Failure to attend wolf harvest hearing “A complete failure to the citizens of Wisconsin”

Madison, Wisconsin (January 13, 2021) – Today Hunter Nation, a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving and protecting America’s hunting heritage, represented its 20,000 members, testifying in support of enacting Wisconsin’s wolf harvest season immediately before the Joint Committee on Sporting Heritage.

Inexcusably, Secretary Preston Cole and the Department of Natural Resources chose not to attend the hearing, despite its essential function of planning for and managing the state’s mandated wolf harvest.

“The DNR’s decision not to attend the Joint Committee on Sporting Heritage’s hearing on the wolf harvesting season is a complete failure to the citizens of Wisconsin and a dereliction of their job,” said Luke Hilgemann, President of Hunter Nation. “Wisconsin representatives joined to listen to the concerns of those they represent, yet the DNR couldn’t be bothered to attend and answer important questions about the state’s wolf population, hunting process and regulations, quotas and more.”

Wisconsin law requires the DNR to hold a hunting and trapping season if the gray wolf is not under federal protections. Despite knowing for months that the gray wolf would be officially delisted from the Endangered Species Act, the department has neglected to update the wolf management plan.

“It is abundantly clear Governor Evers, Secretary Cole and the Department of Resources are playing politics and intentionally delaying the wolf harvest,” Hilgemann continued. “This delay gives radical anti-hunting groups who have vowed to sue and use all legal maneuvers necessary time to block the delisting, ultimately preventing a wolf harvesting season to be held.”

With the state’s wolf population nearly four times higher than the state’s goal and depredations up 70% since 2015, Hunter Nation demands the Wisconsin DNR take all actions necessary to quickly implement a 2021 harvest season for wolves in Wisconsin.

About Hunter Nation

Hunter Nation is a nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving and protecting America’s hunting heritage. Committed to God, Family, Country and the Outdoor Lifestyle, Hunter Nation educates and engages hunters about the policies that will help to ensure the right to hunt is passed down to the next generation. Learn more at HunterNation.org.