Grey wolf hunt debate rekindled; population grew 25 percent this winter

Wisconsin’s wolf population grew by about 25 percent in the last year. And it’s rekindling the debate over a possible hunting season for the grey animals. The Department of Natural Resources used tracking surveys to estimate the preliminary wolf numbers at 630-680. That’s up from about 540 last year, and it’s the largest one-year gain since wolves started returning to the Badger State in the 1970s. The Wisconsin Wildlife Federation and the Conservation Congress have both called for a limited hunt, as the wolves attack more livestock and pets. The state has paid almost $800,000 since 1985 to compensate for wolf slayings of farm animals and hunting dogs. But the U.S. Humane Society says it’s against a wolf hunt, saying Wisconsin’s population needs to keep recovering from its levels of past decades...River Falls Journal