Deer hunting in Minnesota in 2023 is shaping up to be disappointing, and some hunters and their political and media allies know exactly who to blame: wolves.
A hunting organization recently installed a sign near Eveleth, for example, whimsically claiming that “wolves eat more than 54,000 fawns a year in Minnesota. “
“How long will it be before activist judges and the federal government allow states to properly manage their wolf populations?” asked Republican state Rep. Isaac Schultz of Elmdale as he stood in a field, dressed in a bright orange shirt and camouflage vest.
U. S. Rep. Pete Stauber of the Eighth District recently filed a similar complaint. The lawmakers’ claims were echoed by the outdoor Star Tribune Dennis Anderson, whose most recent column claimed that “the DNR will have to act as if wolves are decimating deer in northeastern Minnesota. “
But state wildlife managers, researchers examining deer and wolf populations, and even hunters’ own knowledge of catches largely contradict those arguments. Although deer populations are wolves, the main determinant of deer survival is the severity of winters from year to year. Northern Minnesota, in particular, has recently had some very difficult conditions.
Let’s start with the numbers. Deer hunters will be required to report to the DNR where in the state they hunt and will be required to register their catches with the agency. This makes it possible to track a successful hunt over time in a given part of the state. what those numbers look like for the Northeast region (the center of Minnesota wolf country) over the past decade.
Between the 2012 and 2022 seasons, the total annual number of deer caught in the Northeast decreased from about 59,000 to 33,824. That’s a significant drop, but the number of hunters also declined from 181,000 to 145,000. So what we need to know is what percentage of deer hunters in the Northeast have had good luck, and has that number changed?While we’re at it, let’s compare it to the overall statewide good luck rate.
This shows that hunters in the Northeast are sometimes less likely to make money than hunters elsewhere, and that there has been a slight downward trend in the chances of hunting effectively in the Northeast and the state. above the lows reached in 2014 and 2015, when harsh winters caused deer populations to fall.
One thing you don’t notice in any of the charts is the “tithe,” in the words of the Star Tribune’s outdoor columnist. While numbers for 2023 are not yet final, initial data suggests that overall transportation for the Northeast will be lower than last year — in other words, a continuation of the long-standing trend. There are still plenty of deer and thousands of thriving hunters roaming the northern forests.
Still, the chances of a successful hunt are diminishing, at least a little. Are wolves responsible?
Not really, say those who make a living examining such things.
In reaction to the billboard outside Eveleth, the Voyageurs Wolf Project summarized the studies and explained that there are many things that kill fawns (bears, coyotes, cars, hunters, and, yes, wolves) and that overall fawn mortality rates are only about the same in some places with wolves and places without.
“Higher mortality from one source means less mortality from another source and, very importantly in this case, the overall survival of fawns would possibly remain unchanged,” the researchers explain. For this reason, “the evidence indicates that killing wolves will have almost no effect on the number of surviving fawns. “»
Similarly, MNR has made many paintings of deer and wolf populations over the years. Among other things, they recently discovered that over the past decade, pup density in wolf country has increased.
They have an entire segment of their online page dedicated to deer mortality. As predators, wolves have effects on the deer population. But the main determinant is the severity of winter: the colder the winter and the deeper the snowpack, the harder it is for deer to cultivate spring.
“Minnesota’s research and experience strongly recommend that, at the population level, wolves do not suppress deer numbers,” the DNR explains. “Over the past two decades, the deer population in Minnesota’s wolf diversity has experienced significant declines as a result of harsh winters and intense harvests by hunters; However, deer numbers can and have recovered quickly, despite relatively high numbers of wolves, in reaction to mild winters and catch control methods that lessen deer hunting pressure.
In fact, the last two winters have been particularly harsh in northern Minnesota. This puts a lot of pressure on the deer population and is possibly why some hunters report seeing fewer deer than usual.
But the anecdotes of frustrated hunters are facts.
by Christopher Ingraham, Minnesota Reformer November 22, 2023
Deer hunting in Minnesota in 2023 is shaping up to be disappointing, and some hunters and their political and media allies know exactly who to blame: wolves.
A hunting organization recently installed a sign near Eveleth, for example, whimsically claiming that “wolves eat more than 54,000 fawns a year in Minnesota. “
“How long will it be before activist judges and the federal government allow states to properly manage the wolf population?” asked Elmdale Republican state Rep. Isaac Schultz as he stood in a field, dressed in a striking orange blouse and camouflage vest.
