A measure introduced in the Wisconsin state Assembly (AB 502) last week would permit wolf hunting between Oct. 15 and the end of February, as well as allow the use of dogs, traps, bait and night hunting for a portion of the season to reduce the wolf population from an estimated 800 to 1,000 animals to a targeted goal of 350.

Via: The Outdoor Pressroom

A bill to establish a wolf hunting and trapping season is necessary to control a “burgeoning” wolf population in order to protect livestock and pets, state Assembly Majority Leader Scott Suder told a legislative committee Wednesday…

…Suder also said he has worked on the bill with the Department of Natural Resources to set harvest limits on a “top predator” that caused the state to pay more than $300,000 last year to reimburse farmers who lost livestock to wolves…

…”These aren’t dumb animals. They are difficult to trap … and I doubt we’d drop the population to 350 in the first season,” he said.

Both state and federal agencies agree that 350 wolves are sufficient to sustain the species’ population in Wisconsin.

The bill authorizes the DNR to close the wolf season within 24 hours if hunters are unexpectedly successful, Suder said…

Read more via: Wisconsin Rapids Tribune