Wisconsin hosted its first gray wolf hunt in seven years after the species was officially removed from the endangered species list on January 4, 2021.
The season ended early after the harvest quota reached 69% from participants in less than 2 days. This resulted in wildlife authorities shutting down the season entirely.
Hunters and trappers together registered 82 gray wolves in the first 39 hours of the special season. The season was originally scheduled to go Monday through Sunday if quota had not been met, but the season was closed by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) on Wednesday.
“I’m a little bit surprised with how quickly [the season] went,” George Meyer, executive director of the Wisconsin Wildlife Federation, told the outlet. “I think the snow had a lot to do with it, and conditions were good. The use of hounds and trapping have had high success in the past, and it’s likely they did this week, too.”
The harvest quota for the state was 119 wolves for the season; the 82 kills represented 69% of that quota. Hunters and Trappers must report their harvest report within 24 hours of their kill.
The special hunt was a popular one for avid outdoorsmen. The DNR had over 27,151 applicants and only selected 2,380 hunters and trappers from those that applied to go after this desirable species.
