Yesterday morning while on patrol in the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest, bear hounders responded to Wolf Patrol’s presence by initiating a verbal confrontation which ended with their calling the Bayfield County Sheriff’s Department. The deputy questioning us regarding our monitoring activities indicated that none of our activities were in violation of hunter harassment statutes in the state of Wisconsin, and advised us to notify the department if we witnessed any illegal activity from bear hunters during our campaign.

Wolf Patrol would like to thank the Bayfield County Sheriff’s Department for recognizing our right to continue monitoring the atrocious practice of bear baiting and hound hunting on public lands in the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest. Our campaign to end bear baiting and hound hunting in the CNF today led to 12 hound trucks, three sheriff’s cruisers, two bear baiter ATVs, and a DNR warden all recognizing (some less willing than others) that in this country, no consent is required to film on public lands; that our national forests belong to everyone, not just bear hunters; and that every citizen has a right to monitor activities that negatively impact wildlife on public lands. This Fall’s bear hunt monitoring project will culminate on September 26th as we celebrate National Public Lands Day in the Moquah Barrens. The public is welcome to join us.

If you believe the intentional feeding of bears to later kill them after running them down with dogs should be illegal in your national forests, please send your comments to the Forest Supervisor by Sept. 30th!
https://my.usgs.gov/ppgis/studio/launch/35135