Courtesy of the Department of Natural Resources
A smaller Minnesota wolf population means fewer hunting and trapping
licenses will be available when the wolf season opens Saturday, Nov. 9.
The Department of Natural Resources (DNR) set the statewide target harvest of wolves at 220, 180 fewer than last season.
Starting Thursday, Aug. 1, hunters and trappers could apply for 2,000
early-season and 1,300 late-season licenses. That’s a reduction from
3,600 early-season and 2,400 late-season licenses in 2012.
“The changes are a management response to the most-recent wolf
population estimate,” said Dan Stark, the DNR’s large carnivore
specialist. “As with other game species DNR manages, adjustments are
made to regulate hunting pressure and harvest to ensure long-term
population sustainability and provide hunting and trapping
opportunities.”
Minnesota continues to have the largest wolf population in the lower
48 states. The DNR’s 2013 wolf population survey estimated 2,211 wolves
last winter compared to 2,921 in the winter of 2008. The most-recent
estimate does not include the birth of as many as 2,600 wolf pups this
spring, some of which will survive into winter and be counted in next
year’s population.
“DNR’s population survey confirmed Minnesota’s wolf population
remains firmly established on the landscape,” Stark said. “We can manage
seasons for a sustainable population of wolves like we do for dozens of
other game species.”
The DNR manages wolf harvest, in part, through a system of hunting
zones. The target harvest in the northwest zone is 145, down from 265 in
2012. The target harvest in the northeast zone is 65, down from 133.
The east-central zone target harvest is 10, down from 18. With the
possible exception of the east-central zone, those harvest targets will
be split between the early and late seasons.
Individuals who apply must pay a $4 fee, show proof of a current or
previous hunting license and choose one of three available license
options:
Early season hunting is concurrent with the firearms deer season,
unless a zone closes earlier because the target harvest is met. The
early season runs from Saturday, Nov. 9, through Sunday, Nov. 24, in all
Series 100 deer permit areas and Nov. 9 through Sunday, Nov. 17, in
Series 200 deer permit areas. In the east-central zone, the early season
is scheduled to be a two-day hunt this year, concluding when legal
shooting hours end on Sunday, Nov. 10.
Late season hunting runs from Saturday, Nov. 30, through Friday, Jan.
31, 2014, or when the target harvest is met, whichever occurs earlier.
If the east-central zone’s target harvest is met during the early
season, the late east-central season will not open.
Late season trapping runs from Nov. 30 through Jan. 31, 2014, or when the target harvest is met, whichever occurs earlier.
The statewide bag limit is one wolf and licenses are not zone
specific. Lottery winners will receive a wolf hunting booklet with their
notification.
Wolf licenses cost $30 for residents and $250 for nonresidents. The
early season purchase deadline is Friday, Nov. 1, with surplus licenses
going on sale at noon Wednesday, Nov. 6. The late season purchase
deadline is Friday, Nov. 22, with surplus licenses going on sale at noon
Wednesday, Nov. 27.
The DNR sets wolf seasons and quotas based on long-term
sustainability, as it does with more than 50 other game species,
including many other furbearing mammals. The DNR received strong
direction from the Minnesota Legislature to conduct a wolf season and
manage wolves as a prized and high-value fur species by setting the
season when pelts have value.
DNR’s goal for wolf management, as outlined in the state’s wolf
management plan, is to ensure the long-term survival of the wolf in
Minnesota and resolve conflicts between wolves and humans. The state
wolf management plan includes wolf-specific population and health
monitoring, research, depredation management, public education and law
enforcement efforts.
Additional information about wolves is available online at www.mndnr.gov/wolves
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