ST. PAUL— Three northeastern Minnesota lawmakers have introduced bipartisan legislation that would require the Department of Natural Resources to implement an open season on gray wolves in the state once the species is delisted as threatened in Minnesota.
Rep. Dave Lislegard, DFL-Aurora, Rep. Roger Skraba, R-Ely, were two of the three co-authors of the bill, HF 3903, which would also establish a northeast deer management task force by Oct. 1 of this year and would require the DNR to work with the task force to develop policies and law changes designed to increase the white-tailed deer population in the Arrowhead. The task force would be comprised of individuals who live or “operate” within the region and calls for membership to include hunters, wildlife managers, tribal members, a representative from the Minnesota Deer Hunters Association, or MDHA, and other interested parties.
DFL Sen. Grant Hauschild, of Hermantown, is the chief author of a companion bill, SF 3988, in the Minnesota Senate. Hauschild introduced the measure late last month and it has since been referred to the Senate Environment, Climate, and Legacy committee. To date, no hearings have been set on the legislation in either body.
MDHA Executive Director Jared Mazurek lauded the legislation. “There is no denying that northern Minnesota’s deer population is declining,” he said. “These bills provide a common-sense solution to one of the many factors contributing to this decline: predation. While there are a number of natural predators of the white-tailed deer, including bears, coyotes, bobcats, and wolves, the gray wolf is currently the only species we do not actively manage.”
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service set a wolf recovery goal at 1,251-1,400 wolves, a target that was surpassed decades ago. The DNR expanded that goal to 1600 wolves, yet current estimates put the Minnesota wolf population at 2700-2900 wolves, which comprises about half of the entire wolf population in the Lower 48 states. “The Minnesota wolf is more than fully recovered and active wolf management must resume as soon as possible,” said Mazurek.