Wisconsin’s wolf harvest season begins

[Horse]

I don't think it's quite that simple.

Maybe not simple but not hard to believe theres more than 1200. Doing quick search, multiple wolf research sites say females avg 4-6 pups per litter.
So if in 2015, a quarter of 866 was adult females, say 200 for easy numbers. 4x200= 800 pups per yr. Now 800x5yrs= 4000 pups. That doesn’t take into account any of the year old pups that reach breeding age. So even if mortality rate is 50%, that’s still around 2000 wolves unaccounted for. Where the majority of northern Wisconsin habitat is thick forest, it’s pretty tough to get an accurate number. Same goes with the deer/bear numbers. Hunters aren’t seeing same numbers of what dnr publishes.

 

[Bowhunter999]

Those are published WI DNR numbers

Thanks Horse ! I think we all would like to believe population figures are accurate, but sources of those can be distorted if pressure is but on by outside entities. Often non-hunting groups or advocates of certain programs enter biased information which pretty much defeats that of game management people in court hearings on control management issues.

 

[cheeser]

Not all female wolves are bred every year, most times the alpha pair are the only ones to have pups.

 

[NoWiser]

Maybe not simple but not hard to believe theres more than 1200. Doing quick search, multiple wolf research sites say females avg 4-6 pups per litter.
So if in 2015, a quarter of 866 was adult females, say 200 for easy numbers. 4x200= 800 pups per yr. Now 800x5yrs= 4000 pups. That doesn’t take into account any of the year old pups that reach breeding age. So even if mortality rate is 50%, that’s still around 2000 wolves unaccounted for. Where the majority of northern Wisconsin habitat is thick forest, it’s pretty tough to get an accurate number. Same goes with the deer/bear numbers. Hunters aren’t seeing same numbers of what dnr publishes.

I don't disagree that there's likely more than 1200 wolves in WI. But I still don't think the math is that simple.

 

[BrentD]

I don't disagree that there's likely more than 1200 wolves in WI. But I still don't think the math is that simple.

For sure. It is not.