A vote for Tom Tiffany for governor would surely put a nail in the coffin of the gray wolf recovery program in Wisconsin.

In the late 1970s Gray wolves, also known as Timber wolves, crossed into Douglas County, Wisconsin, and established territories thanks to the Endangered Species Act, where they were listed as a protected species. It has been a rocky road with several delistings that led to four trophy wolf hunts. Wisconsin Act 169, signed in April 2012, established gray wolves as a game species and mandates an annual wolf hunting and trapping season when not federally protected. The most recent trophy hunt of wolves was a disaster for both the state wolf management and ethical hunters.

With the February 2021 wolf hunt, fringe hunters got their way.

“The DNR originally planned to hold a hunt in November 2021, but Kansas-based Hunter Nation sued the agency to force the hunt to be earlier in February 2021. A Jefferson County judge ordered state wildlife managers to hold a season that month, during which hunters killed 218 wolves in less than three days.” Source WPR

A vote for Tom Tiffany for governor would surely put a nail in the coffin of the gray wolf recovery in Wisconsin.

As I stated earlier, under his control, one will hear the pristine forests leveled by chainsaws and replaced with sulfate mines. The northern forests will ring with the sounds of baying hounds chasing down Gray wolves because Tiffany believes wolves are killing livestock and pets, and wants their population capped at 350. He wants to remove federal protections for wolves, placing them under state management.

“Tiffany, R-Minocqua, co-sponsored the legislation with Republican Rep. Lauren Boebert of Colorado, along with 30 other lawmakers, including Wisconsin’s Republican congressional delegation. If approved, the plan would remove Endangered Species Act protection from around 4,400 wolves found in the Great Lakes region, as well as nearly 2,800 wolves in seven western states.” US Rep. Tom Tiffany and GOP lawmakers bring back bill to delist gray wolf

Not only does Tiffany want the Wisconsin Gray wolf taken off the Endangered Species List, but he also does not want any judicial review, making it impossible to return them to protected status. Tiffany is no friend of Wisconsin’s wild lands and the animals living within them. If he really cared, he would not put wolves in the hands of Wisconsin state management. Wisconsin Act 169, signed in April 2012, established gray wolves as a game species and mandates an annual wolf hunting and trapping season when not federally protected.

Clip from People & Wolves cast member Patrick Durkin, an award-winning outdoor writer and hunter, regarding the problems of the February 2021 wolf hunt.

If Wisconsin Act 169 were removed Gray wolves might have a chance due to the latest wolf management plan. The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) updated its wolf management plan in late 2023 to guide 2024 activities. The plan operates without a fixed, low numeric goal but emphasizes zone-specific management. Wolves remain federally protected, prohibiting hunting as of now, barring Tiffany’s delisting plan.

Why all the fuss over wolves in Wisconsin? When you consider two things, which are public attitudes and the land carrying capacity, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources’ Wolf Management plan (WMP) isn’t half bad. The WMP addresses how to live with Gray wolves. Considering all the myths and fairy tales that have been pushed for centuries, wolves have gotten a bad rap.

Cast member, Dr. Jane Goodall (born April 3, 1934, died October 1, 2025), DBE, Founder of the Jane Goodall Institute & UN Messenger of Peace, shares her insights on People & Wolves. Reknowned Conservationist.

Can we change our attitudes towards the Gray wolf? I recently went tracking Gray wolves with my son and his family. It was a day spent looking for signs of wolves in the north woods. We encountered many deer in a span of 4 hours. They seemed to be everywhere in the north woods. My son was surprised by a young spry buck that approached our vehicle with a daring prance that said, “Don’t mess with me!” My son said he never saw a deer act this way. I explained that wolves manage the deer and make strong bucks that will defend themselves. The photo below is a Wisconsin Gray wolf track we found on February 18th, 2026.

Public attitudes towards wolves in Wisconsin.

The area where we tracked wolves in Douglas County is full of cabins and northwoods life. Life living with wolves in their back yards. Despite being in the heart of wolf country, Douglas County showed higher levels of tolerance and a greater willingness to coexist compared to other wolf-range areas in northern Wisconsin. To read the full WDNR public attitudes towards wolves and wolf management survey, click HERE

So it appears people can change their attitudes about Gray wolves. People in Douglas County have been living with wolves since the late 1970s. That is the real success story of wolf recovery in Wisconsin. Then again, there’s Tiffany and his band of fringe hunters who refuse to acknowledge Gray wolf recovery in Wisconsin as a success story.

“People’s pets and livestock are being slaughtered at this point, and it’s time for it to end,” Tiffany said. “Let’s get back to balance, where we believe wolves belong on the landscape, but there must be balance. We don’t have that.” US Rep. Tom Tiffany and GOP lawmakers bring back bill to delist gray wolf

Let’s look at the facts.

Tiffany, in an effort to heighten the drama around wolves, has described the situation as a “slaughter” of livestock and deer herds, calling for action to protect families and farmers from these attacks

Last year, 31 farms reported 63 verified complaints involving livestock, representing a tiny fraction of the state’s 58,500 farms. US Rep. Tom Tiffany and GOP lawmakers bring back bill to delist gray wolf

The facts do not mandate slaughtering Wisconsin’s Gray wolves from a population of around 1,226 to Tiffany’s population cap of 350 in the northern and central forests.

Land carrying capacity of wolves in Wisconsin.

“Based on the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) 2024-2025 monitoring report, the Wisconsin wolf population is estimated at 1,226 wolves. This population is considered stable, secure, and well-established across suitable habitats in the state.”

Fringe hunters push myths rather than facts.

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources estimated 1.8 million White-tailed deer statewide. The 2018-2019 midwinter count estimated that there are a minimum of 914-978 Gray wolves in Wisconsin, in 243 packs. “Minnesota has also become the number two all-time Boone and Crocket trophy white- tailed deer producing state, followed by Wisconsin. This might suggest that wolves and deer are co-existing very well.”

Wolves may even play a role in helping to increase the health and fitness of the overall deer population by culling the sick, weak, and the old and leaving the healthier animals to reproduce and thrive.
From Wolves and Deer in Wisconsin WDNR website

As stated earlier, it would be unimaginable what would happen to our great state of Wisconsin in the hands of Tom Tiffany as governor, considering all his anti-wolf rhetoric. He will surely put the nail in the coffin of wolf recovery. Tiffany and his band of fringe hunters cannot seem to grasp the concept of living along side Wisconsin’s Gray wolf. I’ll leave it here with a short clip from the People & Wolves Movie,

Cast member, Michael Waasegiizhig Price, explains the two meanings of a word from his language.
People & Wolves: A story of coexistence. For centuries, the Ojibwe have lived alongside their brother Ma’iingan, who we know in English to be the wolf. In February 2021, a Brutal assault, a hunt on their wolf relative, stirs emotion and grief for Ma’iingan as they know what happens to him will happen to them.