Op-Ed: End the nightmare, put Wis. in charge of the wolf

Wisconsin’s wolf population has rebounded from extinction to an undeniable conservation success. But lately, it feels more like a horror story than a success story.

When wolves prowl close to livestock, the victims are not faceless numbers in a report. They’re our farmers — real people left to face the bloody aftermath in their pastures while Washington bureaucrats sleep soundly miles away. Our farmers’ mental health, livelihoods and sense of safety are on the line.

It’s time to end this nightmare. It’s time to delist the gray wolf in Wisconsin and restore management to the state, where decisions can be guided by science, practicality and firsthand experience, not politics or ideology.

Over the past 12 months, wolf attacks on livestock have climbed like something out of a thriller. According to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR), there have been 62 livestock depredation incidents in 2025 – 45 killed and 17 confirmed harassments – all of which are either livestock or pets. That’s nearly double the number of incidents reported just three years ago.

Each case tells the same chilling story: farmers finding calves torn apart, heifers gone missing and guardian animals killed while defending their herd.

This upward trend shows the growing cost of federal inaction. Bayfield County saw one such scene recently, where a confirmed attack wiped out multiple animals, including a guardian. It’s not an isolated nightmare; it’s a spreading pattern across northern and central Wisconsin.

And it’s not the livestock that’s being hunted. It’s the peace of mind for rural families.

Farmers already face some of the highest stress levels of any profession, with suicide rates well above the national average. Add the terror of wolf attacks — sleepless nights, the dread of what the morning might bring, endless paperwork for compensation — and the result is a mental health crisis haunting our countryside.

Under current federal law, a farmer who sees an ongoing attack cannot intervene to protect his animals. Imagine watching a horror movie where the hero can’t fight back. That is not coexistence; it’s cruelty, forced by regulation. Wisconsin must regain the ability to respond swiftly and decisively when wolves threaten livestock and livelihoods.

The financial toll cuts just as deep. These aren’t minor; they’re gut punches to small farms hanging on by a thread. Replacing breeding stock, lost calves or guardian animals is costly, and “compensation” programs don’t cover the scars left behind. Payments take months and never account for the stress, time or lost production. For some, repeated depredations mean laying off workers, delaying investments or even selling land. Some never recover.

Every unchecked wolf attack chips away at the economic foundation of Wisconsin agriculture.

Despite what some suggest, so-called “nonlethal deterrents” are no solution. The DNR and USDA promote fences, lights, fladry and guard animals yet wolves adapt quickly. These methods might help for a few weeks, but they’re unreliable and expensive to maintain. Wisconsin’s own depredation records prove that even with these tools in place, wolves continue to kill livestock and pets.

Recently in Bayfield County, a mule recommended by the DNR as a “deterrent” was slaughtered — not for food, but for sport. That single example should end the debate over whether nonlethal tools alone can solve this problem.

Wisconsin is ready to manage its wolves.

The DNR’s Wolf Management Plan, approved in October 2023, is grounded in science and built on public input. The Wolf Management Advisory Committee meets regularly with farmers, hunters, tribal representatives and conservationists.

The framework is ready. The people are ready. The only thing missing is the authority to act. Wisconsin has the tools, data and public accountability mechanisms necessary to balance wolf conservation with the protection of livestock and human safety.

Now is the time for action.

Wisconsin’s farmers, ranchers and rural residents must make their voices heard. Call your members of Congress and demand they support H.R. 845 – the Protecting Pets and Livestock Act. This bipartisan bill would delist the gray wolf from the Endangered Species Act and return management authority to the states.

But support alone isn’t enough. Wisconsin’s congressional delegation must go further — they must bring their colleagues from other states on board to ensure this bill clears the 60-vote threshold in the U.S. Senate. It will take leadership, persistence and coalition-building to get it done, and Wisconsin’s delegation should be leading that charge.

Every day Washington delays, more livestock die. More families suffer. The monster keeps roaming unchecked.

Delisting the gray wolf is not about erasing conservation gains; it’s about restoring balance. Protecting both wildlife and the people who share the land with them. Wisconsin’s farmers have upheld their end of the conservation story. Now, the federal government must do its part and let Wisconsin take back control.

We can celebrate the wolf’s recovery without letting fear run the farm.

That’s real conservation — and it’s time to wake up from this nightmare.

This article was written and submitted by the Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation Presdient Brad Olsen.