Wolf population in your state

[BenT]

Just curious how the wolf population is in your state. I hear them occasionally in the evening. It is usually after the coyotes start yipping and then a big old howl, and then everything goes silent. Trump had the wolf delisted and Wisconsin had a spring wolf hunt in 2021. The goal was 135 wolves I believe and after 2 days they killed 214 wolves. Most animal rights people went berserk. How often do you see a wolf in the wild. Not often, so if you can kill 214 wolves in about 18 hours of daylight. There must be a lot of wolves out there. Anyway the Federal courts have kept us from having a hunt since.

The Wisconsin wolf management number goal is 350 wolves statewide. Minnesota is 2200 to 3000 with estimates at 2700. Wisconsin came out with a new wolf population goal with no set number. Quote “This plan's goal is focused on a holistic and pragmatic approach to wolf management, conservation and stewardship,”

So apparently Wisconsin has a bunch of people from a Hippie Commune instead of the nature conservative sciences making the Wisconsin plan. I am not sure how you quantify "holistic". But I am pretty sure with science you need to define, by some source that is measurable, current state and then what you are trying to achieve. I am not sure what unit of measurement one would use when measuring holistic. But I am always willing to learn. I am a little slower than most, so if you know the unit of measurement, could you share it with me, so I can sound intelligent in future conversations on wolf populations.

[wvfarrier]

Wolves....zilch
Coyotes....freaking everywhere
Coy Dogs....becoming an issue

[Rockrat]

Couple of packs and some more have moved in. Now they are going to bring more in, but those that voted for them, don't want them in their backyard. They voted to put them in prime deer/ elk country.

[AJMD429]

.
Indiana

No wolves
Tons of coyotes
More tons of feral/'pet' dogs

If you have four-legged livestock killed by predators here it is about 2/3 of the time it will be dogs, maybe half fully 'wild' and the other half from the nearest subdivision, complete with collar and rabies tag. The other 1/3 coyotes. There are a few bobcats and occasional other predators cited in the state but I think in terms of interaction with livestock other than poultry it's pretty much feral dogs and coyotes.

[piller]

No wolves around here.
Coyotes are plentiful.
Wildcats are plentiful.
Feral dogs only in some limited areas.

[crs]

Here in Texas, what Piller said + plenty cougars. They do not howl, but you will never forget the sound of their scream! The purr they make when eating carries a ways too.

[KeithNyst]

NE Minnesota … wolves up, deer hunting tag fill has consistently been on the decline for our group at the shack. Wolf and bear piles in our yard, but have not seen them in the yard.

[ollogger]

Here in SE Wyoming its not uncommon to see a few now & then, the NW part i hear they are thick & taking a heavy toll on elk & moose, they have a season over there but dont know the details of the season
most of Wyoming they are classified as vermin and i dont hesitate to shoot, lots of coyotes & lions
saturday a bud of mine chased a lion out of his yard as it was after his wifes most of the time house cat
as CRS said you wont forget the scream of a lion, bout a month one screamed just out side my bed room window
i flew out of bed giving my self a bit of whip lash i suspect it was after a barn cat
the barn is 50 feet from my window
Ben T my brother has some land in Ludington & he is big on trail cams, lots of bear & wolves, few bob cat & a few deer, borders that big block of county land on county N, north of lake EauClaire

ollogger

[jeepnik]

Hear tell we have one that wandered down fro Oregon. Had a GPS collar so they could track it. Not sure where it is now.

Personally, I’d like to see the critter on our state flag reintroduced. We were offered some grizzlies from, I think Wyoming or Montana but the idea was fought by, of all groups, the Sierra Club. Apparently, they feared the bears would take a liking to granola fed prey.

[marlinman93]

After wolves were reintroduced in Oregon the populations increased rapidly, and supposedly we have 175+ currently. But I doubt F&G really knows the true numbers as it's tough for them to count wolves when F&G goes home at 5:00p.m. and wolves are pretty nocturnal.
My guess is we have double that, but they wont tell us accurate numbers or people will freak out.

