Tiffany Applauds Natural Resources Board for Unanimous Approval of Wolf Hunt
“Great victory for accurate science, Wisconsin sportsmen, farmers and families”
MINOCQUA, WI – U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany (WI-07) applauded a unanimous decision by Wisconsin's Natural Resources Board under the leadership of Dr. Fred Prehn to issue 200 permits for a February wolf hunting season in accordance with state law.
"This is a great victory for accurate science, Wisconsin sportsmen, farmers and families that has been years in the making," said Tiffany. "We couldn't have made it to this point without the tireless efforts of the board, the determination of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the work of advocacy groups like Hunter Nation."
The Wisconsin Natural Resources board voted Monday to set a harvest quota of 200 wolves after a successful lawsuit by sportsmen's groups earlier this month in Jefferson County Circuit Court.
The delisting of the wolf has been a top priority for Tiffany, who worked with President Trump's Interior Department to remove the predator from the federal list of threatened and endangered species after coming to Congress last year. Tiffany has also introduced legislation to make the wolf ineligible for "re-listing," and advocated for more state and local control over species conservation and resource management decisions.
"For too long, decisions about listing species under the ESA have been driven by politics instead of science, and without regard to the harm those decisions inflict on local communities and economic development," Tiffany added. "The people most affected by these decisions should be the ones calling the shots, not deep-pocketed, Big City special interest groups or faraway bureaucrats in Washington, DC with no skin in the game."
There are nearly 2,000 wolves in Wisconsin, according to estimates, despite state management goals calling for just 350 on non-tribal land.
Sportsmen can apply for licenses at midnight tonight through the state's Go Wild portal, and the Department of Natural Resources will announce the results on February 22.
The season will run through the end of the month.
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