Currently in Northern Minnesota along with parts of northern Wisconsin wolves are beginning to become somewhat of a problem for some landowners. While they are protected many people may not know that when wolves become a problem to a landowner by killing livestock trappers from the USDA are called in to take care of problem wolves. While depredation is not a serious issue yet with only minor occurrences happening on a grand scale it is something that could become a problem if the wolf population continues to grow.
I believe that in Minnesota the time has come to allow the MN Department of Natural Resources to begin managing the wolves. Currently wolves are still considered threatened in Minnesota and managed under the US Fish and Wildlife Service due to the endangered species act. Recent estimates show that there is probably somewhere around 3,000 wolves in the state. Also along with the transfer of management to the DNR you would not be allowed to hunt or trap wolves for 5 years, to monitor the growth of the population. This is a great thing in that it could help some people who are on the fence about delisting the wolves in Minnesota to realize that they will not be hunted for some time.
Some of the things that could be done differently by the state would be eventually to open up a hunting season on wolves. It would not have to be anything drastic, just something to keep the numbers in check. This would allow for increased revenue in the case of licenses, travel, food, etc. Economically it would be a lot better to open up a hunting season instead of having tax payer dollars spent on federal trappers going in and removing wolves. Many people in northern Minnesota also believe that the increase in the wolf population is having a direct effect on the deer hunting in their areas. Even when I lived there I heard many rumors of people who claimed to have poached wolves so that they would quit killing their deer. While I don’t know if these are true or not, I am sure some wolves are poached each year. Many people feel that the government is not doing enough to keep wolf numbers at a reasonable amount, and a hunting season may reduce the amount of unnecessary killing by recognizing that there is a season, and the wolves are being managed.
Hopefully soon the state and the federal government can decide on what is right for the wolves. The unnecessary spending of taxpayer dollars to take care of problem wolves should be reduced and people be allowed to harvest wolves. It makes a lot of sense for the state to allow people to hunt the revenue brought in from a wolf season would help with wolf research and other projects. As well, it might deter people from poaching wolves if they know that there is a season and that the wolves are being maintained at healthy levels. To conclude, I believe the federal government should hand management of the wolves back over to the state of Minnesota, and when the state feels the time is right they should open up a hunting season.
2 comments:
I think that the wolves are becoming more populated, but there should be no reason for wolves to be hunted yet. Once the populations reach a higher level then the populations can be managed. I think that managing by a season is a better idea than using tax payer money to fund the project.
I think that wolves should be taken off the list because I believe their population is high enough to do so. I don't think that it will happen because there are a lot of activist groups out there with money to fight it. If wolves are unlisted it will put a lot of pressure on states to open hunting seasons and this will cause more controversy. No matter what happens, half of the people will be mad.
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