Eau Claire (WQOW) - Wisconsin's inaugural wolf hunt will come to
a close Sunday.
The DNR
says the season will end Sunday at five p.m. There was only one wolf hunt zone
open where the quota hadn't been reached yet. The state had set the limit
statewide at 116 wolves, and the 115th wolf was harvested Friday. The DNR
decided to announce the closure of the hunt because they're expecting at least
one more wolf to be harvested by Sunday evening. The agency says they'll be
analyzing data received from the hunt to plan for next season.
**************
Press
Release from the WNDR:
MADISON – Wisconsin's
first modern wolf hunting and trapping season will come to a close at 5 p.m.
Sunday, Dec. 23, 2012 when the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources closes
the last remaining zone that was open to wolf harvest.
Wolf harvest zone 3 is the sixth
and last wolf harvest zone
[PDF] to be closed
this season. All wolf harvest zones are now closed.
"The wolf harvest trend in Zone 3
had been steady through the firearm deer season, but slowed down after the deer
season. The harvest picked up again this last week with Zone 3 being the only
remaining zone open in the state. Now within one wolf of the quota we will
close the zone to avoid overharvest" said Kurt Thiede, DNR Lands Division
Administrator. "This is Wisconsin's
inaugural season. We have learned much about hunter and trapper success rates,
and will learn more as we analyze additional data. This will help us draft
permanent rules and the long-term management of our wolf population"
"We are pleased that hunters and
trappers have been successful in achieving our quota, and the harvest was well
distributed across the state. We are closing the wolf season with the harvest
at 115, because we may have one or more still harvested until our closure goes
into effect tomorrow." said Thiede.
The state wolf harvest quota for
Zone 3 was set at 18 wolves and the closure process was initiated when wolf 17
was harvested on Dec. 21. Wolf hunters and trappers are advised that all wolf
hunting and trapping will be closed statewide as of 5 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 23.
Any wolves harvested up until that time will need to be called in within 24
hours at 1-855-299-9653.
For more information search for
"wolf" on the DNR website.
