In February 2021, Wisconsin held a wolf hunt that lasted about 60 hours. In that short time, hunters and trappers reported killing 218 wolves, nearly double the state’s limit of 119. State records show that dogs were used in 86 percent of the reported kills.

That hunt was no accident. A state law requires Wisconsin to open a wolf season whenever federal protections for wolves are removed. The same law lets hunters chase wolves with packs of dogs, hunt at night, and set steel-jawed leghold traps and snares. When the federal government took wolves off the endangered species list in late 2020, the hunt began automatically.

Wolves were chased during their breeding season, often through deep winter snow. Sending packs of dogs after wild wolves can turn into violent fights that put both animals in danger.

Wolves matter to Wisconsin. They hold deep cultural meaning for Ojibwe communities. Research from the University of Wisconsin–Madison found that wolves help cut deer-vehicle crashes by about 24 percent by keeping deer populations in check, saving drivers millions of dollars in repairs each year.

Wolves are protected again for now, but federal protections can change. If they are lifted, Wisconsin’s law would start another hunt, and dogs would be allowed once more.

The Wisconsin State Legislature and Governor Tony Evers have the power to change this. Lawmakers should pass a bill banning the use of dogs to hunt or trap wolves, and the governor should sign it. People on every side of the wolf debate can agree that a hunt this chaotic should never happen again.

Sign the petition to ban hunting wolves with dogs in Wisconsin before the next hunt can begin.