Granted I think dawn is about 8:00 AM up there at that time of year, but still, it must involve a solid 8 hours in the blind every day. The wolves he has told me will show up at random times, there seems to be no rhyme or reason that he can tell as to when they turn up, so you have to pay attention.

Not saying this is the right/wrong/only way to do it, but it shows the kind of equipment and dedication to the setup that it takes.

Minnesota’s one wolf season was during deer season. As usual, MN has to make it as difficult as possible out of fear that somehow there would be a cockup and more wolves than the quota would be killed some way. Opening it during deer season created a complete cluster-beep and practically guaranteed the trappers would have most of the success. I had a tag for that season, but they just made it so hard because you had to wear orange, etc. The most likely scenario was just a random sighting of a wolf while deer hunting, but if I recall, the quota was filled within days of the opening, so very little chance.

I live in bigsky montana the heart of wolf country here they are not as easy to shoot or trap as you think they are.
They are an extremely smart animal that learns and,adapts quickly.
We get 5 wolf tags,a,year here in montana,and Idaho issues up to 15 tags 93% of the tags,from both states go unfilled
Anyone who THINKS shooting or trapping them is,easy I offer you the opportunity to come out to montana and try your luck ,

Wisconsin is,dragging its feet knowing
The new,administration will be putting
Wolves back on the endangered species list.
It took montana,Idaho & Wyoming 15 yrs,to get
Wolves delisted and permission for , hunting /trapping seasons, and most of that was because. Wyoming’s management plans did not meet certain goals,& the lawsuits from hundreds of pro wolf orgs that sued,the,states

Wisconsin will apoeal it, then Peta the sierra,club,& 25 other pro WOLF tree hugging idiots,will sue and keep it tied up in courts for years,

We can hunt them with hounds and some of the zones will hit their quota trigger after one day. Even when we had previous seasons the trappers were hitting the triggers in two days.

Ultimag wrote:

I live in bigsky montana the heart of wolf country here they are not as easy to shoot or trap as you think they are.
They are an extremely smart animal that learns and,adapts quickly.
We get 5 wolf tags,a,year here in montana,and Idaho issues up to 15 tags 93% of the tags,from both states go unfilled
Anyone who THINKS shooting or trapping them is,easy I offer you the opportunity to come out to montana and try your luck ,

Wolf densities in mn blows the doors off western states.

Well, its official. Hope you’re ready! The season starts Monday, the 22nd. 4,000 permits for a 200 wolf quota.

http://www.madison.com/wsj/news/local/environment/wisconsin-dnr-to-issue-4-000-licenses-for-february-wolf-hunt/article_5340c8d9-ad18-5cb2-8eab-8ac699dc638c.html

61orbt wrote:

According to US fish and wildlife, there are more Wolves in MN than there are in ID, MT, OR, WA, and WY combined. About 2.5x more in MN than WI too.

That doesn’t mean its going to be easy. As Grouse stated, they are extremely smart animals and their range is enormous. The hunting success rate isn’t going to go up much if at all when (and if) there’s a season just because there is a slightly higher population density. You could sit over fresh bait for weeks and never see one.

I’ve been deer hunting in the Chippewa National Forest with a group of 9+ other hunters every season for 4 days since 1993 and no one in our group has EVER seen one.

Jeremy wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Dutchboy wrote:</div>
I don’t think all Minnesota residents require a license to drop a Wolf if they see one.

I think that is what happened in northern WI before there was a legal wolf hunt. If you don’t get caught, is it still illegal?

Unfortunately many anglers utilize the same tactics and are a reason we have issues with enforcement and in some places fish populations. Shooting a wolf for no reason without a tag makes you no better than the guy who takes a couple dozen walleyes home twice a week.

This song and dance will be constant in the coming decades. Humans are expanding development into established wolf territory, and wolves are going unchecked. Meanwhile we sprinkle in some law binding treaty rights and lawmakers’ opinions and it creates one nice big muddy mess. If you want to hunt wolves and get the chance, do it asap…because it could all change again in the near future.

61orbt wrote:

Never said it would be! Just thought it was interesting.

You’re right, I kind of assumed that based on your previous post when I shouldn’t have.

All hunters and trappers interested in obtaining a wolf harvest permit preference point must apply between 12:01 a.m. Tuesday, Feb. 16 and 11:59 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 20 via their Go Wild account or by visiting a participating license agent.

Drawing results will be posted to each successful applicant’s Go Wild account the morning of Monday, Feb. 22. Customers may commence the harvest season once they secure their license and carcass/pelt tag. Season will close on Feb 28.

One week sounds like a token hunt to me. Especially since its so last minute.
That would be the only reason it stands a chance of happening. No time for the crazies to refute.

Anyone get a tag? No one in my family.

Not sure if this is legit… but it was posted today on a southern WI lake report page on Lake-link. says if you have a tag he has property he would like to offer up – Free.

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Anyone hear or see any kill reports, post an update here. Would love to see some WI hunters having success.

Also, I think opening a hunt gets past an important barrier as far as removing the “special” status of wolves. They are no longer endangered, they can be managed like every other game animal and having a wolf hunting/trapping season proves it.

Grouse

Grouse – I just saw a few guys posting today on F/B that they drew a wolf tag and looking for guides with hounds or places to go. I didn’t look at the hunting dates, but the drawing for tags just happened

Feb 22 through Feb 28th