WISCONSIN DNR ESTIMATES 972 WOLVES IN CURRENT POPULATION

Thanks for posting. It will be interesting to see the population estimates over the next few years without a wolf season.

I am generally supportive of the WDNR, but I am a bit skeptical of their wolf count numbers. The success rates of the last wolf hunt seem impossible to me if we truly have <1000 wolves in the entire state. I know they attributed a lot of it to how effective hunters were, but they also routinely blame hunters effort/skill for poor deer harvest numbers.
 
I wonder why they say 972? I suppose it sound better than saying 1,000.
 
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It is also the "over winter" number. From what been I remember reading a couple yrs ago you can usually double that number for the late summer/fall numbers based on pups born. So ~2,000ish wolves would not be incorrect.
 
I think I have the other 1.5% over on my property in Ashland county. So just between the two of us we have 3% of the DNRs numbers. I do have trail camera pictures with deer quarters in their mouth running through the property. I think there numbers are very conservative.
 
I think I have the other 1.5% over on my property in Ashland county. So just between the two of us we have 3% of the DNRs numbers. I do have trail camera pictures with deer quarters in their mouth running through the property. I think there numbers are very conservative.

Given the difficulty of counting wolves in heavy timber and not knowing the modeling they use, I think you are correct - it's a conservative number.
 
They do give a range. Most biologists would probably not give a specific number, it's for the journalists to write eye catching articles.
This. The 972 is most likely a modeling prediction based on all data inputs with a percentage above and below the predicted number.
 
Wolf Population by State 2022
  • Arizona: 72.
  • California: About 20.
  • Idaho: 1,500.
  • Michigan: 700.
  • Minnesota: 2,699.
  • Montana: 1,000.
  • New Mexico: 114.
  • Oregon: 175.
Pretty soon we can add CO to the list :)
 
The estimate is 972 and the lower and upper confidence limits are 812 and 1,193 respectively.

This is the method wildlife population numbers are reported; an estimate with confidence limits.


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