MADISON, Wis. (AP) - The state Department of Natural Resources policy board is set to hold a special meeting on Monday to discuss launching a wolf hunt immediately.
People can submit public comments on the hunt through the DNR’s website until 11 a.m. Sunday.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service removed wolves in the lower 48 states from the federal endangered species list in January, returning management to the states. The move is among Trump administration actions on the environment that President Joe Biden has ordered reviewed.
Wisconsin law mandates the DNR run a wolf season from November through February. The department had planned to start the season this November but Republican legislators demanded the department start the season immediately, fearing Biden might restore protections for the creatures.
The DNR board in late January refused to order an immediate hunt, noting that Wisconsin’s Chippewa tribes haven’t been consulted as per treaty requirements.
A Jefferson County judge on Thursday ordered the department to start the hunt now. That means the DNR will have to rush to establish quotas and issue permits before the season window closes at the end of February.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.