On 07/05/18, USDA’s Wildlife Services confirmed that wolves attacked and injured a Walker hound in Burnett County, Wisconsin. Bear hound trainers are reminded to use caution when running hounds in wolf territory to help reduce conflicts.

Every year in northern Wisconsin, bear hounds are injured and killed by wolves as they chase bears through summer wolf territory. Wolves with young pups are especially territorial in summer months and can become conditioned to recognizing bear baiting sites as feeding locations.

Wolf Patrol offers free dog bells to hound hunters concerned for their dogs safety, while being trained to chase bears in wolf country. Although we are opposed to the practice entirely, we still would like to work with hound hunters running dogs in federally protected gray wolf habitat in the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest in order to reduce the loss of both wolf and hound lives.

Thanks to Polly Plotts, and the other hound hunters featured in this video for practicing caution by using dog bells in the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest.