Protecting Wisconsin's Wolves

Two gray wolves in front of foliage
Photo Credit: Christel Sagniez

Wolves Matter
Apex predators like wolves are vital for maintaining balanced and robust ecosystems. 
Scientists and researchers continue to discover how wolves leave lasting and significant impressions on the landscapes. “As humans, we often like to think that we have the ability to mimic the ecological roles of predators, and therefore it may be okay to have some areas devoid of large predators,” said Sean Johnson-Bice, lead author of the study and a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Manitoba.  “However, our work shows that there is such a wide diversity of ways that individual predators affect ecosystems that we could never realistically replicate their effects across entire ecosystems.” 
From ensuring that forests and wildlife populations remain healthy to keeping prey populations in check, the presence of wolves in Wisconsin’s forests enhances biodiversity and plays a crucial role in ecosystem health.

Wolft in forest near pine trees
Photo credit: Debbie Dixon
 

Wolves Improve Forest Health
Like all healthy forests, Wisconsin's forests depend on apex predators like wolves to manage herbivore populations, particularly deer. Without natural predators, deer overpopulate and overgraze, especially young saplings, preventing them from growing into mature trees and thereby degrading forest health. This over-browsing can lead to significant reductions in plant species, especially those preferred by deer, like hemlock and cedar.

In Northern Wisconsin, researchers found that deer are limiting tree regeneration in 8 out of 10 tree species studied. Likewise, research from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR) confirms that deer over-browsing has profound long-term impacts on forest regeneration.

Moreover, Wisconsin’s Green Fire’s 2021-2023 deer conservation report notes:
Increased deer browsing pressure will also limit the ability of many tree species to respond to climate change. Some species projected to do well under a future climate are also preferred to browse for deer, making survival and regeneration challenging. 

Wolves not only control deer populations but also alter deer behavior. In areas with wolf populations, deer are more cautious and vigilant, moving more frequently, avoiding certain areas, and grazing more diffusely. This behavior change reduces the damage to trees and plants, positioning wolves as protectors of our forests. We must protect them in turn.
 

Wolves Improve Wildlife Health
Wolves may also play a role in controlling diseases in wildlife, such as chronic wasting disease (CWD) in deer. CWD, which continues to rise in Wisconsin, is a deadly neurological illness in deer. Although it has not infected humans, there is potential for it to cross the species barrier. Some researchers speculate that wolves could help control CWD by preying on weak and sickly animals, thereby reducing the spread of the disease.

An ongoing study in Wisconsin, a collaboration between the Great Lakes Fish and Wildlife Commission (GLIFWC) and scientists at UW-Madison, is investigating this exact question: Can wolves help control the spread of CWD? The study combines scientific and Indigenous ecological knowledge.

Wolves Prevent Deer-Vehicle Collisions
In addition to their ecological benefits, wolves contribute to human safety and economic savings by reducing deer-vehicle collisions. A recent study by researchers from the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Applied Economics at UW-Madison found that wolves save Wisconsin residents $10.9 million annually by reducing deer-vehicle accidents.

Wolves use roadways as travel corridors and prey on deer in those areas, which leads to deer avoiding roads. This behavior results in a 24% reduction in deer-vehicle collisions, saving counties with wolves more than $375,000 per year in collision costs. This is “an economic benefit that is 63 times greater than the costs of verified wolf predation on livestock.”

The study also suggests that "wolves reduce deer-vehicle collisions primarily by changing deer behavior rather than by reducing deer abundance," demonstrating that wolves can control economic damages from deer in ways that human hunters cannot.

Wolves Boost Our Human Economy
Each of the wolves’ roles that we have described thus far also has economic value for humans:

 

close-up image of gray wolf
                                                      Image credit: Tim Rains, National Park Service

 

Wolves are Culturally Significant
Beyond their vital roles in maintaining healthy ecosystems and reducing vehicle collisions, wolves hold deep cultural significance for many of Wisconsin's people, especially the indigenous Anishinaabe people, including the Ojibwe (or Chippewa). The Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission (GLIFWC) explains that wolves, known as "Ma'iingan," are revered as relatives by the Ojibwe. The Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, who hold wolves in exceptionally high regard, even designates wolves as a "Tribally Protected Species."

