Work hard developing hunting land – 500 acres of big deer, grouse and some bears. Great cover.
1.) Food Plots
2.) Cover
3.) Winter Feeding during heavy snow years.
Several huge bucks have come off the property.
Now, sit in the stand – hmmm – quiet. Oh no, there is a timber wolf – then there are three. No deer. No little deer, no does, nothing.
Gut piles from earlier hunts, last year, gone in an evening.
What to do?
Dog
I heard a rumor that a lot of guys that lost their dogs this last year bought E-callers and suddenly got into predator hunting….. 
As they say in the western states, “Shoot, Shovel & Shut Up”.
Not sure what the answer is regarding yotes and timbers, but our deer hunting success has been declining as well the last few years.
Pete
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As they say in the western states, “Shoot, Shovel & Shut Up”.
I think it’s terrible that you’d promote this. I hope you really don’t feel this way. 
If Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming combined have about 1500 or so wolves and they allow hunting seasons on them, then why on earth would MN not allow a season when we have 3000+ distributed over roughly half of the state.
Tim
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As they say in the western states, “Shoot, Shovel & Shut Up”.
I think it’s terrible that you’d promote this. I hope you really don’t feel this way.
It is not hard to think this way at all after you have seen your Bear dogs attacked or even worse eatin’ while hunting
The wolf population has stepped way out of bounds. If the DNR counted wolfs like they count deer there would be an open season them
Same situation for us. We had over 700 man hours combined this season. Saw a total of 7 deer over 1000 acres. Saw way more wolves than deer. Wolves are a problem in this state. In WI lots of dogs were lost during the fall bear hunt. If you have the dogs carcus and can prove a wolf kill, the government will write you a $2500 check for your dog loss!
There was an interesting article in the outdoor news a couple of weeks ago on the MN moose population. Global warming was rulled out, and wolf population was one of the major contributors.
Wolves are fine to have in MN, BUT thier population needs to be kept in balance. Right now IMO there are WAY too many, and the number the DNR published for the “true popluation” is not even close.
Two philosophical questions:
First:
There are no restrictions on taking yotes in MN as they are expanding quickly through MN & WI and are becoming a big problem for farmers and upsetting the “equilibrium” of wildlife in the state, including deer. I’ve seen them in Maple Grove, Osseo and outstate. Is it OK to take the life of a yote? Is it OK to shoot a pheasant, duck or catch a panful of fish? Where do you draw the line if it’s not ok to shoot a wolf?
Second:
I’m not advocating or promoting anything, but there is a problem out there that will have to be addressed at some point in time. Wolves crossed the Yellowstone Park borders and are impacting livestock, elk and deer in WY and MT.
There were bounties on wolves years ago, might be again if they become a big enough problem. DNR’s & the Feds did their best to perpetuate the wolf species in the wild, but we weren’t smart enough to make them sit and lay down where we wanted them to. So how does “man” control this problem? I sure don’t have the answers…..
Personally, I’m grateful for misquito control in the 7 County Metro Area. I’ll draw the line there as being acceptable mortality there.
Pete
They will never have a season for wolves in MN. this is THE research area for the country. I too have my issues. I harvested a bear this year and with in 1.5hrs of shooting it. Im was at the recoverd bear with help and the wolves ate it very little left. So much for the rug I had been waiting for! 
I heard rumor that in Wisconsin there are two problems that are contributing to reduced numbers of deer: wolves and bear. Wolves year round and bear in the spring when the does are fawning. There are folks out there that have trail camera pictures of bear in the spring running by the cameras with fawns in their mouths. Just rumors though. And on the shoot, shovel, and shut up: whether someone states it or not I know it is happening out there.
I heard that some of the wolves have transmitters or chips in them. If so, better be careful where to bury it. One the other hand, I have heard some are being shot and thrown in rivers. 
Few quick links that might help shed light on the issue. I myself would LOVE to see a season on them.
Makes you wonder if this does not have some behind the scenes help to get around our constitutional right to hunt here in Mn. (just throwing it out there.)
they are a huge problem. after not seeing any deer last year and hardly any the year before it gets very frustrating. plus when you see more wolve tracks than deer tracks then you know there is a huge problem. there has to be something done about this but all the people who want them protected dont have to live with them or even know anything about them. i definately know there are people shooting them.
Whether or not they are a problem is not the issue. The issue I have is promoting an illegal act on a public forum. Say that walleye were causing me a headache by stealing my flathead bait. If I were to make a serious post suggesting that we all toss as many walleyes on shore as we could, I’d catch a whole lot of hell.
If wolves are causing problems (I don’t know, I’m not a hunter), it’s up to you, if you call yourself a sportsman, to take it to the DNR and present your case. Taking the law into your own hands is not okay.
