Another wolf zone closes — the fifth to end wolf hunting — just one remains open.
Wolf Harvest Zone 6 is closed to hunting and trapping of gray wolves — effective Friday at 5:00pm. The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources had set the harvest quota for that zone at 18 animals. That quota is filled as of Wednesday, leaving only Zone 3 open to hunting. That covers a relatively small territory in northwest Wisconsin.
The DNR will continue to monitor the harvest in Zone 3. It’s the responsibility of wolf hunters and trappers to check daily to see whether the zone is closed.
The ultimate goal of the harvest is to reduce the wolf population by 116 animals across the state. Seven wolves remain to be harvested. The season is scheduled to end on February 28th, or when the kill quota has been filled.
The DNR is monitoring Wisconsin’s inaugural season, learning about hunter and trapper success rates. That information will help draft permanent rules that continue to move the wolf population down toward goals set in the agency’s wolf management plan.