The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources will allow 180 less wolves to be killed during the 2013 hunting season than last year.
The new quota was announced after the DNR said earlier this month that Minnesota’s wolf population had declined by about 25 percent in the past five years.
“The changes are a management response to the most-recent wolf population estimate,” said Dan Stark, the DNR’s large carnivore specialist, in a news release. “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.”
The DNR manages the hunt in two ways: hunting permits and harvest quotas. Hunters with permits must check in each day before hunting to confirm the quota in their region has not yet been met. The number of permits has been reduced from 6,000 in 2012 to 3,300 this year, while the statewide quota has been reduced from 400 to 220.
Hunters can apply for a permit starting this Thursday, August 1st.
