Delafield man sights wolf on his 100-acre property
John Potratz, Staff Writer May 31, 2005
Town of Delafield – Recent timber wolf sightings have been a source of concern for area residents; yet local wildlife experts claim there is no cause for alarm.
Delafield resident Kent Hanson is a bit perturbed over sighting what he describes as a “tall canine with gangly legs and big feet,” on his 100-acre Delafield property last week. Hanson also sighted a similar, larger canid on his property less than a month earlier.
Hanson owns two large golden retrievers and said he feared for their safety after the most recent animal he sighted taunted them for more than 10 minutes.
“My concern, of course, was that if (the dogs) went out, they would become dinner,” said Hanson. “We are familiar with the size of dogs, and this was considerably larger – and very healthy-looking.”
After attempting to send the animal off by yelling through an open window, Hanson went outside, believing his presence would send the animal running away.
“I went outside, and he just sat there,” said Hanson. “He just looked at me.”
Hanson said that after he got closer to the animal, it nonchalantly “sauntered off.”
Contrary to Hanson’s sightings, Department of Natural Resources Wildlife Supervisor Jim McNally said there have not been any verified wolf sightings within Southeastern Wisconsin for at least a couple of years.
“As far as I know, we’ve not had any reports of wolves in the area,” said McNally. “Wolf sightings are very rare in this part of the state.”
According to Hanson, wolf sightings may not be as rare as those that are verified and reported by the DNR. Hanson said one of his colleagues had recently spotted a small family of wolves while hunting near Sawyer Road and Highway DR.
According to McNally, the DNR frequently receives reports of sightings. However, many reported sightings turn out to be coyotes upon further investigation, he said.
“The creature that we saw was much taller than a coyote,” said Hanson.
Jim Horneck, a friend of Hanson’s and owner of a Delafield taxidermy shop, said a client had brought a road-killed coyote in for mounting within recent years. Upon evaluation of the animal, Horneck promptly identified it as a wolf.
“I had no doubt it was a wolf,” said Horneck. “When I saw it, I said, ‘That’s no coyote.’ ”
Horneck added the DNR was notified and verified the animal to be a wolf. The wolf was found dead along the berm of Sawyer Road near I-94.
Wolves and coyotes are often mistaken for one another, but are proportionally different. Coyotes are significantly more petite and stand 16 to 20 inches tall at the shoulder, while wolves stand at around 26 to 32 inches. Wolves also weigh more. A wolf typically can weigh 60 to 115 pounds while coyotes usually only weigh 20 to 50 pounds.
Although wolves are relatively large creatures, they pose no threat to humans, according to various wildlife experts.
“There is no reported hazard to humans,” said McNally. “We have not had a wolf attack in many, many years. (However) we have had attacks on domestic animals and dogs.”
Nancy Dowler of the Timber Wolf Preservation Society in Greenfield said Hanson’s account is rare and the canine he witnessed should have run upon first sight of him.
“Wolves are really terrified of people,” said Dowler. “Even in captivity here, we are really careful not to spook them.”
“It’s uncommon for them to even come close to the smell of man,” she said.
Ottawa’s Wildlife in Need Center employees Lisa Beck and Rebecca Jurena said the reason for encounters such as Hanson’s is most likely the loss of their natural habitat.
“We are continuously destroying habitat in Wisconsin,” said Beck. “Pabst Farms is a great example.”
Jurena said that as wolves become more accustomed to human presence, their apprehension toward human interaction might dissipate.
“A wolf’s normal behavior would be to run away,” said Jurena. “They are probably getting used to people talking and people smells.”
According to the DNR Wisconsin Web site, wolf populations are increasing as habitable territories are in decline. The estimated wolf population in Wisconsin is up 14 percent in 2005 – growing to 455 wolves from 425 reported in 2004. That estimate was taken over the winter months and does not include pups born this spring.
Wolves are usually pack animals, but during spring months some may leave or be expelled from the pack during the birth of new litters. Individual wolves often search for new territories or another single wolf to start a new pack.
“It’s not uncommon for them to disperse from the pack around breeding time or around this time when litters are born,” said Dowler. “They go off to find their own territory and find their own pack.”
Anyone who has sighted what he thinks may be a wolf in his area should contact the DNR immediately or call DNR wolf biologist Adrian Wydeven at (715) 762-4684.