Minnesota Wolf Hunt Obviously a Bad Idea Maureen Hackett / Inforum / January 17, 2015 People on all sides of the wolf hunt issue can agree that the gray wolf population should be protected and managed so it thrives for future generations. That’s why there was broad support to protect Minnesota’s gray wolf when it was on the endangered species list beginning in 1974. In the 40-plus years that followed, we all cheered the gray wolf’s slow but steady comeback to the point that the animal was poised for delisting. But what happened next should concern all of us. In 2012, the same year the animal was delisted, the Minnesota Legislature abandoned an established wolf management plan and a five-year “wait-and-see” moratorium on wolf hunting, instead approving a recreational wolf hunting and trapping season with no public input. Hunting and trapping wolves, it was argued, would be a win-win-win for sportsman, conservationists and farmers alike. The logic was that recreational hunters would enjoy a new game animal and farmers would have fewer (already extremely rare) wolf encounters. Today, as then, we know better. The reality has been a lose-lose-lose as the gray wolf’s fragile recovery in Minnesota is in jeopardy. Last month, the DNR halted the third season abruptly after hunters significantly overshot the wolf harvest target. The truth is nobody really knows Minnesota’s exact wolf population or the impact of hundreds being killed for sport. This led a federal judge, in a recently issued court decision, to place the Minnesota wolf (and other wolves in the Great Lakes Region) back on the Endangered Species List. When you consider what we know about wolf packs and how they respond to artificial management, the folly of our state’s hunting and trapping policy is totally exposed. Unlike deer and other small game hunted in Minnesota, wolves develop highly structured packs. This presents a unique challenge to managing the population because taking out one wolf often upsets the social hierarchy of the entire pack. Last month, Washington State University published its findings after reviewing more than 25 years of wolf management data. The scientific study found that wolf killing, even for livestock conflicts, actually made matters worse. By disrupting the wolves’ packs through killing at random, the surviving members behave less predictably, increasing their range and the frequency of encounters with livestock. So why are we experimenting with Minnesota’s wolves, the only original population remaining in the lower 48 states? As citizens and voters, we must demand a better-informed, proven management plan to support the gray wolf population into the future and plan for smart living with wolves. We know that Minnesotans see the value to having wolves and want them protected for future generations. It is in all of our shared interest to work together on a path forward before it’s too late for Minnesota’s gray wolf.
Posted on: Sun, 18 Jan 2015 19:33:11 +0000
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