On Sunday, July 21, Wildlife Services confirmed that wolves depredated two hounds that were participating in the bear/hound training season. The depredation occurred on county lands in the Town of Knight. Both dogs were engaged in the same pursuit but are owned by different owners. The dogs were less than 150 feet apart from each other and were killed in a wolf rendezvous site.
Rendezvous sites are specific locations used for breeding and other pack activities, where wolves may be protecting this year’s young or guarding a fresh kill, and can therefore be more aggressive than normal.
Since this recent depredation is in an area that falls between three or four pack territories, it is uncertain which one caused the depredation. Therefore, the caution area is a four-mile buffer around the depredation site. The location of the depredation appears to be the north end of the Chippewa River pack, but pack areas do shift over time, and it could be an adjacent pack. Also this area of the state has few paved roads and highways that could be used for defining pack boundaries.
To find more information on Wisconsin’s wolf population and dog depredations, visit dnr.wi.gov and type in keyword “wolf”.