Collared wolf in Wisconsin.

In a peculiar twist of fate last week in northern Wisconsin, six dogs that were chasing after bears for hunters were attacked and killed by wolves.

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources confirmed to WJFW that the incidents occurred in a two-day span in Langlade County. Agency spokeswoman Danielle Deming is quoted:

“On Friday the morning of September 26, a large group of bear hunters released their bear-hunting dogs to pursue two bears. The group of dogs split up and encountered a wolf pack in pursuit of the bears.

"The dog owners had noticed their dogs’ GPS collars had stopped moving on the receiver, so they followed the dogs’ trails into the woods only to discover three of the dogs had been killed and two were injured at one site, and at a nearby site about 900 yards away they discovered two more hunting dogs had been killed.”

Another hunting dog was killed in similar fashion the next day, 15 miles away, while chasing after a single bear.

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While this occasionally occurs, it’s rare to lose six dogs to wolf kills in a two-day span.

Deming said both incidents probably involved the same wolf pack, which might have attacked the dogs to protect vulnerable pups.

Said Deming: “It’s really important to distinguish these incidents that happen with hunting dogs during a bear hunt, not pet dogs near residences. Attacks generally occur when wolves are defending pups at a rendezvous site.”

A rendezvous site is where wolf packs gather when pups are too large to be kept in dens.

Wisconsin's bear-hunting season "with the aid of dogs" ended Sept. 30.

According to the WDNR, wolves are listed as federally endangered in Wisconsin and wolf hunting is prohibited.

This article originally appeared on For The Win: Six hunting dogs killed by wolves while pursuing bears in Wisconsin

Reporting by Pete Thomas, For The Win / For The Win

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