The bond between the Ojibwe people and wolves is rooted in their creation story, where the Creator chose Ma'iingan to be the companion of the Original Man. This sacred connection is so profound that the Ojibwe believe that what happens to wolves also happens to them -- that their fates are intricately intertwined.

To learn more about the Ojibwe relationship with Ma’iingan watch Peter David's presentation to the Sierra Club during Wolf Awareness Week. 

Tribal Nations, represented by GLIFWC, overwhelmingly support policies that protect wolves, and it is essential (ethically and legally) to respect their treaty-reserved tribal rights and their deep connection to this important species.

To learn more about this special relationship, listen to the insights shared by Michael Waasegiizhig Price, Traditional Ecological Knowledge Specialist, in his 2023 interview here.

"Words mean everything. When we say that the wolf is our relative, we protect the wolf just like we would protect one of our relatives in our family" written over a dark image of two wolves

 

History of Wolves in Wisconsin

History of Wolves in Wisconsin
Before Europeans began to settle on the land we now call Wisconsin, the land had a population of approximately 3,000 to 5,000 wolves and healthy populations of prey species, such as bison, elk, caribou, and moose.

As the population of settlers increased during the 1800s, their unregulated hunting wiped out these prey species and nearly eliminated white-tailed deer in Wisconsin, too. 

European settlers felt the need to dominate–rather than coexist with–nature. They vilified wolves, viewing them as competition for the dwindling game species and a threat to their livestock.

It is documented that from the 1800s to the 1950s, there was a decline of wolves in Wisconsin. Prior to Wisconsin becoming a state, the Wisconsin territory offered a bounty on killing wolves from 1839 through 1847, and after Wisconsin became a state in 1848, a state bounty was in place until 1957. Due to unregulated hunting and trapping, as well as the endless bounties placed on killing wolves, there was an eventual collapse of the wolf population in Wisconsin, and wolves were extirpated (eradicated) from Wisconsin by 1960.
 
After the federal Endangered Species Act was passed in 1973, the eastern timber wolf was listed as endangered in 1974. In 1978, all forms of gray wolves were listed as endangered in the contiguous USA, except in Minnesota, where wolves were listed as threatened.

Wolves began to recolonize Wisconsin by 1975 naturally. They mainly crossed over from the Minnesota population in the west.
 
History of Wolf Management and Hunting in WI
The first Wolf Management Plan was created by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR) in 1999. At that time, the WDNR estimated the wolf population in Wisconsin to be around 200.

According to Wisconsin's Greenfire, "Included in the first draft of the 1999 wolf plan, the proposed management goal was 300-500 wolves, based on estimates of potential carrying capacity and a population viability analysis. In the final 1999 plan approved by the Natural Resources Board, the management goal was reduced to 350 “because of the concerns expressed by many…” Carrying capacity is "the estimated population size that a given area can sustainably support."

The 350 goal was intended to serve as a threshold level to identify the level at which a full array of management options could be considered, not a cap to hold the population at that level or lower. The management plan was intended to be in place for only 10–15 years, and the plan was intended to be reviewed every five years."

As the wolf population continued to recover and grow in Wisconsin, scientists began to understand that the carrying capacity for wolves was actually higher than they had previously thought. 

The most recent scientific estimates of carrying capacity, at about 1200–1300 wolves, indicate that the potential wolf population could be 10 to 12 times higher than the initial estimates of about 100 wolves from the 1980s".
 
 In 2011, the Wisconsin State Legislature passed a law that says if wolves are removed from the Endangered Species List, there must be a wolf harvest (hunt) between November and February. Wisconsin has had four wolf hunting seasons when wolves were federally delisted. 

