Supporters praise decision to de-list gray wolves, consider hunting season

Talk about it

Some, but not all, environmental groups praised the federal government's decision to remove Upper Midwest gray wolves from the endangered species list.

The Natural Resources Defense Council said wolves in the northern Rockies still need federal protections -- but it's a different story in the Midwest, where over 4,000 wolves are roaming Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Michigan.

Also, the U.S. Interior Department warded off legal action by continuing to protect wolves in the Northeast. The agency dropped a plan to elevate a sub-species of Eastern wolves to full status.

State officials praised the de-listing from Governor Scott Walker on down. The governor ordered the DNR to reinstate its own management plan for grey wolves by mid-February.

The state had a plan in place when wolves were de-listed several times in recent years. It allows the killings of problem wolves that hurt livestock and other animals. Now, some lawmakers are talking about the possibility of a wolf-hunting season in the future.

Hunters could start targeting an estimated four thousand gray wolves in the Great Lakes area. The three states could begin issuing licenses to hunt the wolves. Earlier this year wolves in Montana and Idaho were removed from federal protection.

The state paid out more than a million dollars to owners of animals killed by wolves from 1985 through last year. Wisconsin has almost 800 wolves today, well above its goal of 350 when the species was reintroduced in the 1970s.

Tags: environment, wisconsin, outdoors, agriculture