Dave Lislegard

REGIONAL— State Rep. Dave Lislegard, DFL-Aurora, is advocating for a managed wolf hunt in Minnesota as soon as federal protections are lifted on the once-threatened predator. The gray wolf was delisted by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in 2019, but a federal judge in California reversed that decision last year after finding that the federal agency had failed to fully consider the implications of its de-listing.
In Lislegard’s recent newsletter to constituents, he said he’ll be reaching out to Minnesota’s federal delegation to push for a federal law to de-list the gray wolf. Lislegard said an over-abundance of wolves has been negatively affecting the deer population in northern Minnesota, which he blames for another year of declining deer registrations during the fall hunt.
“In fact, the DNR reports that we saw another 17 percent reduction in northern Minnesota in 2023 after an already low 2022 season,” wrote Lislegard. “The truth is these declines are happening for a reason and it is because there are fewer and fewer deer to harvest due to the out-of-control gray wolf population. Not only that, but the wolves are wreaking havoc on our communities by attacking family dogs and livestock. You need not look far to hear yet again about another recent wolf attack.”
In addition to seeking a change in federal law Lislegard said he’ll continue to support state legislation to reinstate a managed wolf hunt in Minnesota if and when the gray wolf is de-listed. “I will continue to fight for this legislation and push back against a wolf hunting ban at the state level,” he said.
Lislegard said the state also needs to be pro-active in developing ways to foster the white-tailed deer population in northern Minnesota and called for the creation of a task force made up of hunters, wildlife managers, and other stakeholders to explore means of rebuilding the deer population in northern Minnesota.