[1894cfan]

Too many to count! Unfortunately they are all in politics or law!

[1894cfan]

After wolves were reintroduced in Oregon the populations increased rapidly, and supposedly we have 175+ currently. But I doubt F&G really knows the true numbers as it's tough for them to count wolves when F&G goes home at 5:00p.m. and wolves are pretty nocturnal.
My guess is we have double that, but they wont tell us accurate numbers or people will freak out.

My advice is don't go walking/hiking without a man toy!

[joepb]

0ne is too many...Joe

[Bronco]

They calculate 1200 to 1300 here in Idaho!

[Bullard4075]

Montana FWP says 1200 or so. Double that.

[BenT]

Ben T my brother has some land in Ludington & he is big on trail cams, lots of bear & wolves, few bob cat & a few deer, borders that big block of county land on county N, north of lake EauClaire

ollogger

My friend bow hunts over there in the county forest off Cheney road. Last year him and his buddy were checking game cameras at 9 in the morning. His buddy lets out a howl and got an answer. He kept it up and within 15 minutes they had 7 wolves circling them trying to sort out the challenge. He recorded a video on his phone when they came in. It was pretty amazing that there was a pack that came in that fast.

[ollogger]

Ben four years ago we was back there & we drove through Cheney road, more wolf & bear tracks than deer
my bro knows a guy in Wilson that was trying to rattle in a buck & i think it was 7 or 8 wolves that came in
dead set on finding them fighting bucks, sounded like it got pretty intense for awhile, never go out in the
woods with just your bow, them poor guys that hunt bear with hounds have a ton of bad luck with wolves

OPEN SEASON



ollogger

[44shooter]

A few critically endangered red wolves are released in Northeastern NC since 1987 after their extinction in the wild. They haven’t done well due mainly to shootings and hybridization with coyotes.

[piller]

Just an opinion. Humans were doing fine with hunting being the predation on game animals to keep the populations in check. It seems that with the introduction of grey wolves to areas which previously had a different sub-species, that the wolves are fast eating all the game and becoming a nuisance. Where hunting them is prohibited, the reports are that they are losing their fear of humans. Hunting with total numbers to be harvested managed by wildlife biologists should keep all populations healthy and maintain a good balance.

[RIHMFIRE]

we have two legged wolves in Florida.
But they were soundly defeated in the election! hahaha

[Griff]

we have two legged wolves in Florida.
But they were soundly defeated in the election! hahaha

Only half of them!

[BenT]

them poor guys that hunt bear with hounds have a ton of bad luck with wolves

OPEN SEASON



ollogger

The guys I know won't go to Cheney road any more to train their bear dogs. They have been losing too many to the wolves.

If the state would just manage the wolves with a hunting season, like they manage all other game animals, the hunters will embrace it like we seen in the last hunt. Because most hunters want to hunt wolves and be able to put a 10 penny nail in the wall and hang a wolf hide. But if there is no hunting season then hunters will treat them like any pest and just shoot them randomly. So wolves will get shot and it will all go to waste. The reason we follow the hunting traditions with the game we shoot, of mounting a head or hanging a hide. It is not so much a trophy but a respect of that hunt.

[MS 9x56]

If you believe our DEC none but at least 2 killed by coyote hunters have been dna confirmed to be wolves. In reality we have a small but building population.

[KeithNyst]

In the DNR area we hunt in NE Minnesota, the annual harvest of bucks in the area has declined dramatically and wolf sightings are on the rise. My brother saw 5 during deer season.

[TraderVic]

Hi Ben,
Yep, the wolf issue here in WI is a cluster**** !
Had two wolves trot by me about 200 ft away this past regular season. Heading back up (SW of Grand View) for muzzleloader in several days.
Politics has ruled WL Mgmt far too long here. The science has and is, being ignored !
The answer begins with removing the politicians from WDNR leadership, the NRB isn't much use either.
Sigh......