Minnesota hunters will be able to hunt gray wolves!!!

[conty1]

http://www.cnn.com/2012/10/20/us/gray-w ... ?hpt=hp_c2


Cheers,
Amit

[Hammerhead]

You want any help Conty, we all will come. These wolfs have devastated whole echo system of conservation.The amount of food they eat and the rate they breed, you be surprised to know. These days they start attacking domestic cats, dogs and little children too. A dead wolf is good wolf - Haji

[xl_target]

I've never been interested in trophy hunting. I'd been taught many years ago that if I didn't eat it, I shouldn't shoot it. Right or wrong, this is what I have done. I have no interest in hunting wolves but I will not criticize those who do want to hunt or trap them.

However, I also do not live in Northern Minnesota where the majority of the wolves are. I am not a farmer, worried about my livestock. The State has been trying to get wolves delisted for a very long time. Without their removal from the Federal ESL, nothing could be done to control the population which has been increasing steadily. With coyotes steadily encroaching from the south and wolves from the north, many people are worried about our other native species. One of the species to take a big hit has been the native fox. It''s rare to see one nowadays. They used to be pretty common sight. Pheasants, Quail, Turkey and Partridge are another big concern. There are many vested interests in this fight. The Deer hunters want the population reduced as they compete with hunters for deer. The Tofu-eaters from all over want to see nothing hunted, period. Livestock farmers want to see populations reduced. The Dept of Natural Resources want to maintain a sustainable population. Scientists say that a percentage of the packs can be taken without affecting the survival of the Wolves. The small towns in Northern MN will welcome a boost to their economies from these hunters as times are very tough up there right now.

The quota set for this years hunt is 400 wolves. I would be very surprised if your average deer hunter is going to get one. Wolves have extremely good senses and are intelligent. Once they figure out that they are being hunted, it's going to be hard to find one. When I hunted in Northern Minnesota, it was common to see Wolf tracks but I never saw one in the flesh. Even though 3000 hunters have signed up for this hunt, I doubt that the they will fill the quota of 400. Northern Minnesota has very large stretches of woods and mixed scrubland and a low population density. I do think that as there is plenty of prey and habitat for the Wolves, this hunt will not make much of an impact on their numbers. If, however, the numbers get too high, we will have problems. If we can get the Tofu-eathers and tree-huggers out of the equation and rely on the scientists and the wildlife professionals in the Dept of Natural Resources, the Wolves will be here to stay and be able to co-exist with humans.

[shooter]

is there a draw?

How does one get to hunt one?

[xl_target]

is there a draw?

How does one get to hunt one?

Wolf Hunting
http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/hunting/wolf/index.html
Seasons
Early Hunting
Saturday, Nov. 3, to Sunday, Nov. 18, in Series 100 Deer Permit Areas
Saturday, Nov. 3, to Sunday, Nov. 11, in Series 200 Deer Permit Areas
Late Hunting
Saturday, Nov. 24, 2012 to Thursday, Jan. 31, 2013, in all three wolf zones

Eligibility
All applicants must present proof of a previous or current hunting or trapping license in order to apply. All applicants born after Dec. 31, 1979, must have a valid Firearms Safety Certificate prior to purchasing a license, unless they are a Minnesota resident younger than 13 and have not had their small game hunting privilege suspended. Persons born after Dec. 31, 1989, who have not been issued a trapping license in a previous license year, may not obtain a wolf trapping license without a trapper education certificate.

Cost
$30 for residents
$250 for nonresidents


http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/licenses/lotteries/wolf.html
Wolf Lottery - Applications available Aug 1. Deadline first Thursday after Labor Day.

If you have been chosen to receive a 2012 wolf license, you will receive your winning notification in the mail
LOTTERY WINNERS MUST PURCHASE THEIR WOLF LICENSE BY OCTOBER 24 (A SEASON) AND NOVEMBER 15 (B AND C LICENSES). Unsold licenses will be available for sale on a first come, first served basis beginning at 12:00PM on October 29 for the A season and November 19 for the B and C seasons.



Notes:
1. I'll tell you straight out that there are probably few to no wolves in Zone B, especially in the southern part of the State.

2. note that you would also have to purchase a non-resident Deer hunting license or a non-resident small game license. It isn't clear on that. It just says hunting licence.
Minnesota Hunting License fees: http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/licenses/hun ... pe=hunting
a. Deer licence - Firearms - Non-resident = $141
b. Small Game Licence - Non-resident = $84.50

3. Minnesota Hunting and Trapping Regulations: http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/hunting/index.html

[shooter]

Thanks dada,

I'll again have to go through the paperwork of having my UK deer hunting exam recognised. However it should be easier this time since florida and utah recognise it. but i think i missed the deadline this year.

[xl_target]

Code: Select all

UNDATED (KDAL) - The second portion of the wolf hunting season in Minnesota is underway.  The late season began on Saturday and runs through January 31st,  providing quotas in the three hunting zones are not met before then.  After the weekend, 10 wolves were taken in the Northwest Zone where the quota is 187.  Seven wolves were harvested in the Northeast Zone and the target number is 56.  In the East Central Zone, the quota is 10 and no wolves were taken as of early Monday.

http://kdal610.com/news/articles/2012/n ... -underway/


An interesting take on Minnesota Wolves

More than a decade ago, wolves made a long-awaited, much-heralded return to Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming and to areas of Idaho and Montana.

