DOUGLAS COUNTY — The unusual weather patterns in northwestern Wisconsin the last two summers have been challenging for farmers raising beef cattle. Last year’s drought resulted in cattleman Ron Schiff deciding to sell his herd since he didn’t have enough hay to feed them over the winter. This summer’s abundant rain eliminated any problems producing hay, but there has been one constant in his operation: the impact of wolves.
“I lost my herd bull to wolves a few years ago but decided to keep my young stock last year after selling off my cows in case I wanted to get back into it. Those cows are the ones dropping calves this year. Grass-fed beef prices are really good now, so I thought I’d give it another shot this year, but since May I’ve had one confirmed wolf-killed calf already and had another one missing, but I finally found it. There was a big chunk of meat gone from its hind quarter, but the cow wouldn’t take it back, so I bottle fed it and managed to nurse it back to health. It looks pretty good now and I think it will be OK, but I’ve got two others that are missing. They’re just plain gone; I’ve looked all over but can’t find them. I’ve been in the business for 45 years and sold those cows last year during the drought for a loss, but now beef prices are as high as I’ve seen them. I get reimbursed for the confirmed wolf kills, which I really appreciate. The Department of Agriculture’s Wildlife Services people have been good; they’re doing the best they can with the tools they’re allowed to use,” said Schiff.
Since gray wolves have been placed back on the federal Endangered Species List, the federal Department of Agriculture’s Wildlife Services division, the agency the DNR contracts with to handle most wildlife damage complaints, is limited in what they can do. Lethal removal through trapping and shooting, including giving impacted property owners permits to shoot on site, isn’t an option.
“They used fladry (portable fencing with colored strips of cloth) as a deterrent and it worked for a while, but with all the rain, the grass grew so tall, it covered them up. They used radios playing at night for a while then, but the wolves eventually got used to that, too. With the current status, they can’t trap them like they used to be able to,” said Schiff.
After the controversial Wisconsin February 2021 wolf hunt that eventually led to the re-listing of wolves as Endangered Species, 43 more were removed from three towns in northern Douglas County before the re-listing was completed, proof there’s a healthy population in the area.
“I don’t see them often during the day but can tell when they’re around by the way the cattle act,” said Schiff.
If gray wolves are ever removed from the federal Endangered Species List, Wisconsin’s wolf management plan addresses the concerns of those raising livestock in areas with a long history of depredation. The area called the Lake Superior Coastal Plain that lies east of Superior and follows the Lake Superior coast line into Bayfield County is one and will become listed as sub-zone 1A. This sub-zone within Zone 1 is a large area of agriculture lands devoted to raising beef cattle that’s adjacent to large tracts of woodlands.
This is where beef farmers like Schiff reside and try to make a living among the wolves. The DNR recognized this sub-zone as having had a concentration of chronic wolf attacks of livestock and gives managers the option of offering additional wolf harvesting licenses valid only in that sub-zone. This status also allows any other wolf license holder the option of hunting in the sub-zone. The plan states the sub-zone would by default encourage proactive reductions of wolf numbers.
Unfortunately for livestock producers such as Schiff, the management plan doesn’t help his situation until wolves are removed from the Endangered Species List. Legislation to do this has been adopted but hasn’t moved forward in the legislative process yet.
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