File photo: DNR
Just days after it started, the state’s wolf hunting season is already ending in portions of northeastern Wisconsin. The Department of Natural Resources says that Zone 2 of the hunt will close at noon on Saturday, October 18.
The decision comes after 12 wolves were reported as killed by hunters and trappers in the area. Zone 2 includes all of Vilas and Oneida counties, and large portions of Marinette, Oconto, Forest, and Lincoln counties. The DNR had set a season quota of 15 wolves for the area.
Five other zones still remain open in the state. As of midday Friday, 28 of the 150 wolves available for harvest had been taken. That’s almost 19 percent of the season’s quota and, if the pace keeps up, it could mean an early end to the hunt. The season is scheduled to run through mid-February, but the state will shut zones down as hunters approach the harvest quota in each area.