A bill to be introduced in the Minnesota House would open Minnesota’s first wolf hunting season at the same time as the state’s firearms deer hunting season.
The StarTribune has the story HERE.
Although the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources has proposed a wolf hunting season that would commence after the November firearms deer season, a bill to be sponsored by Representative Tom Hackbarth, a Republican from Cedar, would start the seasons simultaneously. The bill would also lower the permit fee for wolf hunting and trapping to $26 rather than the DNR’s proposed $50 fee.
The bill would still use a lottery for awarding wolf hunting permits and limit the hunt to 400 wolves. The bill is expected to be posted by Wednesday and debated in committee on Thursday.
The federal government removed wolves in Minnesota from the endangered species list last month, returning responsibility for managing them to the state. Minnesota’s wolf population is estimated at roughly 3,000 animals.
The DNR’s comprehensive Wolf Management Plan can be found HERE.