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Whether or not they are a problem is not the issue. The issue I have is promoting an illegal act on a public forum. Say that walleye were causing me a headache by stealing my flathead bait. If I were to make a serious post suggesting that we all toss as many walleyes on shore as we could, I’d catch a whole lot of hell.
If wolves are causing problems (I don’t know, I’m not a hunter), it’s up to you, if you call yourself a sportsman, to take it to the DNR and present your case. Taking the law into your own hands is not okay.
So what your saying is you can get a good look at a T bone by sticking you head up a……
Just kidding. Yes To say shoot them is not the answer. A group of people on Predator masters have worked to change a few laws here in Minnesota to make predator hunting safe. Working with a group like this may help in getting the wolf numbers controlled the right way.
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If wolves are causing problems (I don’t know, I’m not a hunter), it’s up to you, if you call yourself a sportsman, to take it to the DNR and present your case. Taking the law into your own hands is not okay.
I stated what I know to be happening…NOT what to do. Yes, it could be viewed as promoting it, and I see your point on that. However, I am an ACTIVE sportsman here in WI. I get get very PO’d when I read of the issues pertaining to public opinions when at the spring, fall, and special hearings, there are only a handful of poeople showing up. I was sick to my stomach with grief when the ruling was handed down to “re” protect the wolves here in WI. I had one of the best known wolf trappers in WI in my family until his death a month ago. I looked so much forward to the opportunity to trap a wolf with him. The freak’n anti’s took away any hope of ever fullfilling that opportunity. In part, because there were nearly no one attending and speaking up at the hearings. I agree with most that the conservation congress is a very bias group. But when enough public input is given, they do listen. So, long story short…we are our own worst enemy.
The DNR says wolves are not established in Richland County, WI. I called in two last year while predator hunting. Neighbor has lost a couple of heffers to wolves. DNR says coyotes???? I saw the tracks first hand, I trap 40 to 60 coyotes a year and shoot another 30 to 50. I know a coyote track because I live, sleep and exist for hunting them. A coyote did not kill my neighbors cattle. Wolf!
Until people show up at the hearings demanding to be heard, present the facts with proof…it will just continue to be status quo.
Another minor detail contributing to the decline of whitetail is the over harvest of does. We have allowed the DNR to set quotas the will deminish deer populations to less than 10 deer per square mile. The look at the CWD zone and you get
“Within the Disease Eradication Zone, the stated goal is depopulation of all wild
deer within approximately 4.5 miles of any positive animal. Although, the DNR
recognizes total depopulation of wild deer in the affected area is unlikely, this goal
strongly indicates the intention of the DNR to reduce the deer population density to a
level at which CWD cannot be maintained. Because this threshold density is unknown
and because CWD is maintained in low-density wild cervid populations in some western
states, attempts to depopulate the Disease Eradication Zone are appropriate.”
This recomendation was brought to you by the following External Comittee
Program Review Panel Members
John R. Fischer, Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study, College of Veterinary
Medicine, The University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia
Lynn H. Creekmore, Veterinary Services, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service,
United States Department of Agriculture, Fort Collins, Colorado
R. Larry Marchinton, Warnell School of Forest Resources, The University of Georgia,
Athens, Georgia
Shawn J. Riley, Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Michigan State University, East
Lansing, Michigan
Stephen M. Schmitt, Wildlife Disease Laboratory, Michigan Department of Natural
Resources, East Lansing, Michigan
Elizabeth S. Williams, Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Wyoming,
Laramie, Wyoming
I hope to see everyone at thje next scheduled hearing…
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Say that walleye were causing me a headache by stealing my flathead bait. If I were to make a serious post suggesting that we all toss as many walleyes on shore as we could, I’d catch a whole lot of hell.
Very well put Ralph. 
Like the guy that has 75 walleye in his freezer at home, just because he can catch them and has a market to sell them does not make it right. Killing an animal and throwing it in the river or bury it might make you feel better thinking that you are saving the deer but you really are not going to keep up by yourself. Work with the DNR to get the laws changed so many people can work to thin the population. Don’t risk your privelidge to hunt.
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Whether or not they are a problem is not the issue. The issue I have is promoting an illegal act on a public forum. Say that walleye were causing me a headache by stealing my flathead bait. If I were to make a serious post suggesting that we all toss as many walleyes on shore as we could, I’d catch a whole lot of hell.
If wolves are causing problems (I don’t know, I’m not a hunter), it’s up to you, if you call yourself a sportsman, to take it to the DNR and present your case. Taking the law into your own hands is not okay.
I’m not necessarily condoning it I just know it is happening out there.
Met a future brother in-law from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan last weekend. They have a $100 dollar bounty per wolf in place up there. The wolves still find a way to flourish with that in place. People are dealing with a decreased moose population up there as a result of the wolves. He said that many people lose their dogs by having a wolf lure them out into the woods where the pack was lying in wait. He also had a few stories where wolves were basically hunting him… 
…change underwear immediately… 
I don’t blame the wolf for this…it is their natural instinct to hunt and kill. They are probably one of the best hunters on the continent!!
