Timber Wolves & Bonus Deer Tags $$$

[bogwalker]

Recently there was a discussion on another forum about the release of timber wolves in areas where they had not been previously introduced in Minnesota in an attempt to expand their range. The author maintained that there was political pressure to reduce the deer population in order to reduce deer vs. vehicle collisions pushed by insurance company lobbyists. This sounded pretty far out there to me. Then I started thinking about all the bonus deer tags in managed areas when the deer population (at least in my area) is so low.

[Big Buck Buster]

Maybe instead of bringing in Wolves, they could tranquilize a lot of the deer, and put them in areas that have lower deer populations. First test the deer that were shot for CWD, then release them in other areas. Just a thought, and don't know if it would work or not.

[tweedlap]

Is it true that for each wolve harvested your party gets two bonus tags?

tweed

[picksbigwagon]

The DNR is not releasing timberwolves in the state of minnesota to control the deer population. Every fall this topic comes up and it is not true.

[bogwalker]

The DNR is not releasing timberwolves in the state of minnesota to control the deer population. Every fall this topic comes up and it is not true.

It sounds pretty far out there to me but you sound as though you know this for a fact. How do you know?

[Gofishleech]

I have heard this for years and have no proof its true but I do know there are more and more spoted around where I hunt all the time. I know a group of hunters that have allot of private land that was a deer haven. Now there are 1/2 dozen wolves around that they have seen and hardly any deer.

Bogwalker's post does not sound that far fetched to me. Deer acidents costs insurence companies lots of money and they have lot of money to loby with, so who knows. Sounds like maybe picksbigwagon has proof other wise??

The deer heard in my area is way down and is now a lotery area. I do think around here it was the years of bonus tags that have depleted the deer heard. Groups of 10 or so hunters takeing 40 deer and there are many of those groups.

Also for my opinion, I am a deer hunter and dont want the wolves around. I dont care how they got here but would like to see them gone!!

[Bear55]

I'd say its more likely the wolf population has grown right along with the deer population over the past 15 years and they are expanding their territory further south on their own. People then see them and jump to conclusions.

[InTheNorthwoods]

I don't know, I have it on pretty good authority from a guy who I know has a good friend who works with the MN DNR who posted on a different hunting message board that the MN DNR borrowed ND Game and Fish's trailer that they used to release mountain lions in ND. MN DNR used it to carry timber wolves from northern MN to regions in the state further south. It just so happened that one of the mountain lions from ND had stayed in the trailer unknowingly to the MN DNR and ND Game and Fish. When the MN DNR was releasing a pack of wolves around the Bemidji area from the trailer, the mountain lion got out and had been living in Bemidji until it got hit by a car last week. I heard that the MN DNR has been releasing wolves using that trailer for at least the last 3 years.

[FishingWebGuy]

Last weekend one of the locals in our hunting area told us that the DNR released, I think he said 13 wolves, on the road leading to the area we hunt.

I don't know if it's true or not but each morning you could tell from the howling there are a lot of them up there.

[Muskie456]

I was talking to a DNR guy in Lake county and not this spring but the the spring of 08 they lost 80% of their fawns to pneumonia. I think that was the case in a lot of northern mn with how wet and cold that spring was. Sure woved eat deer but can't hold a candle to what the weather can do to those fawns.

For the record I do feel MN is covered up in wolves and could handle them being hunted on a permit basis.

