Dog depredations by wolves in Wisconsin
Dog owners are reminded to exercise caution in wolf-occupied areas, especially those using their dogs to hunt. Conflicts between hunting dogs and wolves are most common during the bear training and hunting season. Dogs have also been depredated pursuing other wildlife including foxes, coyotes, bobcats, rabbits, snowshoe hares and upland birds.
The DNR establishes wolf caution areas where conflicts have occurred. Caution areas can be viewed through the wolf depredation application. Individuals hunting or pursuing wildlife with the aid of dogs should view caution areas and take precautions to help reduce conflicts.
Suspected wolf attack
Anyone suspecting a wolf attack in northern Wisconsin should call USDA-WS immediately at 1-800-228-1368 (in-state) or 715-369-5221. In southern Wisconsin call 1-800-433-0663 (in-state) or 920-324-4514.
Caution areas, dogs and wolf behavior
When wolves attack dogs in hunting or training situations on public land, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources will create wolf caution areas (see below) to warn hunters that a specific pack has attacked a dog or group of dogs. Bear hunters are urged to exercise greater caution if they plan to train hounds or hunt bears with hounds near any caution area, especially if near an actual kill site. Table 1 (see below) summarizes the 2023 dog depredations by wolves.
As with other wild canids, wolves are very territorial and will guard their territories against other wolves, coyotes and domestic dogs. Wolves are probably most aggressive toward strange wolves and dogs at den and rendezvous sites when their pups are small, and when protecting a fresh kill. Wolf packs have pups in spring and then later will use rendezvous sites from mid-May to late September, after the pups are big enough to leave their den. Adult wolves are very defensive of pups at rendezvous sites and will attack other predators, including dogs, which get too close to the rendezvous site or the pups.
During the summer, a pack will use from two to three to as many as six or more rendezvous sites. The exact locations vary from year to year and throughout the summer. The sites are usually forest openings or edge areas, with lots of wolf tracks, droppings and matted vegetation. Move two or three miles from any rendezvous site, if possible, before releasing dogs.
In addition, avoid releasing dogs at baits recently visited by wolves. When looking for a bear sign near the bait, make sure to also look for wolf tracks. Be familiar with your own dog's tracks, so that you can distinguish them from any wolf tracks. If a specific bait site is receiving a lot of wolf use, discontinue using it until wolves have left and concentrate on an alternative bait site. Some hunters have had success with bells on dog collars to reduce wolf attacks, but some dogs with bells have been attacked by wolves.
Pet dogs
Although wolf attacks on pet dogs in residential areas are rare, they do occur and have increased in recent years. These types of attacks represent a special kind of wolf depredation to domestic animals. For additional guidance and information about protecting pet dogs and bear hounds from wolves, see guidance for hound and pet dog owners.
Dog depredations
View the interactive wolf depredation and threats mapping application for locations of wolf depredations and threat conflicts.
| Depredation date | County | Dogs | Maps of depredations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 07/08/2023 | Burnett | 1 Hunting Dog Killed (7-year-old female Bluetick trailing hound) |
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| 07/20/2023 | Clark | 1 Hunting Dog Killed, and 1 Hunting Dog Injured (Walker trailing hounds) |
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| 07/21/2023 | Lincoln | 1 Hunting Dog Killed (6-year-old female Redbone trailing hound) |
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| 07/22/2023 | Bayfield | 2 Hunting Dogs Killed (a 4-year-old male Walker trailing hound and an 8-year-old female Redbone trailing hound) |
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| 07/29/2023 | Burnett | 1 Hunting Dog Killed (5-year-old male Bluetick trailing hound) |
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| 08/03/2023 | Burnett | 1 Hunting Dog Killed (3-year-old Plott trailing hound) |
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| 08/04/2023 | Burnett | 1 Hunting Dog Killed (4-year-old female Plott trailing hound) |
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| 08/05/2023 | Burnett | 1 Hunting Dog Killed (3-year-old female Walker trailing hound) |
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| 08/12/2023 | Bayfield | 1 Hunting Dog Killed (4-year-old female Plott trailing hound) |
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| 08/19/2023 | Forest | 3 Hunting Dog Killed (4-year-old, 7-year-old, and 9-year-old Plott trailing hounds) |
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| 08/20/2023 | Lincoln | 1 Hunting Dog Killed (5-year-old male Plott) |
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| 08/20/2023 | Bayfield | 1 Hunting Dog Killed (1-year-old female Plott) |
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| 08/20/2023 | Bayfield | 1 Hunting Dog Injured (8-month-old Waker) |
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| 08/21/2023 | Marinette | 1 Hunting Dog Injured (8-year-old Redtick) |
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| 08/25/2023 | Clark | 1 Hunting Dog Killed (5-year-old male Walker) |