I know many landowners that won’t let you hunt on their land anymore if you don’t shoot any and all coyotes if seen. The wolf population will continue to grow because I don’t see any chance of the states making changes in policy. What I do see happening is continued expansion of territories for wolf packs until, someday, they will cover all of Minnesota and Wisconsin… That will be the day when I start carrying a pistol, for protection, to go bow hunting. 
There will NEVER be wolf hunting in the midwest due to environmental group pressures and threats of lawsuits. Unfortunately on a lot of these subjects, lawyers make the rules and the threat of a lawsuit is as good or better than science.
How much control does the state have over them right now? Were’t wolves put back on a federal list some time back, but since the they’d been moved down from endangered?
This is a public forum and I guess what gets suggested here should maybe culled a bit to reflect what this site stands for. What you think off here is your business.
In years past I hunted bear and have indeed taken a few. I quit because shooting one over its dinner just didn’t seem sporting any more. Running bears with dogs is like chasing drunks with a jeep. I don’t see much ethic in that either, but to each his own.
Why do the environmental groups get their way…because they attend meetings and such and voice their opinion, and they do it in numbers, something hunters have yet to do very well it seems.
Also suggesting to do a illegal act on a public forum isn’t helping the cause any.
Saying you just “heard it” is a cop out, I doubt anybody missed the innuendo here.
Shooting wolves illegally is no better than catching fish out of season.
If there’s a problem with wolf’s, get people together with facts and confront the same people the environmentalists are going after, the squeakiest wheel usually gets the grease first.
imho
Al
I honestly feel that there is little to no chance that a wolf season will happen in MN in the foreseeable future. If we haven’t had one yet, even with the population bursting like it is, I don’t see it happening. Since it isn’t going to happen – I hope that lots more people choose to drop the hammer when they get the chance. Personally, I won’t due to my overwhelming fear of getting caught. I have terrible luck, so I am afraid to chance it. But lots of guys aren’t afraid, and I hope they capitalize when they can. It might stir some harsh feelings, but it is reality. Wolves have been getting snuffed for years in the northern part of the state – don’t kid yourselves that they haven’t – and the population has increased during that time. I would like to see that rate increase, not decrease, but that is just me.
Tim
I’ll admit I don’t know a lot on the subject and I am not a hunter ( I have no reason not to, I just have not ever done it). But I grew up on a dairy farm in WI and saw many coyotes back then. I have several friends that hunt and have had run ins with both species. With the liberal country we live in ( I don’t mean to downgrade anyones politcal beliefs), I don’t see a wolf season or bounty happening until human death is a result of the problem. Too many people who don’t live in the problem trying to say what is right. I know if I infested many man hours training my best friend (dog)and it got eaten, I would have no problem shooting and killing illegally if one came across my land. sorry if that offends some people but it is a completely different subject than walleye poaching IMO.
Shoot em and make em swim I know hunting parties in th grand rapids area and that is what they do. Ialso know land owners up by black duck that if you do not shoot em they wont let you hunt bears on their property.
It ain’t going to happen till people ban together and make it happen, failing a season how about trying for looser laws on when one can protect themselves from attacks from animals, that would include their livestock and pets??
Do it legally.
For way to many years all I’ve heard is complaints about this and that, you go to a DNR or political meeting and only a handful show up, speak up or quit batching imho
Atta boy to those who do show up… 
Al
I was going start taunting you guys and then I remembered you had guns.
As an outsider who doesn’t hunt it sounds to me that there is a growing problem. I don’t think anything short of a pack of wolves attacking and eating a “environMENTAList’s” child is going open up a season or change minds.
Legally there is nothing you can do. Wild animal have to run their course. Nature will balance out but your never going to have the “preserve like” environment you dream about with lots of wolves present. As mentioned taking the law into your own hands could help but that is risky, not advocated here and never something you should divulge online or to anyone else if you intend to do it..
The only good wolf is a DEAD wolf
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The only good wolf is a DEAD wolf
To bad this attitude is based on ignorance. My deer camp is in the heart of wolf and moose country. Our group shot 5 deer over a couple days (filling all tags) and saw many other deer.
What’s that? There are no deer due to wolf populations? Huh, I wonder what’s in my freezer then.
I’m all for shooting wolves, LEGALLY. I want the opportunity to purchase a tag and take a big alpha male for my game room. That’s why I buy a wolf tag every time I hunt Canada. That won’t happen with all this “SSS” and “The only good wolf is a dead wolf” mentality. Lets band together and make a hunting season happen. We did it with doves despite the bunny hugers.
Yes, its terrible about the bear dogs, live stock, and dropping deer numbers. Do your part to document it and submit your documentation to the DNR. Get the media involved if need be.
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