[lichen fox]

It's so sad to think that with all the money we give to the DNR that they can't afford thier own trailer and have to borrow one from North Dakota....I live about 35 miles from the edge of prime wolf range...Grygla, Beltrami Forest area....In our area wolf sightings were rare a few years back...I've hunted bears in the Beltrami Forest area for about 20 years and a few years back...man for the deer you'd see...and alot of wolf scat too....then a couple of really tough winters and we'd see hardly any deer or wolf scat for that matter while bear hunting...the wolf had nothing to eat in the forest...so, where did they end up...about 35 to 60 miles west...we started seeing them all the time...deer hunting, varmint hunting in the winter...and alot of them have never migrated back...why should they? They've got more than enough to eat where they are now...and as for our local deer population, I haven't really noticed a reduction in numbers...the only thing I will say is when we've chased one or more wolves out on a deer drive, there were no deer in that chunk...but you could do another drive a quarter mile away and there were a bunch of deer that would come out...deer will avoid wolves when they know they are present...but I don't believe the Dnr is "planting" them anywhere...it's more than likely just normal migration in search of a viable food source...Collared bears have been known to roam up to 150 miles a year in search of food, and I don't doubt that wolves and other preditors would do the same....hey, you gotta eat!

[tedl]

Anyone hear about the reintroduction of Grizzlies in the BWCAW?

[Jmnhunter]

all Myths, the DNR secretly releasing wolves or lions into northern MN, thats funny.

according to a recent KFAN outdoors interview with one of MN's DNR biologists, they had a Q&A about management strategies and the insurance companies have NOTHING to do with DNR's management strategy, that is another Myth he said they get alot of questions about. I'll try to dig up the interview...

[lichen fox]

hunter...Surely you can't believe anything you hear on KFAN

tedl...I was up there last week bear hunting and had a grizzly come into my bait...I took him out, so there's probably not any more grizzlies in that area...

[Musky Buck]

The lower deer numbers in my area reflect the growing numbers of rifle hunters and muzzy hunters. Instead of a 2 day zone 4A season many have 25 days with gun in hand and people are more willing to take any deer than hold out hope for a buck. 5 deer area/early doe season/somewhat tough stretches of winter/efficient farming/tilling and cold damp spring when the fawns are born and other factors like loss of habitat etc. Now, we have wolves in town and the locals are talking more about it each year. But, 5 years ago everyone talked about having so many deer around we need to harvest more baldies so we did now they wished there were more of them around.

[tedl]

hunter...Surely you can't believe anything you hear on KFAN

tedl...I was up there last week bear hunting and had a grizzly come into my bait...I took him out, so there's probably not any more grizzlies in that area...

The Grizzlies have been implanted with tracking devices, and black unmarked helicopters will find you.

[JMANN]

It is also a possibilty that we introduced a non-native species to control our deer herd that has taken over our woodlands....it is called....CHUPACABRA! Let's be realistic here huh?

[bogwalker]

The area I hunt is a managed bonus tag area. It has been for several years. Last deer season our group of 4 did not see a single deer. This summer I saw one deer where we have seen many deer in the past.

[BigWadeS]

there always have been and always will be wolves in Minnesota and yes mountain lions. I find it hard to believe that they have reduced the deer herd that much, how about the fact that there are so many zones and areas that allow 2 or 5 deer per hunter. Maybe those who don't see deer, they know where not to be as opposed to where they used to go and got shot at.

[CatchPhotoFilet]

Wolves without a doubt effect deer herds. I hunt in northern minnesota where wolves are abundant and can be heard howling almost every night. After a deer is shot we have to take the remains far away from out hunting location so the wolves dont invade over night. When the wolves are abundant you might as well not even bother sitting in a deer stand cause you will see nothing!

[BigWadeS]

I disagree with that. I hunt in northern Mn as well and hear the wolves and hear them at dusk as well. We have seen wolves run through the woods while in our deer stands and have seen deer before and after that as well. I am not saying they don't effect the population of deer, but there are many many more factors then just wolves that are effecting the deer herd in many areas.

[bogwalker]

I live in and hunt in timber wolf country. This year will be my 42nd season deer hunting. The soonest you will see deer after seeing timber wolves in the same area is about 3 days, at least, probably a week or more. My friend found a doe and her fawn in his field that were killed by Timber Wolves. There was fresh snow on the ground so he followed them on his snowmobile. In less than 5 miles the timber wolves killed 23 deer. They ate a few bites off each deer and moved on after other deer.