As Hunter Nation-Wisconsin Chapter State Director Chris Vaughan continued his presentation November 14th at a Town Hall meeting in Green Bay focused on the critical need for sportsmen and women to protect the heritage of hunting by voting, a few photos were worth 1000 words. Wolf and whitetail deer management in Wisconsin were under scrutiny. Vaughan pointed to a slide with four trail cam shots sent from Wisconsin hunters.
“There are 42 wolves total in these photos,” Vaughan said. “The photos were taken over four consecutive months in 2025 from July through October, in four different counties. The Wisconsin DNR 2025 wolf population estimate is 1,226 wolves. Does that mean with these four photos we have captured 3.4 percent of the entire Wisconsin wolf population?”
On Wisconsin Outdoors has been asking similar questions since launching our informal wolf population census two years ago asking our audience of hunters and landowners to submit their trail cam photos and videos in an effort to determine accurate numbers of wolves in Wisconsin.
OWO publishers did not agree with the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) population estimate that placed wolf numbers in Wisconsin at 1007 animals during the winter of 2022/23. We do believe that an unmanaged wolf population in the state directly correlates with a severely declining deer hunting experience, beginning in the north country.
Recent submissions include:
Recent Wolf Depredation Reports:
On December 18th, the Pet and Livestock Protection Act passed the full U.S House by a vote of 211-204. The bill now moves to the senate. H.R. 845 would direct the Secretary of Interior to reissue the 2020 final rule that delisted gray wolves in the 48 states from the Endangered Species Act and ensure the decision is not subject to judicial review.
Also, 2025 State of Wisconsin Bill 687 would require the DNR to establish a statewide wolf population goal in its wolf management plan.
Submit your wolf photos: Send trail cam photos, videos, or hand-held camera shots of wolves in Wisconsin to: wolves@onwisconsinoutdoors.com. List the county, date, and verify the number of wolves visible.
