Wisconsin’s next governor could play a decisive role in determining whether the state resumes wolf hunting, as the Trump administration moves to remove gray wolves from federal endangered-species protections. The state is home to an estimated 1,162 wolves, part of a regional population of about 4,000 across Wisconsin, Michigan and Minnesota. Wolves were eliminated from Wisconsin by the 1950s, but their return is widely regarded as a major conservation success. President Donald Trump directed federal officials earlier this month to consider delisting the species. Any final decision would involve the White House, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the federal courts. If protections are removed, Wisconsin law requires the state to hold a wolf hunt. The state held a contentious hunt in 2021 during a previous period when wolves were off the endangered-species list. Hunters killed more wolves than the state’s quota in less than three days. A federal judge later restored protections, ending the hunt. The issue has become a major dividing line in the gubernatorial campaign. Republican candidate Tom Tiffany, a longtime supporter of wolf hunting, said wolves are increasingly affecting farmers and families through livestock losses, attacks on pets and sightings near homes. “Wisconsin has successfully managed wildlife for generations,” Tiffany said after the federal delisting directive. “It is time to get out-of-state judges and bureaucrats out of the way and let Wisconsin responsibly manage its wolf population.” Tiffany previously co-sponsored legislation in the Wisconsin Legislature requiring a wolf hunt. His first bill in Congress would have removed federal protections for wolves across the Midwest. His campaign did not respond to a request for comment. Democratic candidate David Crowley, the Milwaukee County executive and a former state representative, has said Wisconsin should regain a role in managing wolves but urged a process involving agricultural groups, tribal nations, scientists and communities affected by wolves. “While other parts of the country have different wolf populations and management needs, we need our agriculture, tribal, scientific, and impacted communities to come together to create a solution that works for Wisconsin,” Crowley told Wisconsin Public Radio. Crowley said he could support a carefully regulated hunt if wolves are delisted, but argued that Tiffany would take the policy further than he would. Crowley also emphasized that management should include protections for the species. The next governor would influence wolf policy by signing or vetoing legislation and appointing leaders to the Department of Natural Resources and members of the Natural Resources Board. Wisconsin recorded 63 confirmed wolf depredations involving livestock, pets and hunting dogs during 2026, according to DNR data. Farmers and some northern Wisconsin residents say wolves have become too numerous or too visible, while conservationists and Native American tribes have argued that wolves remain ecologically and culturally important. The DNR and Natural Resources Board approved a revised wolf management plan in 2023. Unlike the previous plan, which identified 350 wolves as a population goal, the updated plan does not establish a fixed statewide target. Instead, it divides the state into management zones and calls for decisions based on biological, social and cultural conditions. Republican lawmakers and hunting and farming organizations have pushed to restore the 350-wolf figure. Tyler Wenzlaff, director of national affairs for the Wisconsin Farm Bureau, said the organization supports maintaining wolves in the state but favors gradually reducing the population toward that level. Wenzlaff said the Farm Bureau believes a population above roughly 1,200 to 1,300 wolves could lose public acceptance, particularly if residents encounter wolves near homes, farms or school bus stops. The group would continue pressing for tighter management regardless of which candidate wins, he said. Melissa Smith, executive director of the Great Lakes Wildlife Alliance, said Tiffany has made wolf delisting a central political priority. She described Crowley’s support for state management as less damaging because he has also called for science, tribal consultation and community input. The competing approaches reflect a broader debate over whether Wisconsin’s wolf policy should prioritize population reduction, local control and hunting access, or conservation safeguards and a broader definition of who should help make management decisions. The outcome of the governor’s race could determine which approach guides the state if federal protections are removed.