Kill them all, there’s a reason out great grandfathers and grandfathers set out to get rid of them…
They also got rid of elk, bison, and caribou. Tried their damndest to get rid of forests and wetlands while turning rivers and the great lakes into cesspools.
Absolutely savage and also incredible generations considering what they accomplished with the tools of the time. Not exactly stewards of the land though
<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Beast wrote:</div>
Kill them all, there’s a reason out great grandfathers and grandfathers set out to get rid of them…They also got rid of elk, bison, and caribou. Tried their damndest to get rid of forests and wetlands while turning rivers and the great lakes into cesspools.
Absolutely savage and also incredible generations considering what they accomplished with the tools of the time. Not exactly stewards of the land though
Yep…the past generations almost wiped a lot of species out. Didn’t make it the right thing to do.
Reading this thread has made me change my stance…I now agree wolves need to be managed but they don’t need to be eradicated.
Is it really wolves the reason you northerners are not seeing deer? Here in SE MN I routinely see 40-50 deer in a 20 acre hayfield across from the Super Target. No wolves here but plenty of Coyotes. I was under the impression that deer do not fair well in the blistering cold and have evolved by migrating further South but what do I know?
Not much of a hunter but I fish a ton and if I want to fish for trophy fish, I have to go North. Maybe you guys should come South if you want deer sticks?
Make ’em a furbearing species and trap them. If you don’t pelt them out wanton waste. Seems fair to me. 15 years ago during an environmental survey class (the one that you take to actually learn to do animal counts) I said to myself if they make it to SW Ottertail County they have reestablished their home range and should be treated as recovered. They pretty much have done that.
It’s quite simple for me the powers that be want wolves. Yet they care less about the burden put on those of us who happen to live where these apex predators have been reintroduced . They make excuses and blame the victims why family pets , or livestock are attacked and savagely killed “you should have built a fence , you should have a guard dog that fights back, should not have moved into an area where they are ! I have had about enough of there bull poop and will do what’s necessary to protect whats mine .
Is it really wolves the reason you northerners are not seeing deer?
It’s not the only reason, but it’s certainly part of it. Claiming there’s no deer up north solely because of wolf predation is a false narrative. But claiming they aren’t playing a role isn’t true either. There needs to be a balance, and right now it seems to favor the predator.
You serious Gitch? Did Bman ever say he knew how many there are? Seems as though he just thinks there are more than enough and they should be hunted. Others on here seem to agree as does the WI and MN DNR.
I’m pointing out the irony in that no one truly knows how many there are (including Bman) yet he can conclude there’s too many. So many in fact, they’re decimating the deer population in northern MN. As others have stated, northern MN has never been great whitetail habitat. Interesting how there’s wolves in other parts of the state and the deer population isn’t teetering on the brink of collapse. And we’re just going to pretend the nasty winters in the arrowhead aren’t contributing to dips in the deer population and it’s solely because of the wolves?
Causation does not imply correlation
Kill them all, there’s a reason out great grandfathers and grandfathers set out to get rid of them…
This has to be satire, right? You can’t possibly think “just because great grandpa Jim Bob shot all the wolves, that we should too!”
Our “great grandfathers” also nearly exterminated numerous species that are greatly protected and desired today.
Bison, sturgeon, cisco, elk, muskox, red fox, tuna, bald eagles, the list goes on and on. This might be the most preposterous thing I’ve heard on this forum in a while.
they’re the wake boat of the woods, they need to be eliminated and turned into coats.
they’re the wake boat of the woods, they need to be eliminated and turned into coats.
Still laughing at the “great grandpa Jim Bob shot all dem der wolves so he musta knew what he was doing and we should do the same” logic. That is pure gold
As many have already said, it’s about balance and management…not eradication.
Wolves “have a place” in the ecosystem but need to be kept in check. I support some type of limited lottery tag/hunt.
If one was physically “in my backyard” near my home as the OP stated, it’d remain in my backyard forever…as in beneath the dirt. If I lived in Northern MN and heard/seen them passing through the general area on occasion I’d also accept that as a way of life.
If one eats Fido, that’s on the pet owner. Just like around here in coyote country…if a few bait a retriever into the field at night and it doesn’t come back…that too is on the owner.
Yes, habitat is very important for a good deer population. But no matter what the habitat is introducing wolves to the area will lower the deer population. As a previous land owner of property in northwestern Wisconsin I have seen what improved habitat can do for deer numbers as well as what happens when wolves move in to your area. With my experiences I can surely relate to the frustration of B-man.
If you read the Minnesota 2023 wolf plan (10 year plan) you will see current population goals that are approx twice as high as the USFWS (federal) goals as well as previous MN population goals. Based on this 2023 plan I do not see any reduction management happening in MN no matter what if anything happens with the USFWS and/or courts.
Causation does not imply correlation
You reversed the order of words here. It’s correlation does not equal causation.
If you read the Minnesota 2023 wolf plan (10 year plan) you will see current population goals that are approx twice as high as the USFWS (federal) goals as well as previous MN population goals. Based on this 2023 plan I do not see any reduction management happening in MN no matter what if anything happens with the USFWS and/or courts.
