More Than 20,000 Apply for Wisconsin Wolf Hunting License
OutdoorHub 09.11.12
A total of 20,272 people have submitted applications for the drawing for a gray wolf hunting or trapping license for Wisconsin’s first wolf season in more than 60 years. It is scheduled to begin Oct. 15. There were 19,788 applications from Wisconsin residents and 486 from non-residents.
The state Natural Resources Board approved a quota of up to 201wolves that could be harvested during the first season, 85 of which are reserved for Native American Indian tribes within the ceded territory of northern Wisconsin.
The Department of Natural Resources plans to issue 1,160 licenses for the 2012-13 season. Those permits will be awarded by random choice in a drawing that will be held this week. Successful applicants will be notified by letter and then be able to purchase a wolf harvest license for $100 for residents and $500 for nonresidents.
The DNR received nonresident applications from people in 38 other states from Maine to California and Alaska to Texas, with the largest numbers from Illinois (179) and Minnesota (102).
Applicants who are not successful in the drawing will be awarded a preference point toward future drawings.
Starting with the 2013-14 season, one half of available permits will be issued randomly among all permit applications and the second half will be issued through a cumulative preference point drawing.
Dane County Circuit Court Judge Peter Anderson last month temporarily blocked wolf hunters from using dogs or training dogs to hunt wolves while he considers the lawsuit. A DNR motion to dismiss the case is scheduled to be heard on Sept. 14.
As a result of this ruling, the Department of Natural Resources is advising people that the use of dogs for tracking and trailing of wolves is not authorized when hunting wolves under a wolf harvesting license. Also, the use of dogs for training to track or trail free ranging wolves is not authorized at this time. As this is a temporary injunction, the injunction on the use of dogs for wolf hunting and training could be lifted at a future date.
