4-30-14 wolf hunt

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Wisconsin wildlife officials say the state's wolf population is still well over goal.

The Department of Natural Resources said in a statement Tuesday that preliminary results from the 2014 late-winter count indicates at least 658 to 687 wolves roaming the state.  That's down about 19 percent from the 2013 count of a minimum of 809 to 834 wolves. But it's still nearly double the DNR's current population goal of 350 wolves and more than six times the federal delisting goal of 100 wolves for Wisconsin and Michigan's Upper Peninsula.  The count is typically conducted during the time of year when the population is at its lowest point. The population can nearly double when pups are born in the spring.