By Tim Hundt
Nov. 12, 2025
TOWN OF PORT WING, Wis. — Wolves killed a cow in the town of Port Wing, Bayfield County, Wisconsin, on Nov. 12, 2025. The incident was verified by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Wildlife Services (USDA-Wildlife Services).
In response to the depredation, auditory deterrents were immediately deployed at the property as a non-lethal abatement measure.
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) works collaboratively with USDA-Wildlife Services to investigate and respond to reported conflicts involving wolves. Since a federal court ruling on Feb. 10, 2022, gray wolves have been listed as an endangered species in the lower 48 states. Under this federal protection, harvest and lethal depredation control measures are prohibited.
This recent livestock loss highlights the ongoing tension in Wisconsin and across the country regarding the management and legal status of gray wolves.
During the Wisconsin gray wolf monitoring period of April 15, 2023, through April 14, 2024, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Wildlife Services (USDA-Wildlife Services) investigated a total of 133 wolf complaints.
Of these 133 investigated complaints, the USDA-Wildlife Services confirmed wolf depredations or harassment in 68 incidents.
The 68 confirmed incidents of wolf conflict were broken down by category:
- Livestock Cases (Depredation and Harassment): There were 33 incidents confirmed.
- Confirmed Depredation Incidents: 22.
- Confirmed Harassment Incidents: 11.
- Non-Livestock Cases (Dogs and Pets): There were 35 incidents confirmed.
- Confirmed Depredation Incidents: 32 (resulting in 31 hunting dogs killed, 7 hunting dogs injured, and 2 dogs killed outside of hunting situations).
- Confirmed Threat Incidents: 3.
- Human Health and Safety Conflict: There was 1 verified incident.
In total, 68 complaints were verified as a wolf conflict (confirmed or probable depredation, injury, harassment, or threat), while the remaining unconfirmed complaints were either determined to be due to causes other than wolves or lacked sufficient evidence to attribute a cause.
This period’s livestock depredation incidents show an increase in the number of confirmed livestock depredations compared to the 2022–2023 monitoring period.
Controversy Over Wolf Delisting
The conflict surrounding wolf management often centers on their protected status under the federal Endangered Species Act (ESA), a status that has fluctuated multiple times over the past two decades.
The Delisting Debate
The core argument involves finding a sustainable balance between maintaining a healthy wolf population and addressing conflicts with humans, livestock, and hunting dogs.
Many ranchers, farmers, and hunters advocate for removing federal protections to allow for state management, including regulated hunting and lethal removal in response to conflicts. Historically, the state’s 1999 wolf management plan set a management goal of 350 wolves outside tribal reservations. Some groups still push for the wolf population to be capped at that 350 level, a reduction that would mean eliminating wolves from two-thirds of their current range in Wisconsin. Those living in wolf range often prefer fewer wolves. U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany, a Republican candidate for governor, has actively advocated for taking the gray wolf off the endangered species list to enable hunting seasons.
Environmental advocates and certain scientists stress the ecological role of wolves as an apex predator and keystone species. They argue that unregulated lethal control or harvest can disrupt wolf pack structure and may not even be effective at reducing depredation incidents long-term; in fact, some research suggests lethal measures may increase conflicts. Surveys show that the top reason for opposing regulated wolf hunting and trapping seasons is the concern that wolves would once again become endangered.
Management and Tribal Sovereignty
The management approach is further complicated by the interests and sovereignty of Wisconsin’s Tribal Nations, which hold wolves (Ma’iingan) in high cultural and spiritual regard, often referring to them as a brother.
Tribal governments generally believe that wolves should be allowed to determine their own numbers and distribution on the landscape. They oppose recreational harvesting and advocate that non-lethal methods be exhausted before lethal techniques are considered for depredation. To respect tribal sovereignty, tribal lands, including the Bad River, Red Cliff, Lac Courte Oreilles, Lac du Flambeau, Menominee, and Stockbridge-Munsee Community Area, are designated as zero quota areas for any potential state wolf harvest.
The DNR’s updated Wisconsin Wolf Management Plan, approved in October 2023, shifts away from the fixed numerical goal of 350 wolves toward an adaptive management strategy aimed at balancing a healthy, sustainable population with reducing wolf-related conflicts. The plan sets multiple objectives, including ensuring a healthy wolf population, addressing conflicts, and conducting science-based management.
Abatement Methods and Effectiveness
When conflicts arise, the integrated approach includes both non-lethal and, when wolves are not federally listed, lethal options. Non-lethal tools used in Wisconsin include turbo fladry (electrified visual deterrents), permanent and electric fencing, range riding, and visual/audio deterrents. Dog owners are routinely cautioned and provided information on conflicts, especially during the bear training and hunting season when conflicts between hunting dogs and wolves are most common.
Political Stakes in Upcoming Elections
The controversy surrounding wolf management has directly entered the political sphere, impacting both state and federal races and legislative actions.
The issue gained immediate prominence with the entrance of U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany into the gubernatorial race in September 2025. Tiffany is widely known for his efforts to federally delist the gray wolf, a position that resonates with rural voters who seek state control over wolf populations to allow for hunting seasons.
Even while wolves were federally protected, the political push for a statewide population cap remained active. In March 2024, Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers vetoed two companion bills (Senate Bill 139 and Assembly Bill 137) that sought to force the DNR to establish a statewide wolf population goal in its management plan.
At the national level, multiple bills were introduced during the 118th Congress aimed specifically at removing the gray wolf from the ESA, which would return management authority to states like Wisconsin. These include the “Trust the Science Act (H.R. 764),” which remained active through the monitoring period, and Senate Bill 1895.
The enduring debate over wolves in Wisconsin—a species whose recovery is considered a major conservation success story but whose presence causes real economic and emotional hardship for some residents—ensures that the gray wolf will remain a significant point of contention in political races where candidates must navigate deep regional and ideological divisions.
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