Wisconsin's Natural Resources Board on Monday approved issuing up to 2,000 licenses to hunt gray wolves, which were removed last month from the endangered species list.
Wisconsin will end its winter wolf hunt Wednesday after hunters killed more than two-thirds the statewide quota in the first days of the season.
The Department of Natural Resources reported Tuesday that hunters had taken more than 90% of the allotted quotas in three zones covering the lower two thirds of the state as well as a large portion along the Michigan border.
Those zones will be closed at 10 a.m. Wednesday for any additional hunting and trapping during the winter season, which opened Monday. Hunting in the rest of the state will end at 3 p.m. Wednesday.
As of Tuesday afternoon, hunters had killed 82 of the 119 gray wolves that the DNR allowed to be taken during the six-day hunting season, the state’s first since 2014. Quotas were exceeded in two zones, including one that covers most of the lower two thirds of the state.
The DNR’s policy board last week approved a quota of 200 wolves, of which 81 were allocated to the Ojibwe Tribes in accordance with treaty rights for parts of northern Wisconsin that were ceded to the United States in the 1800s.
The DNR estimates there were 1,195 wolves in the state as of April 2020. The state wolf management plan goal is 350 wolves living outside of tribal reservations.
More than 27,000 people applied last week for licenses for the truncated hunting season, which runs through Feb. 28 or until all quotas are met. The DNR issued 1,486 tags.
The Trump administration removed the gray wolf from the endangered species list in January, returning management to the states. Wisconsin law requires a wolf hunt be held from November through February when federal protections are not in place.
The DNR initially planned to hold a hunt in November, saying it could not establish science-based quotas and comply with Native American treaty requirements, but a Jefferson County judge ordered a hunt to be held this winter after a Kansas-based hunting group sued.
A state court of appeals dismissed the DNR’s request to block the order.
Conservation advocates condemned the hunt, which they said could wipe out wolf population gains.
Photos: The Algoma Sault and road salt at the Port of Milwaukee
Salt Freighter
A mountain of salt rises at the Port of Milwaukee as it's unloaded from a ship. The dump truck, one of hundreds that can show up in a single day, is waiting to be filled by a front end loader.
Salt Freighter
The Algoma Sault, a 740-foot Canadian-flagged freighter, navigates its way into the Port of Milwaukee after arriving last week from Goderich, Ontario, home to the largest underground salt mine in the world.
Salt Freighter
The Algoma Sault salt freighter approaches the Hoan Bridge as it enters the Port of Milwaukee.
Salt Freighter
The Algoma Sault nears the Port of Milwaukee last week shortly after sunrise.
Salt Freighter
Drone enthusiast Aaron Hamm launches his drone from the roof of his vehicle as he prepares to document an arrival of the Algoma Sault salt freighter in Milwaukee.
Salt Freighter
Salt delivery trucks wait in line to be weighed after being loaded in the Port of Milwaukee last week. The trucks can come from throughout Wisconsin but also Minnesota, Iowa and Illinois.
Salt Freighter
Road salt destined for streets and highways throughout Wisconsin, Illinois, Iowa and Minnesota pours from the conveyor of the Algoma Sault as it's docked in the Port of Milwaukee.
Salt Freighter
A truck is loaded with road salt in the Port of Milwaukee, home to mountains of salt.
Salt Freighter
The Algoma Sault salt freighter navigates its way into the Port of Milwaukee last week.
Salt Freighter
Road salt destined for streets and highways throughout the state is off-loaded from the Algoma Sault using the freighter's built-in conveyor system.
Salt Freighter
The Louisiana, a tugboat, cuts through the ice in the Port of Milwaukee ahead of the Algoma Sault, which had traveled from Goderich, Ontario, home to the world's largest underground salt mine.
Salt Freighter
Crew members from the Algoma Sault, a salt boat, work last week to tie down the ship with iron cables at the Port of Milwaukee.
Salt Freighter
The Algoma Sault salt freighter navigates its way into the Port of Milwaukee last week, which drew in photographers to document its arrival.
Salt Freighter
Crew members with the Algoma Sault salt freighter work to tie down the ship with iron cables at the Port of Milwaukee.
Salt Freighter
Big boats, like the Algoma Sault, attract spectators like these photographers who gathered last week near the UW-Milwaukee School of Fresh Water Sciences just south of Milwaukee's downtown.
Salt Freighter
Wayne Johnson, harbormaster for the Port of Milwaukee, will retire later this year after a more than 40-year career with the city. He grew up near the port and has always enjoyed the big boats that come into the harbor.
Chris Hubbuch | Wisconsin State Journal
Covers energy and the environment for the Wisconsin State Journal. Rhymes with Lubbock. Contact him at 608-252-6146.