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If you read the 2023 WI DNR wolf plan(167 pages) there is no mention of wolf population goals. The population will be monitored.???
The current DNR estimate on the wolf population is somewhere between 812 and 1192 in 288 packs with 4.1 wolves per pack. That comes out to 1180 (288×4.1=1180.8)wolves. Then you read another section and their best guess is 970 wolves. Their math doesn’t work like I was taught in school. 
The current DNR estimate on the wolf population is somewhere between 812 and 1192 in 288 packs with 4.1 wolves per pack. That comes out to 1180 (288×4.1=1180.8)wolves. Then you read another section and their best guess is 970 wolves. Their math doesn’t work like I was taught in school.
Statistics is hard 
<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>FinnyDinDin wrote:</div>
You serious Gitch? Did Bman ever say he knew how many there are? Seems as though he just thinks there are more than enough and they should be hunted. Others on here seem to agree as does the WI and MN DNR.I’m pointing out the irony in that no one truly knows how many there are (including Bman) yet he can conclude there’s too many. So many in fact, they’re decimating the deer population in northern MN. As others have stated, northern MN has never been great whitetail habitat. Interesting how there’s wolves in other parts of the state and the deer population isn’t teetering on the brink of collapse. And we’re just going to pretend the nasty winters in the arrowhead aren’t contributing to dips in the deer population and it’s solely because of the wolves?
I made a similar point.
I don’t think the dnr has any idea how many we have. My guess is their estimates are low.
You never answered the question. Are you opposed to a wolf hunting and trapping season to manage their population?
You can’t kill them all , look at the coyote population !
You can’t kill them all , look at the coyote population !
How many people do you know that still hunt coyotes? I dont know anyone personally who actively targets them. THey will take the opportunity to shoot one if the chance comes up however.
<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Don Meier wrote:</div>
You can’t kill them all , look at the coyote population !How many people do you know that still hunt coyotes? I dont know anyone personally who actively targets them. THey will take the opportunity to shoot one if the chance comes up however.
There are many groups in my area that hunt coyotes all winter with dogs problem is once you get closer too town they can’t use the dogs and coyotes are difficult to hunt without dogs. You can get a couple but they get smart quick.
My uncle used to trap coyotes and I always worried about my dog getting in a trap pheasant hunting. Now he is to old and the coyotes are terrible.
Michael Best on this forum hunts them in SD.
Predator hunting has its following like anything else, its just not as popular as hunting big game or birds.
The Coyotes are intense at my buddy’s ranch in TX. Buggers are smart as heck and you rarely see them, but you sure hear them. He actually has a litter of pups that appear crossed with a dog that have a den about 150 yards from his camper. We actually saw 3 of them when I was there and two of them look like a cross with a german shephard. One of them walked right up to my buddy and didnt appear to even know he was there. Beautiful blue eye on one side. His nephew wants to catch one and keep it. LOL
I know a few people in sourthern mn that shot over 200 one fall in an area and they still have them.
<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Don Meier wrote:</div>
You can’t kill them all , look at the coyote population !How many people do you know that still hunt coyotes? I dont know anyone personally who actively targets them. THey will take the opportunity to shoot one if the chance comes up however.
Lots of guys in my area are coyote hunters.
I know a few people in sourthern mn that shot over 200 one fall in an area and they still have them.
That is impressive!
I was under the impression that deer do not fair well in the blistering cold and have evolved by migrating further South but what do I know?
As others have stated, northern MN has never been great whitetail habitat.
Not sure where you guys are getting this BS from, but woods intermixed with lakes and rivers is actually ideal WTD habitat. Particularly if it’s getting logged regularly, like most of Northern MN is. People also travel from all over the world to White Tail deer hunt in Saskatchewan and Ontario, which are also cold and similar habitat. They do hunt wolves there however, and while I don’t solely blame wolves for Northern MN, they are one of the main causes in both WTD and Moose population declines. My ask, again, is for the DNR to give us an accurate estimate, an accurate range, and to work to reinstate a wolf hunt managed by the DNR. There is 0% chance of any of those with Walz, Pledge allegiance to the Tribe and Wolf Peggy and Strommen in charge.
Not sure where you guys are getting this BS from, but woods intermixed with lakes and rivers is actually ideal WTD habitat. Particularly if it’s getting logged regularly, like most of Northern MN is.
https://www.timberjay.com/stories/changing-habitat-a-major-factor-in-the-decline-of-deer,22148
If its such ideal habitat, why were there no whitetail in our region 120 years ago until logging significantly changed the habitat?
I believe Grouse chimed in earlier in this thread that originally, the native big game in northern MN was the woodland caribou (and maybe the moose?). Not whitetail deer.
If its such ideal habitat, why were there no whitetail in our region 120 years ago until logging significantly changed the habitat?
Whitetails were never really in the ag zone until they adapted to be there. Deer have always been in the northwoods, not in the numbers they have been in recently, but they were not always present in other parts of the state.
Whitetails were never really in the ag zone until they adapted to be there. Deer have always been in the northwoods, not in the numbers they have been in recently, but they were not always present in other parts of the state.
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