Wolf delisting….

Beginning Friday, Jan. 27, 2012, the gray wolf will no longer be considered a federally endangered species in Wisconsin and other parts of the western Great Lakes region.

In Wisconsin, the state Department of Natural Resources will manage the wolf population outside of tribal reservation lands. DNR officials said areas where wolves have attacked domestic animals will be addressed immediately.

DNR will take over management of the gray wolf in Wisconsin outside of reservations. This photo is of a captive gray wolf at the MacKenzie Environmental Education Center.
Wisconsin Wildlife Federation Photo
“We’ve been fighting hard to gain this authority, and we are grateful to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for removing gray wolves in the upper Midwest from the lists of endangered and threatened species,” said DNR Secretary Cathy Stepp. “We are ready and capable of managing Wisconsin’s wolf population at a healthy, sustainable level and we welcome the opportunity to begin addressing those areas where problem wolves are attacking domestic animals.”

Wisconsin regulations will treat the gray wolf as a protected wild animal, which means that authorization from the DNR is required before a person can attempt to “take” or kill a wolf. There are currently no plans for a hunting season on wolves. This would involve a change in state law and a public rule-making process.

Wisconsin’s 1999 wolf management plan and a 2007 addendum to the plan will be the basis of wolf management in the state. These documents outline the conservation strategy for Wisconsin’s wolf population, as well as, outlining the approach for controlling depredation situations. Copies of these documents can be found on the department website.

Landowners or people leasing land will have authority to shoot wolves only when in the act of attacking domestic animals on their land. They also will be able to get permits to shoot any wolf coming on their land if they have experienced wolf problems within the last two years.

Any wolf shot or trapped by a landowner or leaseholder must be reported to the DNR within 24 hours. The carcass must be turned over the DNR.

Conditions under which control permits will be issued include the following five situations:

•Landowners have had verified attacks on livestock or pets on their property within the last two years can request permits.
•Landowners with vulnerable pets or livestock, and whose property lies within one mile of a property with a depredation during the same year.
•Farmers with livestock in a DNR-designated “proactive control area.”
•Farmers who have had verified harassment of livestock.
•Any landowner in an area where a perceived human safety situation occurs.
Under the rule published by USFWS in late December, which takes effect Friday, gray wolves in the Western Great Lakes Distinct Population Segment will no longer be considered either endangered or threatened by the federal government. The segment includes the states of Wisconsin, Michigan and Minnesota and portions of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, South Dakota and North Dakota.

Along with permits to landowner, the services of U.S. Department of Agriculture-Wildlife Service trappers will again be available to trap and remove problem wolves in Wisconsin.

USDA-Wildlife Service, which operates in Wisconsin under a contract with the DNR, will be available to investigate reports of wolf depredations and when wolf depredations are verified would be authorized to capture problem wolves. Because suitable wolf habitat is saturated in Wisconsin, wolves captured at depredation sites will not be relocated but will be euthanized.

With the federal delisting of wolves, states will be required to continue monitoring of the state wolf populations for the next five years. The department currently uses a system of radio-tracking collared wolves, snow track surveys and collection of public wolf observations to track population trends.

The DNR will continue to recruit and train citizen volunteers to assist with wolf management, primarily through tracking surveys.

During the winter of 2010-2011, biologists estimated a population of about 800 wolves in Wisconsin. The results of this winter’s surveys will be available in the spring.

More FAQ

Question: Can I have a fire out on the ice while I am ice fishing?

Answer: Yes, although any thing that is burned must be a legally burnable material, no plastic, garbage, or metal, and the fire must be completely extinguished and ashes must be completely cleaned up before leaving the ice.

Question: I bought a snowmobile that is 4 hp for my child. Right now he rides it around the yard but I would like to register to ride on the trails so they can ride with me. What is the smallest size snowmobile that can be registered to use on the trails?

Answer: A snowmobile that is 4 hp or less can not be registered for public use on trails. This size is only legal to be driven by a child of any age while operating in sanctioned races, derbies, competitions, exhibitions or only on private property.

Question: What are the ice conditions?

Answer: The DNR does not monitor ice conditions or the thickness of the ice. Since ice conditions can change rapidly, it is always best to check local weather reports and/or a local source. Many private fishing clubs, chambers of commerce and local newspapers maintain internet sites with ice fishing conditions and reports.

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FAQ’s

DNR's customer service representatives heard from callers this week on:

Question: Is it legal to feed ducks/geese in Waukesha county?

Answer: Yes, but with exceptions. It is illegal to feed waterfowl, coots or doves for recreational viewing purposes unless the feed is contained within an elevated bird feeding device or structure that prevents access by deer. Feeders must be located within 50 feet of a dwelling devoted to human occupancy or a business open to the public. Feeding waterfowl by hand is allowed, provided feed is not placed more than 30 feet away from the person doing the feeding, and the person makes all reasonable attempts to clean up the unconsumed feed before moving a distance greater than 30 feet from the deposited feed. It is not legal to hunt waterfowl, coots or doves over feed placed for the purpose of feeding by these methods.

Question: What are the CWD landowner hunt clarifications?

Answer: Similar to last year, the CWD landowner deer hunt by permit will again be allowed this winter. Information about this hunting opportunity can be found on page 40 of the 2011 Deer Hunting Regulations pamphlet, as well as the separate CWD Management Zone Landowner Permit [PDF 336KB] publication WM-453-2011 available at the following link: Here is a summary of some of the information provided in this publication.

CWD Management Zone Landowner Permit

•Landowners owning 5 or more contiguous acres in the CWD-MZ may hunt with a landowner permit during the landowner season on their property.
•Permits became available at any DNR license vendor on December 1, and will be valid beginning January 9, 2012, and will expire on March 31, 2012.
•Hunters other than the landowner may also hunt on these properties with the purchase of the Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) hunter permit which is signed by the landowner who has first obtained a CWD landowner permit.
•Both landowner and hunter permits can be purchased for $2 at any license sales location as of December 1, 2011.
•All deer harvested under these permits must be tagged with a CWD deer carcass tag and registered at a DNR authorized deer registration station in the CWD zone.
•Rifles legal for hunting deer may be used by landowners and participants that have been authorized by the landowner.
•The CWD Landowner or SCD Hunter back tag must be displayed while hunting deer under this permit.
•Blaze orange clothing requirements for hunting deer apply to both firearm and archery deer hunters hunting deer under these CWD permits.
•Hunters hunting other species of wild game are not required to wear blaze orange during the period from January 9 through March 31, as this is not considered a deer hunting season.
•Group hunting rules apply (see page 23 of the 2011 Wisconsin Deer Hunting Regulations).
•All hunters must meet the normal hunter safety and hunting age requirements obtain a CWD Landowner or Hunter permit and participate in this hunt.
•Mentored hunters at least 10 years old may participate as authorized by ss. 29.592.
•Normal shooting hours apply and are listed in the 2011 Wisconsin Deer Hunting Regulations (pages 52 – 53).
•Deer of either sex may be harvested during this period. Earn-a-buck regulations are not in effect. Buck stickers will be issued for each antlerless deer registered during this period.
•Albino and white deer may be harvested and possessed in the CWD-MZ under the authority of a CWD-MZ Landowner Permit.