UNBELIEVABLE!!!!!!!!!!

[NoWiser]

Buck, when we lose our wolf season entirely in this state, I'll be sure to thank people like you. Posting videos like that will turn a lot more non-wolf hunters into anti-wolf hunters than the other way around. I don't think people understand how fragile our wolf hunt is. Just ask the people in California who used to be able to hunt lions and no longer can, or who used to run hounds for bears and no longer can. If you think that can't happen in Minnesota with wolves, you are sadly mistaken. There are a TON of people in the metro who don't have an opinion either way on wolf hunting. I've worked hard since I shot my wolf explaining to people that the population is healthy and that a controlled hunting season can actually benefit the wolves in the long run. One "kill them all" video posted by "hunters" can permanently turn them not only into anti-wolf hunters, but anti hunters in general.

[leech~~]

Ding Ding Ding!!! We have a winner. The voice of reason has spoken, and I am right behind you Esox!

The wolves are getting a few of the moose. We know that. That's NORMAL! But our moose were dropping by alarming numbers way before wolves were a real threat. It's NOT a waste of money to try and figure out why. End of conversation. Cut, wrap, tape the can!

Hey Ding Dong, I never said that I didn’t want yet another study done. The charts above evidently must have had to come from some study that they had already done. The more the merrier. The point that I was making is that if they do not find the issue soon and the animals go away, so will the Hunters and the billons they spend on fees and the hunting industry and the money to do studies.

I personally emailed the DNR last year to suggest that if they do not have the Large animal skills in our Wildlife group to solve the Moose issue. That maybe they contact Maine, Newfoundland, Canada or maybe Finland to ask for some help!

We must increase the Calving rate if the herd is going to survive and it’s hard to do that if something is munching on them as soon as the hit the ground!

[smsmith]

Apparently MN is a leading research area for Moose. I was told from a high ranking MDHA officer that even Sweden (shoots about 100K moose annually...population of 300- 400K) is sending researchers here to work with MN researchers. I know...it was a surprise to me too

[rockman]

Ding Ding Ding!!! We have a winner. The voice of reason has spoken, and I am right behind you Esox!

The wolves are getting a few of the moose. We know that. That's NORMAL! But our moose were dropping by alarming numbers way before wolves were a real threat. It's NOT a waste of money to try and figure out why. End of conversation. Cut, wrap, tape the can!

Funny you posted that Canopy, considering the area of MN where you are at, and having seen the same things I have in the Red River Valley, for years. Did I mention the Red River Valley in my previous reply? Yep, I did. But as per the usual here in the deer hunting forum, some have their minds made up based on emotional agenda(s), and then post an opinion on that. Maybe, just maybe, the ever increasing coyote population might be contributing to predation on fawns in NW MN, as well. But the flavor of the moment here is the timber wolf. Same song, nth verse. Carry on.

[Todd Caswell]

Buck, when we lose our wolf season entirely in this state, I'll be sure to thank people like you. Posting videos like that will turn a lot more non-wolf hunters into anti-wolf hunters than the other way around. I don't think people understand how fragile our wolf hunt is. Just ask the people in California who used to be able to hunt lions and no longer can, or who used to run hounds for bears and no longer can. If you think that can't happen in Minnesota with wolves, you are sadly mistaken. There are a TON of people in the metro who don't have an opinion either way on wolf hunting. I've worked hard since I shot my wolf explaining to people that the population is healthy and that a controlled hunting season can actually benefit the wolves in the long run. One "kill them all" video posted by "hunters" can permanently turn them not only into anti-wolf hunters, but anti hunters in general.

Very good post, the whole time this debate has been going on your hunt and picture has come to mind very classy.. Iv'e said it a hundred times befor I personally have no desire to shoot a wolf but I'm glad that there are people enjoying the opportunity for the right reasons with an ethical approach. I'm planning on snowshoeing back into the area I seen the pack last spring this weekend, will be interesting to see what there doing to the deer herd.

From what I have read the decline in the moose herd certainly isn't isolated to MN, I'm not a Global warming freak but climate change could be a big part of it.

[SmellEsox]

Here's an article from the Wildlife Manangement Institute:

http://www.wildlifemanagementinstitute.org/index.php?option=com_content&id=643:states-initiating-research-on-moose-declines&catid=34:ONB%20Articles&Itemid=54

[Musky Buck]

No doubt you can kill and sell the moose in Sweden and can bring about 1,700 bucks. 42 people killed, 2000 injured in the past 5 years there. If you stagger one with your vehicles hunters can track it down and kill it actually have to go after it I think. So, is there a predator there like bear or wolf and was it 15% of Sweden lies in the Arctic circle so heat here in tougher summers isn't helping, do these Swedish moose carry ticks and a like tick to what MN moose carries ? You would almost think disease or mother nature would kick in at some point with what they say is happening to their forests and moose numbers hence why they want to dust 50K calves and adults there, hey maybe send em over like 25 head, fence off an area and see if they croak here, collar em up just the Swedish moose and we'll get an update maybe lol , if our moose are going going gone anyway, shouldn't matter idk ? It's kinda to the scary part here now that wolf numbers are higher than our current moose numbers with black bears in the mix, can a black bear take down an adult moose ? If not then they do in lots of calves as they are roaming around after a long winters snooze covering maybe a lot of miles with a great sense of smell and no acorns,berries,corn, etc they're hungry at calving time bigtime, idk and the wolf is polishing off many of the adults since deer numbers are low and running around chasing deer I'd rather wait on a moose too for nibblies. Crazy stuff.

[Musky Buck]

Another goofy thought from me, remember the deer seasons of like the mid-90's ? T-Shirt weather, etc. and many have been medium mild since then also, when does a moose start or put on it's winter coat ? Is that temperature dictated or time of year/length of day ? If the LQP geese are 4-6 weeks behind what was once like clockwork normal could a moose become quite stressed if it's still so mild yet having it's winter coat on ? idk lol I'm grabbing at straws that I can't reach lol.