The Iowa Department of Natural Resources is investigating two possible illegal shootings of wolves, both by hunters who had thought the animals were coyotes.
In the last week of December, a deer hunter in Van Buren County shot and killed what he thought was a coyote from about 100 yards away, said Kevin Baskins, DNR spokesman. In November, a hunter in northwest Iowa also shot and killed an animal that he believed to be a coyote.
But upon further inspection, both animals appeared to possibly be wolves or wolf hybrids, ranging between 90 to 100 lbs., Baskins said.
DNA from both animals is being tested to see what type of animals they are and whether they were legal to hunt, Baskins said. Hunting coyotes is legal in Iowa, but hunting wolves is not, he said. The testing results for each case could take between 2 to 3 months.
Baskins said he’s unsure whether charges would be filed against hunters in either case. He declined to name the hunters.
If the animals turn out to be wolves, they would be larger than wolves typically found in Iowa, Baskins said.
Baskins said the DNR is warning hunters to be careful when hunting coyotes to make sure they aren’t accidentally illegally shooting at wolves, but he added the DNR does not want to discourage legal coyote hunting.