U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services removed Wisconsin's gray wolf population — now estimated around 500 strong — from the federal list of endangered species Monday.

The removal officially transfers management responsibility to the state Department of Natural Resources, which still lists gray wolves as protected wild animals.

DNR spokesperson Bob Manwell said the transfer will give the state more flexibility to manage and reduce the wolf population to 350 — the projected balance of sustainability within Wisconsin's social tolerance.

"Only a small handful [of wolves] are causing problems, so those are the ones we want to concentrate on," Manwell said. "Now that we have state management responsibility, we can now move toward that balance."

Since the gradual migration of wolves from Minnesota, livestock farmers and hunters have protested the species' increasing presence in northern Wisconsin.

The DNR pays $50,000 to $60,000 annually in compensation to people whose livestock or pets, mostly hunting dogs, are killed or injured by wolves.

The Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation supports the delisting because working with federal officials was "more cumbersome," said Jeff Lyon, director of government relations for the WFBF.

"As long as the population keeps going up, … we'll still have problems," Lyon said. "It's our view that that population needs to be reduced."

Federal protections for endangered species are much stricter than state requirements. The species, as well as its habitats, are protected by federal law — a court-ordered obstacle that has prevented state officials from managing troublesome packs of wolves.

"They certainly had their hands tied in a management sense," said David Drake, a University of Wisconsin System wildlife ecology professor. "I think [the transfer] benefits the wolf population; … the state has a much more intimate knowledge."

To reduce the wolf population to its management plan goal, the DNR may target trouble animals or consider hunting and trapping.

Though the state as a whole has generally supported the reintroduction of wolves to Wisconsin, the northern region has typically supported increased management while the southern half has supported larger populations.

"If you're not dealing with it, you think it's a grand and glorious thing to have wolves," Lyon said. "Our members up in northern Wisconsin are very supportive of the delisting and further management by the DNR."

Manwell said the DNR has no timeline for reducing the population to 350 since the process would need to be monitored regularly.

"Next year's count will be the first chance to notice any kind of downturn," Manwell said. "We don't want to go below that 350 level."

Projected changes in the wolf population are not expected to cause significant reductions in Wisconsin's deer population, which, according to Manwell, is already above population goals in almost every region of the state.

Manwell added the transfer of management responsibility would not greatly affect DNR's funding of wolf reintroduction programs.

"We've mostly been footing the bill all along," Manwell said, but he added some federal funding will continue to support certain activities such as monitoring population levels.