Wisconsin might be a long drive from Montana, but their hunters are dealing with something we know all too well: wolves don’t play nice when dogs wander into their turf. The Wisconsin DNR is telling folks to be extra careful when turning hounds loose during bear season, since wolves can get territorial fast—especially near dens, rendezvous sites, or a fresh kill. Their solution is “Wolf caution areas,” basically digital no-go zones hunters can check before cutting dogs loose. They also suggest steering clear of bait piles wolves have been sniffing around and double-checking those tracks in the mud—because mistaking a wolf print for your dog’s could get ugly in a hurry.
In Wisconsin, wolf season is closed for now—no applications, no preference points, no wolf tag bingo until the DNR opens it back up. When it does happen, licenses are split half by lottery and half by preference points, giving unlucky hunters from past years a better shot next time. Residency doesn’t matter, and each license is good for one wolf by any legal method. Montana, on the other hand, does have an active wolf hunting and trapping season.
And ugly it has been. Just this year, Wisconsin logged 20 dog depredations across multiple counties, including a September incident in Langlade where five hounds were killed and two more injured in one go. Sadly, we are no strangers to this in Montana. With our own wolf population, the same lessons apply: know where the packs are running, get your wolf tag, and keep a close eye on your dogs. As the Wisconsin DNR notes, mapping tools and hotlines can help hunters avoid the worst-case scenario—because no one wants their best hound ending up on the wrong side of a territorial dispute
| Date | County | Dogs | Map |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01/16/2025 | Washburn | 1 Hunting Dog Injured (7-year-old female Walker type trailing hound) | Depredation location [PDF] |
| 02/07/2025 | Clark | 1 Hunting Dog Killed (9-year-old male Plott/Walker mix trailing hound) | Depredation location [PDF] |
| 06/19/2025 | Monroe | 1 Hunting Dog Injured, (Adult Beagle) | Depredation location [PDF] |
| 07/03/2025 | Burnett | 1 Hunting Dog Killed (5-year-old female Walker type trailing hound) | Depredation location [PDF] |
| 07/04/2025 | Marathon | 1 Hunting Dog Killed (6-year-old female Walker type trailing hound) & 2 Hunting Dogs Injured (3-year-old Redtick type trailing hound & 1.5-year-old female Plott type trailing hound) | Depredation location [PDF] |
| 07/14/2025 | Bayfield | 1 Hunting Dog Injured, (4-year-old black and tan trailing hound) | Depredation location [PDF] |
| 07/19/2025 | Bayfield | 1 Hunting Dog Killed, (1-year-old female Walker type hound) | Depredation location [PDF] |
| 07/19/2025 | Price | 6 Hunting Dogs Injured, (5-year-old female Plott hound, 3-year-old male Plott hound, 3-year-old Black and Tan hound, 6-year-old male Plott hound, 8-year-old female Walker type hound, 1-year-old Black and Tan hound) | Depredation location [PDF] |
| 07/27/2025 | Burnett | 1 Hunting Dog Killed, (3-year-old male Walker hound) | Depredation location [PDF] |
| 08/02/2025 | Florence | 1 Hunting Dog Killed (1-year-old female Plott hound) & 1 Hunting Dog Injured (8-year-old female Plott hound) | Depredation location [PDF] |
| 08/03/2025 | Sawyer | 1 Hunting Dog Killed (2-year-old female Plott hound) | Depredation location [PDF] |
| 08/10/2025 | Oneida | 1 Hunting Dog Killed (1.5-year-old female Plott hound) | Depredation location [PDF] |
| 08/11/2025 | Bayfield | 1 Hunting Dog Injured (4-year-old female Walker hound) | Depredation location [PDF] |
| 08/19/2025 | Washburn | 1 Hunting Dog Killed (5.5-year-old Black and Tan hound) | Depredation location [PDF] |
| 08/23/2025 | Clark | 1 Hunting Dog Killed (2-year-old Plott hound) | Depredation location [PDF] |
| 09/05/2025 | Washburn | 1 Hunting Dog Killed (2-year-old male Walker hound) | Depredation location [PDF] |
| 09/06/2025 | Bayfield | 1 Hunting Dog Killed (3-year-old bluetick hound) | Depredation location [PDF] |
| 09/07/2025 | Sawyer | 1 Hunting Dog Killed (4-year-old male Plott hound) | Depredation location [PDF] |
| 09/26/2025 | Langlade | 5 Killed (3-year-old female Plott, 3-year-old female Leopard Curr, 4.5-year-old male Plott, 6-year-old male Plott, 1-year-old male Plott), 2 injured (3-year-old male Plott, 5-year-old male Plott) | Depredation location [PDF] |
| 09/27/2025 | Langlade | 1 Hunting Dog Killed (7-year-old male Plott) | Depredation location [PDF] |
(Source information: Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, Dog Depredations by Wolves in Wisconsin, 2025).
