Endangered Resources

Gray Wolf

Dog Depredations by Wolves

Wolf Management Plan

Rare & Nongame Mammals

The Gray Wolf (Timber Wolf) in Wisconsin

The sound of a howling gray wolf is becoming a more common event in Wisconsin. A growing population of wolves now live in Wisconsin, one of about a dozen states in the country where gray wolves exist in the wild. Gray Wolves, also referred to as Timber Wolves, are the largest wild members of the dog family.

Gray wolf in Iowa County, a few miles north of Yellowstone Lake. Photo by Kate Cassidy.

Photo of gray wolf in Iowa County, a few miles north of Yellowstone Lake.
Photo by Kate Cassidy.

Wolves are social animals, living in a family group, or pack. A wolf pack's territory may cover 20-120 square miles, about one tenth the size of an average Wisconsin county. This species has been state delisted since 2004 and has been listed as a "Protected Wild Animal" by the Wisconsin DNR U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. They have also been federally delisted since March 12, 2007, with no current federal designation.

General Information

• The History of Wolves In Wisconsin [PDF 344KB]
• Factsheet
• Canid Identification
• Distribution Map
• Changes in Wolf Management With Federal Delisting in Wisconsin [PDF 23KB]
• Screening Guidance [PDF 46KB]

Wolf News

• Celebrating 50 Years of Wolf-Moose Research (exit DNR) (October 11, 2007)
• Hunters Reminded That Wolves are a Protected Animal in Wisconsin (September 25, 2007)
• Final 2007 Wisconsin Wolf Population Numbers Slightly Below Preliminary Estimate (June 5, 2007)
• Federal Delisting of Wolf Transfers Management to State (March 13, 2007)
• Wisconsin's Gray Wolf Population Delisted (January 29, 2007)
• Wisconsin permit to manage wolves modified by an August 9, 2006 court order (August 11, 2006)
• DNR receives permit for control of problem wolves (April 26, 2006)

Publications

• Wisconsin Wolf Management Plan and Addendum
• Effects of Wolves and Other Predators on Farms in Wisconsin: Beyond Verified Losses [PDF 134KB]
• Final Environmental Assessment for the Management of Wolf Conflicts and Depredating Wolves in Wisconsin [PDF 982KB]
• The State of the Wolf Project: Wisconsin Survey Findings 2003 [PDF 146KB]
• Management of Wolf Conflicts and Depredating Wolves FONSI [PDF 3.3MB, exit DNR]
• Progress Reports
• Impacts of the U.S. Highway 53 Expansion Project on Wolves in Northwestern Wisconsin

Get Involved

• Volunteer Carnivore Tracking Program
• Rare Mammal Observation Form

Depredations

• Current Dog Depredations
• Wolves & Hunting Dogs
• Wolves in Farm Country
• Guidelines for Conducting Depredation Control on Wolves in Wisconsin Following Federal Delisting [PDF 174KB]
• Annual Wolf Damage Payment Summary [PDF 101KB]
Last Revised: October 11, 2007