PRESS RELEASE: SHOCKING NEW WHITE PAPER EXPOSES CRUELTY AND UNENFORCEABLE WOLF HUNT IN WISCONSIN

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Wolf Hunt Chaos: Brutality, Lobby Lies, and Lawlessness Exposed

This isn’t just about wolves — it’s about lawlessness, cruelty, and a system failing rural communities. Read it. Share it. Demand change.

Madison, WI – December 6, 2025 – The Great Lakes Wildlife Alliance today drops “The Feb 2021 Wisconsin Wolf and permanent rules analysis— a blistering, unsparing white paper that lays bare a catastrophic failure of governance. In a mere 72-hour frenzy, 218 wolves were slaughtered, absolutely shattering the state’s quota by a staggering 83%. The report exposes a system that unleashed scores of unregulated hound packs across the state, turning public and private land into a lawless free-for-all. Backed by 23 sworn affidavits and shocking necropsy evidence, this document reveals wolves torn apart, rural communities terrorized, and an entire wildlife management system blatantly rigged for the powerful hound lobby, not conservation or public safety.

The paper doesn’t just detail the hunt’s brutality; it reveals the systemic rot. It meticulously details the DNR’s erratic, crisis-driven management, including the addition and sudden removal of hunting seasons and suspicious changes to license funding. This chaotic preparation, which the DNR publicly admitted is in case they are sued over wolf funds, signals a deep-seated focus on legal defense and anticipating “chaos” rather than genuine conservation. This cynical approach is tragically mirrored by the Wolf Advisory Committee, which is precisely why the Alliance refused to apply for a seat—we will not participate in deciding how many wolves should die.

Despite new permanent rules (NR 10.105, effective Nov. 1, 2025), the paper delivers a chilling warning: virtually nothing has changed in Wisconsin. The chaos of 2021 remains the blueprint for the future:

• 86% of wolves killed by hound packs — packs running without limits, without mandatory GPS tracking, without landowner consent, and completely unsupervised by licensed handlers.
• 200–300 complaints in just three days — a shocking spike that included reports of armed standoffs on private property and horrifying instances of children being chased by hounds at bus stops.
• Gruesome necropsy findings — irrefutable evidence of animal cruelty, including gut-shot wolves suffering for hours, intestines dragging, and desecrated carcasses being dumped on porches.

“The DNR resisted some political pressure from Senator Rob Stafsholt, but the rules they ultimately adopted are nothing more than a cosmetic paper trail — they are completely unenforceable on the ground and willfully blind to the core issue: unlimited, unmanaged hound packs running wild,” said Melissa Smith, Executive Director. “This is not about a few bad actors inside the agency. It’s about a deeply flawed system built for political self-preservation and industry appeasement instead of real, science-based wildlife protection.”

The white paper goes on to expose Wisconsin’s status as a dangerous outlier: it allows unlimited hounds, night hunts using thermal gear, snowmobile chases, and even provides financial compensation for trespassing dogs killed in wolf habitat—an entire legal framework purpose-built to appease and profit the hound lobby. It powerfully raises the “training paradox”: How were these hound packs so incredibly effective just weeks after years of federal protections? The answer points to likely illegal training or the deliberate use of bear seasons as thinly veiled cover.

Additionally there’s a three a three-page political history of what has happened to wolves since 2011 to present

This systemic dysfunction is shamelessly echoed by lawmakers voices:

Former Senator Bob Welch, WI Bear Hunters & NRA Lobbyist: “Wolves are gonna die, who cares how they die.”

Senator Rob Stafsholt, compensated for hound loss: “I think there’s two kinds of risks. If I come out here and and put a dog out and try to chase a bear and if the bear mauls that dog, that’s kind of acceptable risk. If there’s a wolf hunting season where you can use hounds to hunt wolves. I mean, that goes back to me putting a dog out after bear and if the bear bites it, it’s acceptable risk.”

The legislative attacks continue unabated. Just last month, Senator Stafsholt introduced SB 665 to force an arbitrary wolf population cap—a move critics warn is designed to slash numbers below sustainable ecological levels and would inevitably invite another disastrous, high-quota hunt like the 2021 nightmare.

The white paper demands real reform. The time for action is now.

Prepared for Gov. Tony Evers, the Natural Resources Board, Joint Finance Committee, and the 2025–2026 Legislature, the full, explosive report is available immediately at https://speakforwildlife.org/white-paper/

Contact:

Melissa Smith

msmith@wiwolvesandwildlife.org
608-234-8860