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| 08/27/2023 | Forest | 1 Hunting Dog Killed (5-month-old female Plott) |
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| 08/27/2023 | Sawyer | 1 Hunting Dog Killed (3-year-old female Walker) |
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| 08/28/2023 | Price | 1 Hunting Dog Killed (7-year-old Plott) |
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| 09/07/2023 | Price | 1 Hunting Dog Injured (8-year-old Walker) |
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| 09/08/2023 | Sawyer | 2 Hunting Dogs Killed (2-year-old male Plott, 7-year-old female Plott) |
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| 09/09/2023 | Douglas | 2 Hunting Dogs Injured (1-year-old female Bluetick, 6-year-old female Bluetick) |
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| 09/13/2023 | Washburn | 1 Hunting Dog Killed (5-year-old male Redtick) |
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| 09/22/2023 | Douglas | 1 Hunting Dog Killed (7-year-old female Plott) |
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| 09/24/2023 | Taylor | 1 Hunting Dog Injured (10.5-year-old female Walker) |
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| 09/26/2023 | Bayfield | 1 Hunting Dog Killed (6-year-old male Plott) |
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| 09/30/2023 | Washburn | 1 Hunting Dog Killed (3.5-year-old male Redbone) |
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| 10/03/2023 | Florence | 1 Hunting Dog Killed (9-year-old female Plott) |
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Definitions
- Wolf caution areas
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When wolves attack dogs in hunting or training situations, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources creates "wolf caution areas" to warn hunters of a wolf attack on hunting dogs. The purpose of these caution areas is to let hunters know that a specific pack has attacked a dog or group of dogs. It is the department's experience that once a pack has attacked a dog in a hunting or training situation, there is a high probability another attack will occur again during the same year or within the following year. These attacks will generally be on trailing hounds used to hunt bears, bobcats and coyotes, but such attacks rarely occur on dogs in bird-hunting situations.
Caution areas are not intended to close areas to hunting or training, but rather to advise hunters to exercise greater caution when hunting within these areas. Greater caution can include, staying closer to dogs, avoiding releasing at bait sites recently visited by wolves and avoiding releasing dogs at or near the site of an attack.
The caution area map is generally considerably larger than the actual pack territory because attempts are made to use highways or easily recognized roads as the boundary of the caution area. Generally, wolf pack areas average about 40-60 square miles (5-10 miles across). Thus, portions of the caution area, especially the far corners, will be outside the actual pack area and represent no more risk than other locations across the landscape. The actual attack site is shown in a red-orange circle about one mile in diameter.
Wolf attacks on hunting/training dogs most often occur at or near rendezvous sites. These sites vary from year to year, but when an attack occurs in July, August, or early September, the attack site should be treated as a proxy for a rendezvous site and is the primary location that should be avoided. The farther away you can stay from the rendezvous site/attack sites, the lesser your risk of attack on your dogs.
- Wolf rendezvous sites
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Adult wolves are very defensive of pups at rendezvous sites and will attack other predators, including dogs, that get too close to the rendezvous site or the pups. Wolves are probably most aggressive toward strange wolves and dogs at den and rendezvous sites when their pups are small, during the breeding season in January and February and when they are protecting a fresh kill.
Found within a wolf pack's territory, den and rendezvous sites are specific locations used for breeding and other pack activities. Wolves begin moving their young pups from dens to rendezvous sites from mid-March to mid-May. Rendezvous sites are actively used from mid-May to mid-October.
Habitat: Rendezvous sites are generally open areas of grass or sedge adjacent to wetlands, and can be determined by the high presence of both large and small wolf tracks. Sites are characterized by extensive matted vegetation, numerous trails and beds usually at the forest edge. They are often adjacent to bogs or occur in semi-open stands of mixed conifer-hardwoods adjacent to swamps. Sometimes abandoned beaver ponds are used as rendezvous sites.
Description: Rendezvous sites are the home sites or activity sites used by wolves after the denning period, and before the nomadic hunting period of fall and winter. Pups are brought to rendezvous sites from dens when they are weaned and remain at rendezvous sites until they are old enough to join the pack on their hunting circuits.
Rendezvous sites may be associated with food sources such as ungulate kills or berry patches. Generally, a series of rendezvous sites are used by a specific pack. Rendezvous sites are mostly used from mid-June to late September, but use may start as early as mid-May and can continue to early or mid-October. Some intermittent use of rendezvous sites may continue into the fall. It appears that an average of four to six rendezvous sites are used by wolf packs.