RHINELANDER, Wis. (WSAU) – Rhinelander-area residents will get the last word tonight on what a wolf hunting season in Wisconsin should look like.
The state Department of Natural Resources will wrap up a series of public hearings on the proposed wolf hunt in Rhinelander. The meeting is at 7 p.m. in the auditorium at James Williams middle school. If you can’t attend, you can fill out a survey online.
DNR officials want to know where you think the wolf hunting zones should be, how many wolves should be taken in each zone and how many permits should be made available. The agency has recommended an initial harvest quota between 142 and 233 wolves.
“We do in the end need to manage for a sustainable wolf population in the state,” said Bill VanderZouwen, the DNR’s wildlife ecology section chief. “That’s certainly our goal as well as providing hunting and trapping opportunities and reducing depredation problems.”
The state Natural Resources Board will vote July 17th in Stevens Point on final details of the wolf hunting season.
Lawmakers approved the wolf hunt this year after the federal government delisted the gray wolf from the endangered species list for the Western Great Lakes region.