By Paul A. Smith of the Journal Sentinel
Hunters using dogs have killed 15 wolves this month in Wisconsin, according to a report issued Friday by the Department of Natural Resources.
The kills have occurred since Dec. 2 when the use of dogs became legal to hunt wolves in the state.
Wisconsin is the only state to authorize the use of dogs to hunt wolves.
The wolves were shot by hunters using firearms when the animals were running from the dogs or as they were held at bay, according to sources.
The regulations allow dogs only for tracking and trailing the wolves. Hunters may be cited if the dogs engage or fight with the wolves.
No hunter using dogs to hunt wolves has been cited for a violation since Dec. 2, according to DNR officials.
Hunters who kill wolves are required to submit the carcass to the DNR.
In response to concerns raised by some, agency wildlife biologists as well as the state veterinarian will examine the carcasses for any potential injuries caused by dogs, said Dave MacFarland, DNR carnivore specialist.
A lawsuit prevented the use of dogs to hunt wolves in Wisconsin last year, the first regulated wolf hunting and trapping season in state history.
But that injunction was vacated in January by a Dane County judge, clearing the way for the use of dogs this season. An appeal of that decision has yet to be ruled on.
As of Friday, the DNR reported 234 wolves had been killed this season. The statewide quota is 251.
Seventy-four percent of the wolves have been taken by trappers using leg-hold traps.
The state has sold 1,862 resident and 11 non-resident wolf hunting and trapping licenses. The DNR authorized the sale of 2,510 licenses through a preseason lottery.
Only Zone 3 in northwestern Wisconsin, in which 52 wolves have been taken out of a quota of 71, remains open.
The season will continue through Feb. 28 or until the quota is filled in Zone 3, whichever comes first.
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 DNR is attempting to reduce the wolf population closer to the 350 animal goal expressed in the 1999 Wisconsin wolf management plan.
The plan is being revised; an updated version is expected to be presented for public review in 2014.
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