Wolves Impacting Humans - Surplus Killing, After Years of Attacks
The impacts of a wolf pack on one Wisconsin farm family. These are real human/wolf interactions as verified by the WI DNR and USDA Wildlife Services.




Wolves Impacting Humans - Century Farm Suffers Wolf Attack
The impacts of a wolf pack on one Wisconsin farm family. These are real human/wolf interactions as verified by the WI DNR and USDA Wildlife Services.




Wolves Impacting Humans - Friends That Live Forever
The impacts of a wolf pack on one Wisconsin hunting family. These are real human/wolf interactions as verified by the WI DNR and USDA Wildlife Services.




Wolves Impacting Humans - Midday Roundup
Impacts of wolves on one Northern Wisconsin pet owner. These are real human/wolf interactions as verified by the WI DNR and USDA Wildlife Services.




Wolves Impacting Humans - Wolf Attack, and a Farmer's Reflection
Impacts of wolves on one Northern Wisconsin pet owner. These are real human/wolf interactions as verified by the WI DNR and USDA Wildlife Services.




Wolves Impacting Humans - A Dog Owner's Story
Impacts of wolves on one Northern Wisconsin pet owner. These are real human/wolf interactions as verified by the WI DNR and USDA Wildlife Services.




Wolves Impacting Humans - A Farm Family's Story
Impacts of wolves on one Northern Wisconsin farm family. These are real human/wolf interactions as verified by the WI DNR and USDA Wildlife Services.




View the report below to see where wolves are attacking cattle, hunting dogs, pets, and "non-livestock" (Humans). 

Have you ever wondered how much wolf depredations cost the taxpayers? Check out the report below showing the over 2 million dollars that have been spent reimbursing the good citizens of Wisconsin for cows, dogs, sheep, etc. that wolves have killed, maimed, or eaten.  



Below is a sample of depredation investigative reports completed by State DNR and Federal Wildlife Investigators.  Current or specific depredation reports can be obtained by emailing the Wisconsin DNR staff at Helen.Hartman@Wisconsin.gov.

In 2020 over 100 wolf attacks (depredations), threats, and harassments were confirmed by US Fish and Wildlife Service investigators. APHIS (Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service) Wildlife Services is the subcontractor for the WI DNR doing investigations. APHIS can be contacted at 1-800-228-1368 in the north or 1-800-433-0663 in southern WI.

Wolf incidents include attacks on farm animals, pets, and hunting dogs. They also include threats to human safety and the safety of pets or other animals, and harassment.

To sign up for the new Livestock Instant Depredation Alert, scroll to the bottom of the DNR home page and click on the red envelope at the bottom right. A long list of information materials and updates is available on this site, including the Livestock Instant Depredation alert for damage by wolves, coyotes, and bears.

RECENT DEPREDATIONS

January, 2021 confirmed 8 new wolf incidents on the DNR Depredation Report. This is by far the most incidents in January on record. Could this be due to the 13% increase in overwinter wolf numbers noted in the 2019 - 2020 wolf count?

1/20/21 - Town of Bell, Bayfield Co. - an eight-year-old Spanish mustang mare, valued at $8,000, was chased by wolves and fell into a 50' ravine. It was mortally injured and could not escape. The wolves had mostly consumed the mare by the time an investigator arrived. This was a verified wolf depredation.

1/12 - Rusk Co. - a verified wolf harassment involved wolves chasing 35 dairy cattle through a five-strand barbed wire fence within 30 yards of the barn. The farmer noted wolves had been near his residence over the last several months.

1/21 - Lincoln Co. - a verified pet attack and threat to human safety was determined by the investigator. The pet owner let his pet out in the evening. When he went out to check on the dog, he heard it yelp and saw the two wolves. Marks in the snow indicated the wolves had pinned the dog to the ground twice, but the dog was able to get away when the owner appeared outside. This happened 80' from the house. When the investigator came to review the incident, he found wolf tracks right beside the house. This is classified as a threat to human safety.

TO RECEIVE AN OFFICIAL WILDLIFE SERVICES REPORT ON ANY INDIVIDUAL INCIDENT ON THE LIST, EMAIL DNRrecordsresponse@wisconsin.gov AND NOTE THE TYPE OF INCIDENT, COUNTY, AND DATE. A REPORT WILL BE SENT AS SOON AS IT BECOMES AVAILABLE.



The graph below shows the disturbing trend of increasing number of wolf depredations over the last 5 years.

               source: WI DNR Progress Reports/Annual Reports to USFWS



How many wolves inhabit Wisconsin?  The  2019 - 2020 wolf monitoring reports counts 1034 - 1057 wolves in 256 packs, a 13.1% increase.  Using a new method that has been used in others states for years, the WI winter wolf estimate is 957 - 1573 with the most probable number as measured at the lowest point in the population cycle being 1195.

How many deer do wolves eat?  Check out the link below to review an analysis of the 2015 deer season vs. wolf deer kill by county in the Northern Forest Land


Please click the link below to see the relationship between the White-tailed deer harvest decline and the increase in unmanaged wolf population.