The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has been informed that a petition for review was filed today with the Minnesota Court of Appeals in an attempt to stop the state’s upcoming wolf hunting and trapping season. The agency and the Office of the Attorney General have not been served with or reviewed the petition and have no comment on this legal proceeding.
However, the DNR has stated in the past that the current season poses no biological or conservation threat to the wolf population.
“The DNR recognizes there is a wide range of opinions toward wolf hunting and trapping, but all Minnesotans should know the DNR’s primary wolf management goal is to ensure the long-term survival of the wolf,” said DNR Commissioner Tom Landwehr. “The DNR’s conservative approach to this first season is based on sound conservation science and principles.”
While recently removed from the federal threatened list, Minnesota’s wolf population has been recovered since the 1990s and stable for more than a decade.
The state’s wolf population of about 3,000 is thriving and can sustain a hunting and trapping season consistent with the mission of the DNR for the participation of those interested in hunting and trapping opportunities similar to other managed wildlife.
The agency is taking a conservative approach to its inaugural season, with a quota of 400 wolves. The agency developed the wolf hunting and trapping season using data and research collected and developed over decades by top wolf experts and wildlife managers.
In addition to receiving public input on the season, the DNR received strong direction from the Minnesota Legislature, which held hearings on the proposed season.
“The Legislature, which represents all Minnesotans, had a wide-ranging discussion of the wolf season,” Landwehr said. “It is our job to implement the season in a manner that sustains the population for the long term.”
To learn more about wolf management and read Frequently Ask Questions about the season, go to www.dnr.state.mn.us/mammals/wolves/mgmt.html.