Two wolf zones set to close today

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources announced Thursday that two wolf harvest zones will close at the end of hunting hours today. The cutoff for trappers in the two zones is 8 p.m. today.

Zones 2 and 4, which cover the northeastern part of the state, will both close today. As of Thursday, Zone 2 was two wolves from its quota of 20, and Zone 4 was one from its quota of five.

Statewide, hunters had harvested 77 wolves since the season opened Oct. 15.

“The harvest trend in Zone 2 has been steady while harvest in Zone 4, which is one wolf from quota, has been sporadic,” said Kurt Thiede, DNR lands division administrator. “We’ve watched trends and feel our best decision to make sure we don’t exceed quotas is to start the closure process today just prior to reaching quota, anticipating increased harvest rates with the opening of the nine-day deer hunt this weekend.”

Wisconsin’s other four wolf harvest zones remain open, but hunters and trappers should check for additional zone closures throughout the weekend.

Zone 1 was six wolves away from its quota of 32 as of Wednesday.

“This is Wisconsin’s inaugural (wolf) season,” Thiede said. “We are learning much about hunter and trapper success rates that will help us draft permanent rules that continue to move the wolf population down toward levels in line with biological and social carrying capacity.

“We will be considering harvest trends as we approach quotas in other zones as well. Our ultimate goal is to reduce the wolf population by 116 animals, distributed across the landscape.”

Zone closings will be listed online (www.dnr.wi.gov.) and also will be reported on the DNR telephone system (1-855-299-9653).

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