At least two more wolf depredations on bear hounds have been reported in northern Wisconsin over the weekend, one not far from where a bear hound was killed in northern Forest County on July 13, 2019, and the other north of the town of Laona, not far from where a bear hound was injured by wolves in September 2018. Wolf Patrol is awaiting more information and verification from Wisconsin’s Department of Natural Resources (WDNR) on both of these depredations.

07/22/19 UPDATE: On 7/21/19, USDA-Wildlife Services confirmed that wolves depredated a Plott trailing hound in the Town of Alvin, Forest County and a Walker trailing hound in the Town of Laona, Forest County.  These depredations occurred in separate incidents.

Meanwhile in the Alvin Creek Watershed, home of the Firekeeper Wolves, a family of wolves Wolf Patrol has been tracking in the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest (CNNF) since 2016, no more depredations were reported. Much of northeastern Wisconsin was affected by a severe storm that left many roads blocked in the national forest, limiting the running of hounds.

Still, bear hunters operating in northern Vilas and Forest County, where the July 13, 2019 depredation of a bear hound took place did not run hounds through the WDNR Wolf Caution Area, but instead focused their training activities further north. Whether because of the weather or wolves, a few bear baits in the Wolf Caution Area also were not used over the weekend, including a bait site where Wolf Patrol documented wolf pups visiting the bait site on July 16th.  

Wolf Patrol reminds bear hunters operating in and near WDNR Wolf Caution Areas to stay close to your dogs, use bells on their collars and do not run off of bear baits recently visited by wolves. Thanks to everyone exercising caution in the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest!

To ask US Forest Service & WDNR officials to address the chronic problems associated with bear baiting and bear hound training in our national forests, please send an email to:

WDNR Secretary Preston Cole:

preston.cole@wisconsin.gov

Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest officials:

cnnfadmin@fs.fed.us