MADISON, WI (AP)-- The Trump administration's decision to remove gray wolves across most of the U.S. from the endangered species list will force Wisconsin wildlife officials to again offer a wolf hunting season.
The U.S. Department of the Interior announced Thursday that wolves would come off the list, a move designed to appeal to rural voters who have long complained the predators are destroying livestock.
Former Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker signed a bill in 2012 requiring the Department of Natural Resources to hold a wolf hunt. The agency held three seasons before a federal judge placed Great Lakes wolves back on the endangered species list in 2014. But the Wisconsin law remains valid, which means the DNR would have to reinstate the season if protections are lifted.
