Close up image of a gray wolf in winter
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has announced that the official wolf season will begin Nov. 6, 2021.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will delist gray wolves from the federal list of endangered species on Jan. 4, 2021, returning management authority to the lower 48 states and tribes.
Under Wisconsin law, when the wolf is delisted, the state’s annual hunting and trapping seasons shall resume.
The recovery of gray wolves is a triumph of the Endangered Species Act and stands as a testament to the cooperation of federal, state, and tribal agencies, as well as other conservation partners working together to support wolf recovery.
The most recent monitoring effort indicated a minimum of 1,034 wolves in Wisconsin, primarily across the northern third of the state and the Central Forest region. The DNR has successfully managed gray wolves for decades and will continue to follow the science and laws that influence our management.
All wolf management, including hunting and trapping, will be conducted in a transparent and deliberative process, in which public and tribal participation is encouraged.
