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Wolfwatcher

8 hours ago

Six wolf pups playing in northern Minnesota ... See MoreSee Less

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Wolfwatcher

12 hours ago

If stability is the goal, Wisconsin failedbit.ly/3r3nXsfThe goal of Wisconsin’s Department of Natural Resources with regard to the state’s wolf population is stability. More evidence is emerging that it badly failed in that with the wolf hunt this past spring.A trio of researchers, including from the University of Wisconsin, concluded the state’s total wolf population is now somewhere between 695 and 751 animals. In the spring of 2020 it was around 1,034. Assuming a reasonable degree of accuracy with those estimates, Wisconsin has lost between a quarter and a third of all wolves in a single year.To state the obvious, that’s not stabilizing a population.There are questions. Estimates on wild populations are always tough. Wolves aren’t exactly up for a formal census, of course. And it’s difficult to say how the spring’s hunt affected the success of the wolves’ breeding season. We don’t know how many were born this summer, and that’s not an insignificant factor.Other experts have questioned the report’s estimates on “cryptic hunting,” cases in which hunters deliberately hide carcasses or destroy radio collars. It’s also worth noting that some of the losses undoubtedly came from other, non-hunting causes. It’s far rarer to hit a wolf while driving than a deer, for example, but it does happen.But the overarching conclusion backs up what officials knew almost from the moment last season’s hunting began. It was a badly botched effort.Wisconsin hunters officially took 218 wolves during the season. The target was 119. We’ve heard some people try to justify the outcome by saying the overall number the DNR authorized was 200 wolves. That’s true. But the gap between the target and what was authorized were reserved for tribal hunting. Whether the tribes planned to hunt those wolves or not is irrelevant. They simply weren’t for other hunters to take.The study will unquestionably add fuel for those who want the Biden administration to reinstate protections for gray wolves. As with our last editorial on the subject, we’re not going to take a position on whether the administration should yield to those demands.What we’re focused on is Wisconsin, and at this point things need to proceed with the anticipation that a fall hunt will be allowed. Wisconsin law requires the DNR to have one if federal protections are not in place. Even a relatively swift action by Washington standards would quite likely come later than when the hunt would be held.Hunting in Wisconsin is, first and foremost, a means of conserving and preserving the state’s natural resources. Yes, there are those who definitely depend on the animals they hunt for sustenance. But those hunters are in the minority. Most hunt for reasons other than need.We disagree with those who are morally opposed to all hunting. It is a legitimate tool in conservation, one that has a long tradition in Wisconsin. Generations of families can tell stories about hunting with each other or weeks spent in deer camps. Reinforcing those ties while helping manage the state’s deer population, for example, benefits everyone.But uncontrolled hunts that blow past the state’s conservation goals don’t accomplish those same benefits. They bring justifiable criticism. They offer the opportunity to create a caricature of hunters as people who care more about killing than the other aspects of hunting that are, to many, more important. The spring’s DNR debacle failed hunters, conservationists and the species the DNR was trying to manage.As we said in February, hunting must take place in the context of conserving the state’s resources. Obliteration is not conservation. It damages the natural world now, and leaves far fewer opportunities in the future. We cannot repeat the kind of mistakes Americans of past generations made with regard to hunting. We got lucky that we still have bison in our country. But luck isn’t a good strategy.Wisconsin residents depend on the DNR to preserve our shared resources for the future. It is imperative that the DNR do a better job of planning for the upcoming wolf season. It cannot afford to have another one spin out of control in less than a week, the way the spring did.Hunting has its place. It is among the oldest human activities. But there can be no excuses for a repeated failure this fall.photo: Mission: Wolf ... See MoreSee Less

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