Hunting, trapping of wolves closes Friday, Dec. 14th in Wolf Zone 6

MADISON -- The state Department of Natural Resources will close Wolf Harvest Zone 6 to hunting and trapping of gray wolves Friday, December 14th at 5 p.m.

The harvest of wolves remains open in Zone 3. State officials say wolf hunters should check daily to determine when the zone is closed.

“The harvest trend in Zone 6 has been slow during the initial wolf season. But harvest picked up during the deer season, with half the quota harvested during that time. Now with the quota achieved, we will close the zone to any additional harvest,” said Kurt Thiede, DNR Lands Division Administrator. “This is Wisconsin’s inaugural season. We are learning much about hunter and trapper success rates that will help us draft permanent rules that continue to move the wolf population down toward goals set in our state wolf management plan.”

“We will be considering harvest trends as we approach the quota in Zone 3 as well. Our ultimate goal is to reduce the wolf population by 116 animals, distributed across the landscape,” said Thiede.

The state wolf harvest quota for Zone 6 was set at 18 wolves and the closure process was initiated when that quota was filled.