But they never left Minnesota. Despite being hunted for decades from both air and ground, wolves managed to survive in the still-wild forests and swamps of Northeastern Minnesota’s Superior National Forest. It was there the last viable wolf population in the Lower 48 made a stand, with the assistance of federal protection.

Today, wolves are not just surviving in Minnesota, they’re thriving. In essence, the Minnesota wolf story has come full circle. A journey that started with wolf persecution and extermination before culminating with wolf protection (and reintroduction in the West) is ending with wolf management and control. This is the final, necessary step.

Regarding Minnesota’s and Wisconsin’s wolf hunting (and trapping) seasons, a fact about hunters many don’t know is that no animal species has gone extinct once it has fallen under the auspices of a regulated hunting season.

“We respect wildlife,” Jim Akenson, former executive director of Backcountry Hunters & Anglers, said in a newspaper article in Oregon last year. “On the other hand, we are hunters. We are protective of the resource first but want to be able to harvest the surplus.”

Wolf-lovers, flush with victory after the long, hard struggle to return Canis lupus to its rightful place in North America, may tend to forget that wolf reintroduction is only half the battle. Regulating wolf numbers once they have reestablished healthy, thriving populations (as they have in Minnesota) is the other half. This is necessary if for no other reason than to prevent what wolf biologist Mech so aptly called another wolf backlash. Yes, wolves were unjustly persecuted in the past, but they must be conscientiously managed in the future. This is the only viable solution.

http://www.duluthnewstribune.com/event/ ... id/250644/

[ckkalyan]

Thank you conty1 for starting this edifying thread!

Many thanks to you xl_target for your research, background information and spot on comments (as usual). Made for some excellent reading!

[xl_target]

The season is divided into two parts. The early season and the late season.
The early season is over and some results are in. Of the 400 wolf permits handed out, 147 were taken in the first season. Hunters have done better than expected. The predictions was for hunters to only take about 70 wolves.
I just talked to one hunter today. He said that he heard wolves howling and he called one in with a fawn in distress call. He dispatched it with a .270 Winchester.

Some news stories:

"I think it's the greatest thing ever to stand on the deck of the shack and hear the wolves howling at night. It's pretty awesome to me," he said. "On the other hand, we don't need an overpopulation of wolves in the state of Minnesota. We're not trying to wipe the wolves out. Nobody wants that. We want to reduce the population to what Minnesota can sustain."

Another hunter, Mike Bradburn of Duluth, said having a wolf tag makes sitting in his deer stand a little more exciting. He's frustrated with people who oppose the wolf hunt, saying they don't understand that wolves are killing too many deer.

Hunters take to woods for first wolf season

Gerold headed out to a deer stand in the cold predawn hours of Nov. 7, when he heard a single wolf howling in the distance.

"It was a very foggy, misty morning," Gerold said. "I almost felt like I was in a Sherlock Holmes novel."

Soon, another wolf joined in. Gerold used calls mimicking a fawn in distress. He followed that with some coyote calls. The woodland prey-predator scene was designed to draw the wolves in. Their howling continued for three hours.
Gerold headed out to a deer stand in the cold predawn hours of Nov. 7, when he heard a single wolf howling in the distance.

"It was a very foggy, misty morning," Gerold said. "I almost felt like I was in a Sherlock Holmes novel."

Soon, another wolf joined in. Gerold used calls mimicking a fawn in distress. He followed that with some coyote calls. The woodland prey-predator scene was designed to draw the wolves in. Their howling continued for three hours.

"Then I heard some footsteps coming from behind me from the east, and this wolf came ... real quick, and from the time I saw him to the time I pulled the trigger, it was probably five or 10 seconds," he said. "I just swung around and he was running through, and I shot."
Gerold headed out to a deer stand in the cold predawn hours of Nov. 7, when he heard a single wolf howling in the distance.

"It was a very foggy, misty morning," Gerold said. "I almost felt like I was in a Sherlock Holmes novel."

Soon, another wolf joined in. Gerold used calls mimicking a fawn in distress. He followed that with some coyote calls. The woodland prey-predator scene was designed to draw the wolves in. Their howling continued for three hours.

"Then I heard some footsteps coming from behind me from the east, and this wolf came ... real quick, and from the time I saw him to the time I pulled the trigger, it was probably five or 10 seconds," he said. "I just swung around and he was running through, and I shot."

A single shot to the heart dropped the wolf in its tracks. It was a large male weighing 117 pounds.

Hunters kill more wolves than expected as first phase of season ends


As of yesterday, the late season kill stands at 30, which is significantly slower than the same period in the early season.
However, for most people, deer hunting is done and ther aren't many peopl in the woods right now.
http://www.startribune.com/sports/blogs/180919111.html

[shashankspectral]

"wolf kill too many deers ..." but this is what they are supposed to do......isnt it. Or wolves are eating into hunters share.......

[xl_target]

"wolf kill too many deers ..." but this is what they are supposed to do......isnt it. Or wolves are eating into hunters share.......

Yes to all three, however, if you let it go unchecked, we will see the wolf populations increase till there is not enough deer to feed them all. Then we will see livestock/pet depredations. If that happens, people will start to kill wolves (regulations be damned) and we will face the same problem we had years ago where wolf numbers will decrease to almost nothing.

This boom and bust cycle with predator populations is pretty natural. The scary part is how close they came to extinction in this part of the country.
To avoid that they must be managed. They must not get to the point where they are considered vermin. Keep in mind that Animal Management is a science here in the United States, unlike the guess work done in many other countries. Animal Management has been extremely successful on the North American Continent.