outdoors

Well put Dennis! I'm proud to be a hunter AND a conservationist. Growing up in MN in the 60's, deer and bear were scarce, wild turkeys didn't exist and we never saw (or heard) a wolf on our annual trips up north for fishing and hunting. Now deer are like rabbits, turkeys are as far north (at least) as Brainerd and bear and wolves are everywhere where we hunt near Bemidji. While the act of hunting is obviously not good for the individual animal that is harvested, the modern hunter will use their considerable resources to make sure any game animal's overall population is kept high. And the entire species is far better off in the long run.

One thing you overlook, Dennis, wolves were delisted by politicians not wildlife managers. I'm conflicted about this issue. It seems like limited hunting might be ok, but wolf trapping just doesn't sit right with me. Also, you say that we're no longer pursuing our agrarian instinct to eradicate wolves, but that's exactly what the Governor of Idaho vowed to to do. It's also what many (but not most) folks in Northern Minnesota would like to see happen -- total eradication of wolves. Of the contiguous states with established wolf populations (WY, MT, ID, MI, WI, & MN),Minnesota definitely has planned the most sensible hunt after delisting. But considering Montana sold 220 permits for population of 550 wolves, and they can be shot year round in most of the state, that's not saying much. What concerns me is that wolf management is being driven by politics much more than ecology.

bul%&@*. leave the wolves alone!You don't eat them, just some testosterone driven urge to kill something because you can.enough. let God regulate the packs.

I think it is well put, and I'm definitely a supporter of the Leopold philosophy as a conservationist hunter. Interesting about the opponents. The result of the legislative session was the opposite, a little TOO aggressive on the hunt. I liked the original DNR plan, but this one isn't bad. One thing I definitely oppose is the fantasy that some hunters have, largely NE MN residents and a number of GOP lawmakers, that we can radically improve deer hunting by reducing the wolf population. It will be marginal. The areas that are suitable for wolves don't have that great of deer hunting. Wolves do need to be pushed away from livestock and settled areas, and a small reduction in their numbers can marginally help deer hunting. But to drastically improve deer hunting, we would have to do aerial hunts I would oppose, as would the public at large. These acts would be bad for the ecosystem as well by not having predators to keep deer on the move. It would result in overbrowsing in certain areas of the forest.

I personally don't think that enough was permitted.I hunt all over. There are areas up by Talmoon and surrounding area that have minimal Deer from even 5 yrs. ago when it was'nt that easy then. That area could use the wolves down to a small pack and reintroduce some trapped Deer into the area. From what I saw 3 yrs. ago or should I say did'nt see. I would hunt Grouse there but deer, plan on Beef for the year. I would think if our fine DNR, and I mean that, would listen to what locals have to say,instead of the poor little wolf people who think if you kill a fly you need to ask for forgiveness, and don't know the word Ecology means to balance nature and I mean as natural as possible,since many things have changed since Eons ago,that you can't always do it right or should I say nature can't do it the same way, it does'nt matter how it got screwed up we have to deal with realities. So, no matter how much you want the poor little wolf left alone, reality says the Deer need help. We put the wolf back there to help the overbreeding and in-breeding Deer population,it worked.Now the Wolf pack is going to be hurt because there is no Deer to feed them properly, oh what the heck, they'll eat a few Domestic animals and starve, well, at least be under nourished, thats OK because thats the way nature works. SORRY NOT REALITY. Wow,glad to get that off my chest.

Time for the trees in the woods to throw hot lead in the direction of the hunters...I won't weep for the fallen this fall. never mind the inconvenience of "man made" and onesided laws...let's see, maybe the wolf should be less violent in these modern times and visit the local Petsmart for some kibble..sort of like man being "modern" with farming and livestock..

This article is nothing but silly propaganda. The wolf killing season is here simply so that "sportsmen" can kill wolves for fun. There is nothing nobel about this, or pro-wildlife. Why all the lies? What proves that your side is wrong, Dennis, is that you don't have the courage to tell the truth. You and your ilk would garner at least some respect if you admitted that the fun of killing wolves was the reason you support the hunt. Nobody buys the transparent rationalizations. Nobody.

viktorvaughn and puppykirby are 100% wrong. It was activists/lawyers that kept the wolf on the list, not politicians taking it off. The wolf estimate is double what the Endangered Species Act required for the wolf to be "recovered". The population has been that high for what, two decades? Kirby, you'll never have a clue about hunting unless you opened your mind and accompanied an ethical hunter for a weekend. Maybe do a little homework on biology, ecology, and wildlife mgmt in the mean time.

@Windy_Butte: You seem to claim that wolf hunters are good fellows whose chief concern is ethical wildlife management, and by killing wolves they are just doing their part to preserve the species. I claim that people who kill wolves do it because ... wait for it ... they like to kill wolves. Now, when those brave men buy their wolf license this fall, will they kiss their wives goodbye and say, "I'm off to do my part for wildlife management" OR will they say, "make room on the wall,, I'm bringin' home a pelt!"? I think probably the latter.

Windy_Butte is 100% correct. The Endangered Species Act is not designed to protect a species in perpetuity. It has served it's purpose and now the funding is needed for other species at the brink. A hunting season is necessary to supplant the funding from the ESA to continue wolf management. This should be a great day for wolf loving environmentalists! This is a major step for the long term survival of the wolf. When all of the top wolf scientists like L. David Mech and his peers have testified to our politicians that the wolves need to be de-listed and hunted and eco-terrorists still will not budge than I can not help but feel they are not of sound mind and do not understand what conservationism is.