Thankfully we have folks like Luke from HunterNation working on his birthday and letting the department know they will not tolerate lawlessness.

If you are not a member of that organization, I can't encourage you enough to join. Already a member, time to make another donation. I know I will.

What lawlessness? State statutes give the dnr authority to manage the wolf hunt and determine permit numbers.

Would you rather have 7 governor appointed folks running the show or a department full of professionals? One of the NRB members is a real estate agent for cripes sake. What if the next governor election goes Democrat and they take control of the legislature? You want 7 democrats deciding how we should (or rather shouldn't) trap and hunt in Wisconsin?

Right now the DNR is more political than appointees. The DNR authority has always been at the direction of the Natural Resources Board until now. Lots of precedent. Hunter Nation has a good shot at helping us. As far as a board member being a Realtor I assume you are speaking of Terry Hilgenberg. He has been on the Board for years, is an avid, to the point of obsessed, hunter and probably spends at least twice as much time in the woods as any of the so called DNR professionals that came up with this ruling.

If anyone is running a line through Lincoln county and gets a wolf tag we have an 80 where we have had multiple pictures of wolves on our food plots and would be willing to let someone on for as long as the wolf season is open. That is, as long as none of our family gets a tag. I'll probably make a post in a Facebook group or two as the season gets closer. Thanks

So what's the preferred outcome that Hunter Nation could "help us" reach? I'm all for a continued hunt at a reasonable level than going for 300 and having it shut down by lawsuits. Though I'm more upset that they're putting the drawing off until October 25th, likely when they can finalize the rules at the October NRB meeting. For that reason I switched my application from harvest tag to preference point.

I think the reality of the situation is the DNR who is in charge of managing resources is of the mindset of wanting to increase wolf population and more than likely range in WI.
They are allowing a hunt, a very minimal hunt, one that will slow growth but still allow growth in the end.

A couple of things to remember. Wolves are a relatively new animal that the state has little history with managing as a game animal. Its not like we have decades of history and years of harvest data to go on.
I do think the DNR has a pretty good idea on how many wolves there are. Not exact, I don't think that's possible.

As with other game animals the state is going to have a tough time coming up with a point of where they feel the wolf population should be. Lots of competing opinions. Hunters/trappers, livestock owners, landowners and as much as many here may hate it the people in the state who don't want any harvest have a say too. Maybe DNR already knows what they want. If so it would be nice if they were honest with the citizens of the state. After all they work for us.

I wouldn't be surprised if there are some hunters and trappers that would like to see more wolves as long as they allowed to harvest them.

Except for the pesky little statute that establishes the entire Department of Natural Resources requires that the DNR operate under the direction of the NRB.

15.34  Department of natural resources; creation.
(1)  There is created a department of natural resources under the direction and supervision of the natural resources board.

The NRB directed the DNR on wolf quotas, and the DNR illegally ignored the directive. DNR is operating without oversight and has gone rogue.

I also find it ironic that the people who so desperately want Sandra Nass on that board are the same ones trying to make it obsolete.

DNR has lost all credibility and has alienated it's primary customer base.To paraphrase Preston Cole in one of his infantile hissy fits: hey DNR " you do you, we'll do us."

Well then I guess these statutes are contradictory and need to be sorted out.

•Section 29.185(1m) of the Wisconsin Statutes vests in the Department the authority to regulate wolf hunting and trapping. The statute says, “In regulating wolf hunting and trapping, the department may limit the number of wolf hunters and trappers and the number of wolves that may be taken by issuing wolf harvesting licenses.”

•Section NR 10.145(1m) of the Wisconsin Administrative Code provides that, “The wolf harvest quota shall be determined annually by the department.” And Section 10.145(1u) of the Wisconsin Administrative Code says, “The number of wolf harvesting licenses shall be determined annually by the department.”

I'd say the department can do those things as long as they are doing so under the direction of the NRB as statutorily required, which they did not. I guess the courts will have the final say. The only possible outcomes are either the quota goes back to 300 or the NRB goes defunct. Too bad Preston Cole's ego got us in this mess, his department is going to be the losers in the public eye no matter what. Heck, he's soon to have both sportsmen and the anti's sueing him at the same time. Nice legacy you're going to leave there P. Cole, your diplomacy will be legendary.

Let's be honest, how much trust did people really have in the DNR to start with? We have trappers on here from dozens of states, posts complaining about the WI DNR outnumber others 5 to 1. Wisconsinites like to complain. Maybe it's because we're given the idea we have a say with things like CDAC and spring hearings, then when things don't go our way, we stomp our feet and complain about not following the science. Can't have armchair biologists telling actual biologists what to do. That's a recipe for unrest.

But that's here nor there, I feel like we have no voice in this and it'll be what it'll be. I won't have time to trap a wolf this season if we have one, so I'll take my point and try next time if there is a next time.

I always enjoy your posts Fox Claw. Your posts are straightforward and factually sound. Scott Walker would never have had to propose making the NRB advisory only years ago if he already had that authority. I remember all the groups standing up and saying it was a bad idea back then. I wonder if they have all lined up to rebuke this governor or if politics will get in the way? A bad idea is still a bad idea no matter who the governor is.

While we may weigh variables differently than some members on the Board and we find ourselves agreeing to disagree on numerous topics, it is our differences that make us better. Better ideas win out long term. Everyone should stand with the long history and importance of the NRB.

Well it looks like the chair of the committee in the Senate released a statement today. I will call you specifically to this part. Why do they exist if they have no authority?

https://drydenwire.com/news/senator...tion-fails-sportsmen-and-rural-wi-again/

Sure is not a good place for science and a big game biologist to be with that political quagmire licking their chops to run the show. Last I looked SCIENCE does not have a D or an R in it.

Bryce

Wisconsin sportsmen to Preston Cole: "we'll take your wolf quota under advisement." If you understand the reference, congratulations, you're one of the truly informed on the issue.

If the Ojibwe were thinking they would have adopted the deer as brother, heck then they'd have a quarter million deer as leverage over the state, rather than 70 wolves. Go big or go home!

More like 15 deer . The scientists in our D N R. Can't count deer either.

I hope more people do this, as it increases my chances of drawing a tag this year. I'm ready, well I will be if I draw.

I tried to change mine today to preference point but couldn’t find that option, can you no longer change your selection?
This will be an extremely short season if this planned quota sticks, Takes the fun out of it in my opinion when it’s a race against other trappers/hunters rather than a contest with the game. I’d rather have fewer but better opportunities. Hopefully someday they’ll get even remotely close on the count and have a proper quota. But there I go again hoping things will be rational in an irrational world...
Far more wolves than they claim of course, better chance of seeing a wolf than a big buck in many areas in northern part of the state the last 10 years. Sad.

I think that is part of NRB's frustration: that DNR is significantly underestimating the wolf population.

Harvest to tag ratio has always been about 10:1. This year the anti- sportsman, animal rights loving DNR has set it at 5:1. Why does our DNR hate us so much?

When you say the DNR hates Us I think your painting the DNR with to broad of a brush. Those DNR employees are answering to some one way above their pay grade.
I know some of those DNR personnel and they don't hate us.