Now that Gov. Mark Dayton has signed the Game and Fish Bill that authorizes a wolf hunt in Minnesota, the state Department of Natural Resources is working out the details for hunting and trapping seasons.
The DNR is proposing a limit of 400 wolves the first year. The federal government removed the wolf from the endangered species list last year, and the Legislature quickly followed with approval for the first wolf hunt in the state in 38 years.
The Duluth News Tribune looked at some of the planned logistics, which still must be finalized:
- 6,000 licenses will be issued to take up to 400 wolves, half from hunting and half from trapping.
- Hunting licenses for the season starting Nov. 3 will cost $30 for residents and $250 for nonresidents.
- Trapping licenses, available to residents only for a likely Nov. 24 to Jan. 5 trapping season, will cost $30.
- Separate lotteries will select hunters and trappers.
- To avoid going over the limit, hunters and trappers would have to register their animals the same day they are taken and they would be required to monitor a telephone hot line or online site to check the harvest status
Wolves
The recently approved Wolf Hunt bill is one of the most sickening pieces of legislation I have ever seen. I am a Democrat; always have been. I will not, however, ever vote for Mark Dayton again. The fact that he did not use the line item veto on the Wolf Hunt bill is just a travesty. These beautiful animals will now be tortured, will suffer and will die, because a blood-thirsty, gun-loving killer of all things wild and beautiful needs to satisfy his/her blood lust. Wolves are not a food source and their torture and killing will be strictly for sport. This makes me ashamed to be from Minnesota.
I agree but
Jan I agree with much you have stated but concerning your statement “gun loving killer of all things” is as disturbing as the wolf hunt. I am a gun loving girl but I am not a killer of things. There are many people who love guns and who do not hunt. I love shooting but only shoot targets of the non-living type.
I cannot even begin to fathom the amount of ignorance contained in this comment. Anyone who believes that hunting is the equivalent to “torture” has obviously never considered the actuality of how life is conducted in the wilderness. Life is very unforgiving outside of the bubble of safety that is put around the lives of human beings. The lives of wolves and other animals is a constant struggle for survival including intense competition for habitat, food, and other necessities that are required for reproduction. Now what happens when an apex predator, such as the wolf, becomes over-populated you see a rise in this competition and nature itself can take a turn for the worst. Wolf packs can end up killing each other for the resources listed above and dwindling food sources can cause mass starvation. In fact, wolf pups that don’t have readily available food are expected to die before they reach their first year of life. This is what I would refer to as torture; not a single bullet wound that would cause a quick and humane end to a wolf’s life. The extremely conservative DNR approach to a wolf hunt would eventually help to maintain a stable population that is consistent with the actual carrying capacity of Northern Minnesota and ensure that true torture does not reach the wolf population. I wish i could give every person like you a proper lesson in biology.
This is outrageous
There’s no need to shoot or trap 400 wolves indiscriminately. If a farmer, rancher or home owner is having a problem with wolves, let him shoot those problem wolves. Why shoot or trap wolves who have not been a problem? After all these years working to get the population back up to normal numbers it’s stupid and outrageous to arbitrarily destroy them without cause.
Crying wolf.
The DNR is really not tooled up to manage this. They are down about a third in conservation
officers and are coping with budget cuts over the last several years. Hunters and trappers
like this just fine. They feel they know better than any wolf expert.
All about money
Hunting wolves in MN is the most stupid thing in a long time. There will be 6,000 hunting and trapping licenses sold to harvest 400 wolves. The plan is to allow hunters and trappers to regulate themselves and the bag limits, can the MN DNR have become any more stupid!
The 400 wolf limit does not include the number of wolves already shot and trapped illegally and by adding a season on wolves will most likely be the beginning of removing the wolf from MN. I live in an area that supports wolf but also supports a high incident of poaching and I believe the number poached each year will far exceed the proposed bag limit because once it becomes legal to take a species it also becomes extremely easy to poach and sell the hides and body parts. The Gray Wolf hides are very valuable and there is a high demand for them, this means poacher paradise.
Where I live the wolves will be gone after the first season. I am highly disgusted by this wolf season. Governor Dayton should have done more to prevent it. The wolves existence in MN is once again in grave danger.