Oct. 21–The 2014-15 wolf hunt is over in four of Wisconsin’s six wolf management zones.
Zone 5, in central Wisconsin, became the latest zone to close Monday. That leaves only Zones 3 and 6 open less than a week after the wolf hunt began.
David MacFarland, DNR large carnivore specialist, said the pace of this year’s harvest is “unlike anything we had seen in the first two seasons.”
Wisconsin’s two northernmost zones — Zone 1 in the northwest and Zone 2 in the northeast — saw the most rapid progression.
MacFarland said hunters and trappers have learned from the past that quotas can be reached very swiftly in the north.
“There’s a lot of motivation to get out quickly before the zones close,” he said.
Zone 2 hunters and trappers killed 29 wolves in just four days, nearly doubling the quota of 15 set for the zone. Only 10 wolves were taken in Zone 2 during the first four days of last year’s hunt.
Zone 1, which encompasses most of Douglas County, also exceeded its quota this year. Thirty-five wolves were killed before the zone closed Sunday. The quota for Zone 1 was 32 wolves.
MacFarland said the DNR is required by law to give 24 hours notice before closing a wolf management zone. Closure procedures for Zone 2 were initiated Friday morning, but by the time the zone officially closed Saturday hunters and trappers had exceeded the quota by 14 wolves.
“The pace was extraordinarily fast,” MacFarland said.
The pace in Zone 1 also far exceeded what the DNR saw last year.
During the 2013-14 season, Zone 1 hunters and trappers took 25 wolves in the opening five days of the hunt. The first Zone 1 wolf reported was taken in Douglas County, but another wolf was not registered in the county until the sixth day of the hunt, when four wolves were taken in Douglas County.
Wolf harvest data by county is not yet available for the 2014-15 hunt.
The majority of wolves taken so far have been trapped. MacFarland said 72 wolves have been harvested through trapping methods, and 13 have been harvested through hunting.
Quota Harvest Status
Zone 1…………………….. 32 35 Closed 10/19
Zone 2…………………….. 15 29 Closed 10/18
Zone 3…………………….. 40 2 Open
Zone 4……………………… 8 4 Closed 10/19
Zone 5…………………….. 20 14 Closed 10/20
Zone 6…………………….. 35 1 Open
Total 150 85 —
I have hunted deer and elk in wolf zones in other states and have seen the toll first hand if wolfs left unchecked.the small over the quotes taken above are not way out of balance.in my experience the game department will make educated adjustments.let the professional manage our game and give them the room to adjust. The under quotes are the ones that need the most adjustment as you can easily see. Maybe other control programs besides using public hunting and taping will have to be used.