Press Release: Public Hearing on Wolf Hunting Regulations: A Missed Opportunity

For Immediate Release

March 5, 2025

Contact:Melissa Smith

Great Lakes Wildlife Alliance &FOTWW

608-234-8860 msmith@wiwolvesandwildlife.org

Public Hearing on Wolf Hunting Regulations: A Missed Opportunity

Madison, WI – Yesterday’s Senate Committee on Financial Institutions and Sporting Heritage hearing in Madison aimed to establish permanent rules for wolf hunting. Unfortunately, these regulations, which claim to curb illegal activities, fall drastically short of addressing the true conservation needs for wolves.”These rules are a reaction, not a solution. We need bold, visionary policies, not measures that simply pay lip service to the problem that bear hunters with dogs hate wolves and won’t follow any regulations on legal hunting,” said Melissa Smith of the Great Lakes Wildlife Alliance. “We refuse to accept half-measures when our wildlife deserves comprehensive protection. We’ve seen that rules are only as good as they are enforced and believed in.”

There was no legal hound training prior to the 2021 hunt. Dogs do not need training; there was zero enforcement or licensing, and now we are expected to pay for that too. The training of hounds on wolves will lead to deadly conflict and must stop. This activity was carried out illegally before 2021, and those engaged in it do not follow the law and will not follow these new rules either. The agency has not demonstrated that their rules for killing wolves effectively protect wolves or livestock. In fact, hunting wolves does not address livestock protection, as livestock numbers have remained stable over the past decade, with only 36 cows out of 3.5 million cattle in Wisconsin being harmed by wolves last year. This issue is more about sport hunting than it is about farming.

Adrian Treves, a researcher at UW-Madison, leads a team of 12 scientists who have collated the best evidence from six countries to address whether killing wolves reduces domestic animal losses. Their conclusions are clear that killing wolves indirectly helps and more often exacerbates domestic animal losses, with the majority of data showing no effect of killing wolves. Both Michigan and Minnesota have their wolf plan that recreational hunting does not address depredation and in fact increases it as fact. “2021 showed us the consequences of a rush to action and the consequences of our inaction when the government ignores science and does the bidding of a narrow, cruel interest group. We demand accountability and decisive steps to protect our wolf populations,” emphasized Smith.

With the delisting, poaching increases, and with the disassembling of the US Fish and Wildlife Service and Trump’s mandate to clear forests and harvest timber, extreme caution is necessary by our state leaders. The Senate showed the opposite yesterday and the NRB has shown an inability to enact precautions. The goal of extreme groups like Hunter Nation and the Wisconsin Bear Hunters Associations seem to be the elimination of wolves.This year, no population count was conducted because all collars failed, highlighting the inadequacy of DNR monitoring. Even more worrisome, wolf hunts are incompatible with the assumptions of the DNR occupancy model used to estimate wolf numbers statewide.

The DNR should not be making recommendations on hunting methods without proper scientific backing.Current federal actions undermine conservation efforts. The state and tribes could collaborate for sensible wolf policy but we don’t see the state behaving in good faith when it comes to tribes. Collaboration with tribes means true cooperation, not just consultation. The focus should be on the entire ceded territory of the North, not just buffer zones around reservations.Current wolf hunting rules are not based on sound science and promote poaching. Approval of these rules is not a win; it’s a step towards legal compliance but highlights the need for better protection from the start. A Wisconsin social survey indicates that the public wants to maintain or increase the current wolf population. Transparency and openness in developing a wolf plan are crucial to maintaining public confidence in the DNR and NRB. The best available science tells us that poaching of wolves will increase and tolerance for wolves will decrease if the DNR allows wolf-hunting under these rules.While there is some good science in the wolf plan, it lacks outside peer review, and the science used was sympathetic only to what the agency wanted.

The agency is controlled by hunting and agricultural interests. Hunter Nation and other NGOs emphasize hunting but are driven by larger political agendas. Their influence is destructive, as evidenced by recent activities and comments by prominent figures. The prevailing myth in the DNR is that indiscriminate, widespread wolf-killing far from farms with losses and long after those losses, using untested methods, reduces losses. International scientific consensus contradicts that view. The hearing did not reflect a collective effort to balance ecological considerations with regulatory measures. A well-informed and cautious approach to wildlife management is essential for the long-term preservation of wolf populations.

For media inquiries, please contact: Melissa Smith Great Lakes Wildlife Alliance Phone: 608-234-8860 msmith@wiwolvesandwildlife.org

Our Great Lakes region is a national treasure, and the protection of its wildlife is essential for future generations. We are at a critical juncture, and your support can make a significant difference. RESIST!

Thank you, Melissa Smith
Executive Director

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Wildlife biologists warn the continued threat on endangered species, like grey wolves, could have significant impacts all the way down the food chain. Over millions of years, the wolf has evolved to play a crucial role in regulating its ecosystem. This regulation ranges from the survival of trees and riverbank vegetation to the health of their prey populations. It is a beautiful, complex tapestry that shows the level of interaction that must happen between apex predators and their environment for the full health of the system.

Once a piece of that puzzle becomes extinct, there is no going back. Extinction is forever.

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