During the 2012 wolf hunting season, hunters and trappers killed an estimated 117 wolves. Then, during the 2013 season, 257 wolves were killed, and during the 2014 season, 154 wolves were killed. Finally, in February 2021, after the state was sued to hold a wolf hunt, hunters killed 218 wolves in just three days. The Wisconsin DNR had to close the February 2021 hunting season because hunters exceeded the established quota. 

This 2011 Wisconsin law, Act 169, undermines the WDNR’s authority to manage the wolf population based on science and the process they are expected to follow before moving forward with a hunt. Act 169 set up conditions for the horrifying 2021 wolf hunting season in Wisconsin. Here is the timeline of how it took place.

  • October 2020
    • Trump Administration finalized a rule to start taking steps to remove Endangered Species protections (read more here)
  • November 2020
    • Sierra Club and partners announced plans to challenge the removal of gray wolves from the ESA (read more here)
  • January 2021
    • The removal of grey wolves from the Endangered Species list becomes official. Sierra Club moves our lawsuit forward.
    • The Natural Resources Board (NRB) hosted a hearing about whether to open a wolf hunt (learn more here). The majority of comments opposed a wolf hunt and called for a thoughtful process with full consultation of the Tribes.
    • After listening to hours of testimony, the NRB announced they would not pursue a hunt until November.
  • February 2021
    • Trophy hunting organization, Hunter Nation, successfully sued the NRB and Department of Natural Resources (DNR) to force a wolf hunt. 
    • A week-long wolf hunt kicked off on February 22, with a quota of 119 wolves and roughly ten times that number of permits.
    • In less than three days, the wolf hunt exceeded the quota by 82%, and the DNR closed the hunt. Additionally, Wisconsin is one of only two states to allow wolves to be hunted using dogs, which results in many heinous practices. 
    • The February 2021 Wisconsin wolf hunt was very problematic on many levels, and according to Wisconsin's Greenfire, "The delisting in 2021 did not result in reduced depredation, with 45 farms experiencing depredations. Wisconsin's Greenfire had previously pointed out that the February 2021 wolf harvest was not likely to produce benefits for reducing livestock depredations because hunting was mostly away from farm areas. These data indicate that major wolf population reductions were not needed, and winter wolf harvest with hounds were not likely to reduce depredations on domestic animals."
  • October, 2021
    • In a response to a lawsuit, Dane County Judge Jacob Frost ordered a halt Wisconsin's wolf hunt, saying the WDNR violated state law by not properly consulting with the wolf advisory committee before setting the hunt’s quota. He found that the hunt exceeded the established limits, and ordered an immediate stop to any further hunting for the season. He ruled that the WDNR could not move forward with another hunt until a new Wolf Management Plan was created, a hunting rule was established, and reconvene the Wolf Advisory Committee. 
  • February, 10 2022
    • A lawsuit later that year put a moratorium on wolf hunting in Wisconsin, and Sierra Club and other groups won a suit to have wolves relisted on the Endangered Species List. On February 10, 2022, a federal judge restored protections for wolves across much of the U.S. except in the Northern Rocky Mountain Region. 
       

Wolves in Wisconsin: Currently Protected as an Endangered Species

Since February 10, 2022, the gray wolves in Wisconsin remain federally protected under the Endangered Species Act as a “listed” species. As a listed species, it is illegal to harm, harass, hunt, kill, trap wolves in Wisconsin without permit. Additionally, lethal removal of wolves for livestock conflict is not allowed. Livestock producers may only use non-lethal techniques to deter wolves. 

Those Endangered Species Act protections at the federal level supersede the Wisconsin DNR management of wolves, and the law in Wisconsin that requires a wolf hunt when not federally protected (Act 169 of 2011). 

