Gray wolf hunting season could happen fall of 2012

On January 27, the gray wolf will officially leave the endangered species list. As early as fall of 2012, there could be a new wolf hunting season in Minnesota.

According to Dan Stark, Department of Natural Resources Wolf Management Specialist, a wolf hunt was not in the state’s management plan this soon, but the 2011 Legislature changed all that.

“That specific language was passed by the legislature in 2000 when they passed a wolf management bill, and it stated at that time that the DNR would have the authority to develop a season five years after the delisting of the wolf, but would have to allow for an opportunity for the public to provide input on any proposals that the DNR would develop. The last legislative session, that five year waiting period was eliminated, so it basically now states the DNR can develop a wolf season once wolves are delisted, but still needs to allow a public input process.”

Stark said the DNR is already looking at proposal options for a wolf season.

“So right now we’re going through an internal staff process developing some season options. It’ll likely be something that’s discussed at the legislature this year. There’ll be an opportunity later in the year for the public to review our proposal.”

Minnesota did allow wolf hunting a number of years ago, but the population grew in spite of hunting.

“It was legal to hunt wolves, but it wasn’t a regulated season. So up until the early 1970’s wolves could be killed, primarily through trapping, was the method people used to catch wolves. Some of the information would indicate that from about 1950 to the early 1970’s that about 200 wolves were killed annually by trappers. During that time we have limited information on population estimate, but there was one estimate done in the mid-50’s that the population was somewhere between 300 and 600 wolves. Then by the early 1970’s we had bout 750 wolves. Even though they were being hunted at that time, the population did start to recover because bounties and aerial gunning had been eliminated and those were probably the two methods that really helped reduce wolf numbers.”

Stark said wolves are not easy to hunt and season would likely be classified as a furbearer hunt.

“In a lot of places they’re managed as furbearers and in some areas where they’re trying to reduce populations they have an extended hunting season. But wolves are really difficult to hunt. They occur at pretty low densities, so that in order to go out into an area that has a wolf pack and be able to figure out where that is over 40 or 100 square miles that they might cover is pretty tough. Then to be able to actually see one…it’s not going to be an easy thing for people to do, so it’s going to require some specialized knowledge of their behavior and biology and some experience doing it. Likely a season would center around them as a furbearer because that’s how we manage many similar species like bobcats and otter, things that do have a good pelt to be sold. I think about the average wolf pelt can be $100 to $300.”
If there is to be a wolf season in the fall, a public comment period would need to be held next summer.