When hound hunters are treeing them, they are being captured on home security cameras, and with pretty steady flow of trail camera pictures across the state it’s hard to fathom that there isn’t a breeding population.
Link to WIDNR reported sightings. Quite a few this year...
This. Good reps in thick cover will probably do the trick.
And as far as protection for next time, I second the Rex Specs recommendation. I throw them on my dog when we are working extremely thick cover. Saves his eyes, and they withstand the abuse he puts them through.