Wolf conflicts still affecting rural Wisconsinites

Some legislators, such as U.S. Congressman Tom Tiffany, have been working to get yet another delisting done for the gray wolf. As those battles continue, so, too, do the battles of hunters, producers and rural citizens of Wisconsin. While the former can be contentious, the latter can be traumatic for individuals and families. Already the depredation map on the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) website shows 17 conflict reports.

Many of the foremost wolf experts have said the wolf is now recovered, and should be delisted, allowing for state control. Other groups say they do not feel the wolf should be delisted as the numbers are markedly lower than their historic high number and that they have not returned to their full historic range. 

So far this year, there have been four hunting dog depredations in the state. One of those was as far south as Clark County. This depredation happened on Feb. 7. It involved a nine-year-old male Plott/Walker trailing hound valued at $2,500. 

In this incident, the complainant released their hounds on a coyote track. One dog separated from the other. Approximately an hour later, the complainant stated the dog stopped moving and one of hunters located the dog. It was injured, but still alive. The dog, however, died on the way to the veterinarian. 

Upon inspecting the dog, the Wildlife Services technician noted the spine of the dog was crushed just behind the front shoulders. There were also multiple canine punctures and other lacerations on the dog as well. 

The complainant reported tracks of three wolves at this site, but Wildlife Services confirmed tracks of five wolves at the site. The technician stated the closest wolves known to be in the area were from the Dickenson Creek pack.

Four incidents have involved livestock depredations. Five incidents involving livestock were coded as threats. One of those wolf conflicts involved not the livestock itself, but a dog that was guarding the livestock.

In early March, a Great Pyrenees/Anatolian Shepard mix was let out at approximately 8 p.m. The complainant heard canine vocalizations at approximately 9 p.m. and went out to find two wolves physically attacking the dog. The complainant yelled and the wolves ran off. When the dog came back, it was covered in saliva.

When wildlife services came to investigate, the technician found at 250 yards from the house, the dog tracks changed as the wolves approached. At approximately 100 yards from the house, the wolf tracks started to circle the dog tracks. There were signs of a struggle between the dog and the wolves. Wildlife services confirmed this as an injury due to a wolf because the wolves engaged the dog and the dog has saliva on its coat. However, regardless of the proximity of the attack to the house, it was not thought to be a threat to human health and safety. Wildlife services said they educated the complainant and discussed non-lethal abatement for the livestock and guard dogs. The complainant said they would deploy their own version of a scare radio.

Another incident involving livestock, scat from wolves was found only 90 yards from the complainant’s house. Wildlife services reported seeing tracks and scat from wolves passing by the yard of the house as well as inside the horse pasture 100-300 yards away. 

The complainant said they had seen up to 16 wolves off and on during the summer, but at that time they had not caused any issues. With February snows, more deer started to come closer to the complainant’s buildings looking for leftover horse feed. This, the complainant said, had been attracting wolves, causing them to lock up livestock and employ guard dogs at night. 

Due to the high amount of wolf activity in the horse pasture and near the house and yard of the complainant. Wildlife Services deployed a scare radio in the pasture. By two weeks later, there had been no more wolf activity reported. This incident took place within six miles of the Bad River Reservation. While the complainant would have allowed co-investigation by the tribe, they did not attend the investigation.

In the way of pets, there has been one depredation so far in 2025, and three threats to pets, according to the DNR website. One of those was a complaint from Lincoln County from Feb. 2. At approximately 4 a.m., the complainant let their dogs out. When the dogs did not return in 30 minutes, the complainant tried calling for them. One dog returned, and the complainant followed it out to find the attack site of the other dog, a yellow lab mix valued at $1,500.

Wildlife Services investigated and found the attack site was approximately 300 yards from the complainant’s home. They found severe hemorrhaging on the dorsal and ventral sides of the neck of the dog, along the spine and on the sternum. The bite marks were consistent with a wolf, as were the tracks found at the site of the struggle. Wildlife Services advised the complainant to be more vigilant when letting the remaining dog out in the future. 

There have been three more threats to pets, however. Two of those have been here in the Northwoods. One was in Vilas County in the town of Conover. In this case, the dog was not injured, but the complainant looked out to a small lake adjacent to their yard to see their golden retriever chasing what they originally thought were two deer. Upon further inspection, and taking a photo, the complainant realized their dog was chasing after two wolves. They called the dog, and it came back to the house. Numerous wolf tracks were found by Wildlife Services at the site. This was a confirmed wolf damage threat. The complainant was advised to be vigilant when letting dogs outside.

One of the other threats to a pet was also in Vilas County, this time in the town of St. Germain. This one involved a yellow lab mix. The complainant also said they felt this was a human health and safety threat.

The complainant had called in, stating they were concerned for the safety of their dog, after seeing multiple wolves across the road and near their home. They did not have a fenced yard, and the dog roamed around the yard freely. 

Wildlife Services confirmed, using the complainant’s photographic evidence, that wolves had been 100 yards from the home. The technician also noted many highly used deer trails while traveling to the complainant’s home, suggesting deer feeding may be occurring in the nearby area.

The complainant in this instance also said they were concerned for the safety of their child, and that they had seen wolves within 50 yards of their house. There were, however, no tracks present to substantiate that claim at the time when the Wildlife Services technician visited the property. The complainant told the technician that the wolves did not show any signs of aggression and dispersed when harassed. Due to this, and the lack of tracks close to the home, the technician told the complainant that if wolves were to become habituated and would no longer leave when harassed, the complaint would be reevaluated. 

There have also been several unconfirmed threats to human health and safety already in 2025. One complaint came from the town of Harshaw, where Wildlife Services said the location was in an open area adjacent to a school. The complainant reported a visiting party saw a canine, which they believed to be a wolf, on February 11. The Wildlife Services technician investigated and found canine tracks. The meandering tracks suggested they were made by a domestic dog, but due to the size of the tracks and the length of the stride of the animal, it was not ruled out that it may be been a wolf. Because there were no pictures or other evidence, however, it was listed as unconfirmed. The complainant was advised to monitor the area closely and report any future sightings. 

Another unconfirmed human health and safety complaint came in from Douglas County. This complainant reported seeing wolves at a distance as well as wolf tracks in the woods surrounding their home. The complainant reported being concerned for their toddler’s safety when outside. Wildlife Services found a neighbor to be feeding deer, which was likely attracting wolves as well. Without an instance of a wolf in close proximity, however, or any reported aggressive behavior, the complaint, too, was listed as an unconfirmed health and human safety concern.

Wolf conflicts should always be reported as soon as they are known to have happened. In northern Wisconsin, the in-state toll free number to call for USDA Wildlife Services is 1-800-228-1368. Conflicts can also be reported to 715-369-5221.

More information on wolf management in the state, as well as wolf conflict reports and an interactive conflict map, can be found on the DNR website dnr.wi.gov by entering the search terms “wolf conflicts” in the search box on any page of the website. 

Beckie Gaskill may be reached via email at [email protected].