However, there are a variety of challenges to wolves keeping their federal protections in the Great Lakes region. In 2024 there were legislative bills at the federal level seeking to have wolf protections removed permanently, there was an appeal of the February 10, 2022 case that restored protections, and there was a  lawsuit that was filed against USFWS by several sportsmen groups. 

Should wolves in Wisconsin lose these federal protections under the Endangered Species Act, the management of wolves will return to the state of Wisconsin and the Wisconsin DNR Wolf management plan and WI laws will go into effect. 

New Wolf Management Plan victory and what it means for wolves
After an extremely contentious, three-year fight over wolf management in Wisconsin, science and wolf conservationists prevailed. On October 25th, 2023, Wisconsin’s Natural Resources Board (NRB) approved a Wolf Management Plan and a Wolf Hunting Rule that contains major victories, including:

  • Recognition of the ecological and cultural importance of wolves, including biodiversity, forest health, and public support for Wisconsin’s wolves.  
  • Adaptive management instead of an arbitrary, numeric population goal. This is a best practice that was supported by numerous scientists and is in line with most natural resource management in Wisconsin. 
  • New zones and subzones with tags that are zone-specific. (In the 2021 hunt here, tags were issued for any zone in the state, so as zones closed, people would just move to any open zone, leading to a cascading amount of pressure all at the same time. That will not be allowed now.) 
  • Where requested, "low quota" subzones were created that extend around 6 miles around Native American reservation land to help protect reservation wolf packs.
  • The registration time to report a wolf kill is now 8 hours (in the past, a 24 hour period led to excessive quota exceedances) 
  • The time allowed for hound training on wolves has been restricted - It will run only during the time a harvest zone is open for hunting. And hound training will close as the respective zone closes to hunting. Previously this was open 365 days a year. Additionally, hunters are not allowed to use hounds at night. 
  • The plan outlines the strategies related to increasing public education related to the implementation of non-lethal conflict deterrent techniques.

During the public comment period, many wolf and environmental groups including the Sierra Club as well as science advocates, the Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission, and many individual Tribes supported the plan. 
 

What you can do to help Wisconsin's wolves

Join our Wildlife Team, we would love to connect with you! Please complete this form and we will be in touch. We are all stronger as part of the pack! Hear from one of our team members talking about wolves here. 

Advocate for wolves by reaching out to your legislators at all levels and let them know you support wolves in Wisconsin. 

  • In Wisconsin it is important to talk to your WI policy makers about how egregious Act 169 of 2011 is for wolves and how it ignores science-based management. Let them know what you think of a legislative mandate to hunt and trap wolves every year in this state, including the use of hounds. Also highlight the need for state funding for non-lethal prevention to reduce predator conflicts for farmers.
  • Make them earn your vote! Talk to political candidates before elections about wolves in Wisconsin, help educate them and let them know where you stand. 
  • Reach out to local papers and write letters to the editor to help combat the irrational fear mongering often published about wolves with all the ecological value they provide! 
  • Participate in voting in the Wisconsin Conservation Congress Spring hearing Survey. Citizens can also write and submit resolutions for change. Here is an example resolution written and supported by Sierra Club to help support WI farmers with funding for non-lethal solutions! 
Brown wolf drawing in front of trees with a blue background and "wolf advocate" written on top

Learn about wolves and celebrate Wolf Awareness Week with us! In 1990, Governor Tommy Thompson signed a proclamation of Wisconsin Wolf Awareness Week. This created an annual time to highlight the importance of this keystone species, learn how we can coexist with them, and what we can do to ensure they are here for generations to come. We are happy to carry on the tradition as we focus on learning about the gray wolf from a number of different perspectives with a different theme each day for one entire week in October. Here is a quick look at our efforts: 


Talk to kids about wolves - Express your own respect for wolves as keystone species and that they are not to be feared as villains they are made out to be children’s fairy tales! Consider sharing our coloring pages and other wolf related activities:

Howling wolf surrounded by black birds on snow