On September 26, 2020 Wolf Patrol visited a Wolf Caution Area created when federally protected gray wolves killed a bear hunting hound on September 19, 2020. This particular caution area is one of three in this area of the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest in Price County, Wisconsin.

We encountered the bear hunter who lost a hound to wolves off of Long Canyon Road on August 15, 2020 during bear hound training season while visiting a bear bait not far from the depredation site. The bait site featured in this video is from near the 09/19/20 depredation site in Price County. The cause of deadly encounters between bear hunting hounds and wolves isn’t too many wolves, it’s too many bear baits.

In Wisconsin, no license is required to bait bears from April until October nor is there any limit on the number of bear baits a hunter can use. More and more bear hunters in Wisconsin are reporting wolves visiting their bait sites, which occurs once the animals have become accustomed to feeding from the sites. Once that happens, depredations on bear hounds become inevitable.

It’s time to end bear baiting in our national forests and other public lands in Wisconsin! Join Wolf Patrol in calling for an end to the intentional feeding of bears and other wildlife!

SEND EMAILS TO:

Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest:

cnnfadmin@fs.fed.us

Wisconsin Natural Resources Board:

Laurie.Ross@wisconsin.gov