Oct. 30–With nearly 11 wolves per day registered through the first two weeks, the 2013 Wisconsin wolf hunting and trapping season is on pace to finish in less than a month.
The Department of Natural Resources on Wednesday reported 178 wolves had been killed statewide since the season opened Oct. 15. The statewide quota is 251 wolves for the season.
By statute, the season could run through Feb. 28. But the quotas will almost certainly be filled much sooner.
The kill rate per license is nearly three times faster than during the 2012 Wisconsin season, the first regulated public wolf harvest in state history.
David MacFarland, DNR large carnivore specialist, said the wolf population and behavior is similar to 2012.
“The big surprise is the fast pace of harvest,” MacFarland said. “That’s a function of hunter and trapper effort.”
As of Wednesday, harvest quotas had been reached in three of the state’s six wolf management zones.
Zone 2 in northeastern Wisconsin was closed last week; 29 wolves were killed there on a quota of 28.
Wednesday also marked the closures of wolf management zones 1 and 5. The agency reported 76 wolves killed in Zone 1, matching the quota.
And 33 wolves had been registered in Zone 5 out of a quota of 34.
Zones 3, 4 and 6 were open as of Wednesday.
The numbers may change slightly as kill reports trickle in. Hunters and trappers are required to register their wolf kills within 24 hours of harvest.
MacFarland said the agency is closely monitoring the registration totals with the intent of keeping the kill levels close to the quotas.
The DNR’s goal is to reduce the population this year “through the harvest of 251 wolves distributed across the landscape,” according to an agency statement.
The management zones are tools by which the agency attempts to direct the harvest at areas with higher potential for wolf depredation and other conflicts, MacFarland said.
Of the wolf kills registered, 143 (83%) were attributed to trappers and 30 (17%) to hunters using a firearm.
Last year, 53% were killed by trappers, the balance by gun hunters.
Trapping has long been recognized as the most effective method of taking wolves.
But last year, many trappers waited until later in the year when fur would be closer to prime condition before pursuing wolves, said Scott Zimmerman, vice president of the Wisconsin Trappers Association.
However, the quotas were filled and the season was closed Dec. 23.
This year, trappers aren’t waiting, Zimmerman said.
The WTA testified in favor of a later start to the wolf hunting and trapping season at a 2012 hearing on Wisconsin wolf legislation. Act 169, which established the state’s hunting and trapping season, specifies the Oct. 15 start to the season.
The wolf harvest quota was more than doubled this year as the DNR attempts to reduce the wolf population closer to the goal of 350 wolves in the 1999 Wisconsin wolf management plan.
Wisconsin had an estimated 809 to 834 wolves in 214 packs in late winter 2013. The wolf population typically doubles each spring after pups are born and then begins to decline from various sources of mortality.
The fast pace of wolf harvests this year could mean the season will be over before the Wisconsin gun deer season begins Nov. 23.
It could also mean the most contentious provision in Act 169 — the use of dogs to hunt wolves — would not take place this year.
A lawsuit to stop the use of dogs in wolf hunting is in appeals court.
The legislation that established a wolf hunting and trapping season made Wisconsin the only state to authorize the use of dogs in wolf hunting.
Dogs could be used to pursue wolves beginning Dec. 2.
MacFarland said it’s not certain how quickly the quotas will be filled in the remaining zones.
“This is our second season, and we continue to learn information about harvest success that will be valuable in future management decisions,” MacFarland said.
Aquatic invasive discovered: The New Zealand mud snail, an aquatic invasive species, was recently discovered in Black Earth Creek in Dane County.
The discovery, the first in an inland Midwestern stream, is spurring the state to begin rapid response procedures to try to contain the snail, and to call on waterfowl hunters, trappers, anglers and hikers to take precautions to avoid accidentally spreading the species.
“This is a significant and disappointing find in Wisconsin,” said Bob Wakeman, who coordinates aquatic invasive species efforts for the DNR. “The New Zealand mud snail can be extremely prolific, has altered the food chain and may be having an impact on fish populations in Western streams.”
The DNR advises the following measures after leaving the water to keep Wisconsin streams healthy:
— Inspect and remove all mud and debris that might harbor snails from your boots, waders, boats and other gear with a stiff brush. If possible, rinse with tap water before leaving the river. If you are going home, let your gear freeze for 6-8 hours or dry it in a warm place for 24 hours to kill mud snails.
— Drain water from boat, motor, bilge, decoys and other water-containing devices before leaving water access (before launching, after loading and before transporting on a public highway).
Send email to [email protected]