The Outdoors

By Scott Rall, Outdoors Columnist

If you want to start a conversation that has the greatest chance of going sour all you need to do is to start asking people about wolves in Minnesota. When you live where I live, which in the south west part of the state, there are no wolves to be concerned about. If you are a livestock producer in the northern part of the state it is a totally different matter.

There has never been a species in this state, or any other state for that matter, that has gotten more attention than wolves. Even when the moose population in Minnesota fell to less then 50% of what it was in only a few short years it garnered much less attention than wolves whose populations are growing over management goals. In my opinion both of these species are the king of their respective worlds.

Wolves have been the subject of more legal attention and action than all of the other species combined over the past 30 years. Wolves were added to the endangered species list many decades ago after they were just about decimated over much of their original range. Many thought the only good wolf was a dead one. I believe that at one time in Minnesota the total number of wolves was less than 300.

After the addition of federal protection for wolves via the endangered species listing, it was determined that the wolf population would be considered stable and recovered when their numbers reached 1,600 animals across the state. This happened many years ago.

As the goal on wolf numbers had been reached, they no longer needed federal protection. By removing them from the endangered species list their management would then fall back to the state’s natural resources departments. It would then be up to those state wildlife professionals to manage wolves in a way that their numbers would be managed but not to the detriment of the species overall. These state management strategies include limited wolf hunting and trapping. When Minnesota had its first wolf hunt, after delisting, more than a decade ago, wolf numbers in Minnesota were estimated to be about 2,500-2,800. Today that number is estimated to be about 2,400. Remember the species was considered recovered then they hit the 1,600 mark.

Fast forward from the delisting date and wolves have been added, removed then added and the removed again about 10 times. All of this flip flop was a result of judicial action by many different judges in faraway states determining that someone had dropped the ball along the way and that wolves were in danger of again being decimated. There are fierce defenders of wolves and just as many others who think their numbers need to be managed just like any other species in the state, much like deer are.

I don’t really have a dog in this fight but I certainly hate judges making the rules and not state wildlife agency professionals. Wolves are expanding their ranges and they are getting less and less afraid of humans. I saw a doorbell cam of two Labradors sitting on their owners front porch when one, then three, then five wolves appeared and killed both dogs within 15 feet of the front door. It was hard to watch and I can only imagine waking up with nothing but a few bones left of what were your hunting dogs the day before.

Minnesota just floated a bill in this years legislative session that would prohibit the hunting or trapping of wolves even if they are again delisted. Even if their populations were twice the number they are today. What a short-sighted action this is. Name one creature in the continent of North America that is not managed to sustain and protect it but at the same time keeping their numbers in a range that meets the needs and desires of those state’s citizens. Those clamoring for more wolves probably don’t have to deal with the loss of their pets or livestock.

There is no doubt that wolves in Minnesota are iconic animals. There is also no doubt that the deer hunting heritage in our great state supports lots of jobs and industries. Many reports from hunters show lots of wolf sightings and little to no deer sightings at all.

There has to be a balance and all methods of achieving that balance need to be on the table for wildlife agencies to use if and when they need to. Visiting wolf territory in Minnesota is a beautiful place. Just make sure that your dogs are on a leash and your livestock is protected. I certainly hope we can balance between the only good wolf is a dead one and those who think wolves should be left to do what nature intended them to do with no population management whatsoever.

I think trying to find the perfect wolf population is going to be harder than getting a camel through the eye of a needle.

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If you have any questions, reach out to me at scottarall@gmail.com.