Area residents asked Hubbard County commissioners to pass a resolution supporting the delisting of gray wolves from the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and implementing a wolf hunting and trapping season in Minnesota.
Cal Johannsen of Lake George, Jason Kilanowski of Laporte and Allen Lysdahl of Wadena spoke at the Tuesday, March 5 county board meeting.
They asked the board to send a letter to U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) and U.S. Rep. Pete Stauber (R-Minn.).
The Hubbard County Board agreed to add the topic to their Tuesday, March 12 work session agenda.
Hunters blame wolves for lack of deer and moose
Kilanowski bought property in Hubbard County in 2008, retiring in April 2023.
“Since April, I’ve seen 15 deer, total, around my property. The property was bought for deer hunting,” he said. “My kids don’t come up hunting anymore. There’s no deer. There’s wolves.”
Kilanowski said he can’t walk his dog on his property because of wolves.
“I’ve had deer killed within 30 yards of the house from wolves. There’s tracks all over the place.”
Kilanowski said he’s talked to grouse hunters, deer hunters and others who have “massive issues” with wolves.
Lysdahl was a forester in Hubbard County for 25 years.
“I’ve watched the wolf population grow and grow exponentially. I’ve also seen the deer population decrease at the same rate. This is an issue that’s bigger than Hubbard County,” he said.
Lysdahl hunts bobcats in Hubbard County, adding he’s lost two dogs to wolves. He knows other dog owners who have had “big vet bills” due to injuries.
“One of the biggest things is the moose issue. The moose population is in dire straits. They’re on the verge of being extirpated in Minnesota,” he said. “The DNR will blame it on several different things, like climate change, deer ticks, brainworm. But one of the only things we can really do something about is controlling the wolf population. Wolves kill moose. Period.”
Rancher says wolves are eating calves
Johannsen, a former county commissioner, said, “I think something needs to start at the local level in order to get to the federal issue, which is wolf control. In the past two years, I’ve lost 25 head of calves to the wolves. Can’t prove it, so they won’t do anything because you won’t find nothing.”
Johannsen said he’s seen a pack of 15 wolves on his property.
“You used to drive around and see hundreds of deer in the evening. Now, you might see three or four,” he continued. “There aren’t any deer, so they’re eating our calves.”
Johannsen recounted a story about 14 calves that went missing on leased pasture in Rockwood Township.
“They couldn’t find hide nor hair of them. Well, they (wolves) clean them up overnight. They eat the whole thing,” he said. “So the feds say they can’t do anything because there’s no evidence.”
Wolf management bills introduced in Minnesota
In February, State Rep. Dave Lislegard (DFL-Aurora) introduced
. This bill mandates an open wolf season – once the gray wolf is federally delisted – and establishes the Northeast Deer Management Taskforce to develop “effective and timely policies to increase deer populations in the northeastern part of the state.” The bill is co-authored by Rep. Roger Skraba (R-Ely) and Rep. Brian Johnson (R-Cambridge).
The companion bill in the Senate,
, was authored by State Sen. Grant Hauschild (DFL-Hermantown).
In a news release, Jared Mazurek, executive director of the Minnesota Deer Hunters Association, says, “There is no denying that northern Minnesota’s deer population is declining. 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.”
Mazurek continues, “The target recovery number for wolves in Minnesota was set by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service at 1,251 to 1,400 wolves. . . Current estimates put the Minnesota wolf population at 2,700 to 2,900 wolves, approximately half of the entire population in the contiguous U.S. The Minnesota wolf is more than fully recovered and active wolf management must resume as soon as possible.”
Minnesota DNR wolf management
The DNR recently hosted webinars about ”
” and ”
,” as part of its Minnesota Outdoor Skills and Stewardship Series.
Answers to common questions are provided at
https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/MNDNR/bulletins/38da8d0
.
The DNR aims to maintain a wolf population between 2,200 to 3,000 wolves, as outlined in Minnesota’s wolf management plan (
). This plan was finalized in 2022.
During the winter of 2022-23, the DNR estimates there were a total of 631 wolf packs in Minnesota.
“After accounting for the assumed 15% lone wolves in the population, we estimate the 2022-23 mid-winter wolf population to be 2,919 wolves, or 3.95 wolves per 100 square kilometers of occupied range,” states the
.
“If the population estimate exceeds 3,000 over multiple, consecutive years and public concerns about negative impacts attributable to wolves increase,” the DNR says it will provide an opportunity for public input on wolf management to determine next steps.
More information may be found at
https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/wolves/index.html
.
Stability in Minnesota’s moose population
According to the DNR, Minnesota’s moose population has “remained relatively stable for nearly a decade. The most recent population estimate is approximately 3,470 animals, according to the results of the Minnesota DNR’s 2024 population survey.”
“Results continue to suggest that, after a steep decline from a population estimate of approximately 8,000 in 2009, Minnesota’s moose population appears to have stabilized and has fluctuated around 3,700 animals in recent years,” said a March 7 news release.
“While estimates suggest continued stability in the population and reproductive success, DNR researchers point out that Minnesota moose remain at risk, given the long-term trends. Presently, the long-term survey trends indicate the moose population has declined approximately 60% since the mid-2000s. Climate change, parasites and predator impacts on calf survival all play a part in the long-term survival of the moose population.”
