Wisconsin DNR Hints that Statewide Kill Quota Will Be Ignored and Season Will Not Close

Courtesy: Joseph Ogrodnik

As we pointed out earlier this week something very fishy is going on with the Wisconsin DNR and our wolf population. The silence of the DNR told us that as usual something nefarious was going on behind the scenes and that indeed appears to be the case. When the Wisconsin DNR and their anti-wolf group stacked sham “Wolf Advisor Committee” met earlier this year a statewide kill quota of 150 wolves was agreed upon by a majority of the group. Suspiciously as of today the DNR report 146 wolves “legally” killed. This number does not include the vast number of wolves killed illegally. Now there comes word that the Wisconsin DNR and their real estate developer turned political appointee secretary, Cathy Stepp, may ignore the 150 kill quota and allow the kill season to continue far beyond that number.

The situation has created a quandary for Cathy Stepp, the DNR secretary, and her crew. On the one hand, the DNR could close the season after eight more (now four) wolves are killed, regardless of whether they come from Zone 3 or Zone 6. This would leave a harvest shortfall in one or both of those zones. On the other hand, the DNR could let the wolf harvest continue to the established quota in both Zone 3 and Zone 6, meaning the state harvest could exceed the 150 quota by as many as 13 wolves.

According to Dave MacFarland, the DNR’s large canine biologist, the DNR is aware of the possible overage.

“The season is not necessarily closed when it gets to 150 wolves,” MacFarland said. “We are watching the season closely and taking everything into consideration, but the final word comes from the secretary’s (Stepp’s) office.”

Unbelievable. The DNR is now essentially saying that established statewide quotas mean nothing and it is up to a political appointee that has shown ZERO regard for our wolf population to stop the killing. It’s bad enough that Wisconsin begins allowing dogs to be used against wolves starting Monday for kill purposes and not just the 24/7/365 “training,” but that it now appears the quota will be ignored. The DNR has already allowed mass overkill in two of their “zones” and now it appears that the overall state quota is going to be far exceeded, especially once dogs are introduced.

If wildlife advocates didn’t have enough concern before, the situation is now critical. The arrogance of Cathy Stepp and the Wisconsin DNR is staggering even for them. By allowing the wolf kill to exceed 150, which is a ridiculously high number as it is, the DNR is telling the citizens of this state and country that they have no intention of “managing” the wolf population responsibly. Its time to ramp up the pressure and DEMAND an end to this reckless slaughter NOW and not after the kill quota is again far exceeded. This is what happens when our federal government ignores their responsibility to make sure the wolf population is responsibly “managed” once they have been turned over to the states. This has been ignored by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as they continue to allow Wisconsin to attack our wolves 24/7/365 and put them on the path of a second eradication.

Here are the contacts for the Wisconsin DNR. Let them know exactly how you feel and how you will sit by idly while they ignore their own kill quota:

DNRWildlifeWebmail@Wisconsin.gov

Call Center Staff Available 7 Days a Week (7 a.m.-10 p.m.)
Call Toll Free 1-888-WDNRINFo (1-888-936-7463)
Open a chat session available from 7 a.m. to 9:45 p.m.

DNR Secretery Cathy Stepp:

DNRSecretary@Wisconsin.gov

(608) 266-2121