Wisconsin wolf population growing, but another hunt still in doubt

Wide swings in the wolf numbers aren’t unexpected, said Tim Van Deelen, a UW-Madison wildlife biologist who has studied the state’s wolves extensively and who has said a higher population goal would be more appropriate. “I would expect some unpredictability in the population response because we have not had a constant yearly harvest rate and even if we did, it would take some time for the population to come to a new equilibrium,” Van Deelen said.