U. S. Rep. Pete Stauber of District 8 recently filed a similar complaint. The lawmakers’ claims were echoed by Star Tribune plein air Dennis Anderson, whose latest column claimed that “the DNR will have to act like wolves decimating deer in northeastern Minnesota. “
But state wildlife managers, researchers examining deer and wolf populations, and even hunters’ own knowledge of catches largely contradict those arguments. Although deer populations are wolves, the main determinant of deer survival is the severity of winters from year to year. Northern Minnesota, in particular, has recently had some very difficult conditions.
Let’s start with the numbers. Deer hunters will be required to tell the DNR where in the state they hunt and will be required to register their harvests with the agency. This makes it possible to track a successful hunt over time in a given part of the state. what those numbers look like for the northeast region (the center of Minnesota wolf country) over the last decade.
Between the 2012 and 2022 seasons, the total annual number of deer caught in the Northeast decreased from about 59,000 to 33,824. That’s a significant drop, but the number of hunters also declined from 181,000 to 145,000. So what we need to know is what percentage of deer hunters in the Northeast have had good luck, and has that number changed?While we’re at it, let’s compare it to the overall statewide good luck rate.
This shows that hunters in the Northeast are sometimes less likely to make money than hunters elsewhere, and that there has been a slight downward trend in the chances of hunting effectively in the Northeast and the state. above the lows reached in 2014 and 2015, when harsh winters caused deer populations to fall.
Something you don’t notice in any of the charts is the “tithe,” in the words of the Star Tribune columnist. Although the figures for 2023 are not yet final, initial knowledge suggests that overall transport in the Northeast will be lower than last year – in other words, a continuation of the long-term trend. There are still plenty of deer and thousands of successful hunters roaming the northern forests.
Still, the chances of success in hunting are diminishing, at least a little. Are wolves to blame?
Not really, say those who make a living examining such things.
In reaction to the billboard outside Eveleth, the Voyageurs Wolf Project summarized the studies and explained that there are many things that kill fawns (bears, coyotes, cars, hunters, and, yes, wolves) and that overall fawn mortality rates are only about the same in some places with wolves and places without.
“Higher mortality from one source means less mortality from another source and, very importantly in this case, the overall survival of the offspring may remain unchanged,” the researchers explain. For this reason, “evidence indicates that killing wolves has almost no effect on the number of surviving calves. “
Similarly, MNR has done many paintings about deer and wolf populations over the years. Among other things, they recently discovered that over the past decade, the density of pups in wolf country has increased.
They have an entire segment of their online page dedicated to deer mortality. As predators, wolves have effects on the deer population. But the main determinant is the severity of winter: the colder the winter and the deeper the snowpack, the harder it is for deer to cultivate spring.
“Minnesota’s research and experience strongly recommend that, at the population level, wolves do not suppress deer numbers,” the DNR explains. “Over the past two decades, the deer population in Minnesota’s wolf diversity has experienced significant declines as a result of harsh winters and intense captures by hunters; However, deer numbers can recover quickly, and have done so, despite relatively high numbers of wolves, in reaction to mild winters and capture control methods that lessen the pressure of deer hunting.
In fact, the last two winters have been particularly harsh in northern Minnesota. This puts a lot of pressure on the deer population and is possibly why some hunters report seeing fewer deer than usual.
But the anecdotes of frustrated hunters are facts.
Minnesota Reformer is part of States Newsroom, a network of grant-backed news bureaus and a coalition of donors as a 501c public charity(3). Minnesota Reformer maintains its editorial independence. Please contact Editor Patrick Coolican if you have any questions: info@minnesotareformer. com. Follow the Minnesota Reformer on Facebook and Twitter.
Christopher Ingraham covers Greater Minnesota and reports on knowledge-based stories across the state. He is the author of the e-book “If You Lived Here, You’d Be Home Now,” about his family’s adventure from suburban Baltimore to rural northwest Minnesota. He was previously a science reporter for the Washington Post.
TOOLKIT FOR DEMOCRACY
The Minnesota Reformer is an independent, nonprofit news organization committed to keeping Minnesotans informed and uncovering stories that other media outlets can’t or possibly wouldn’t want to tell. We’re in the halls of government following what elected officials are doing and tracking down the hard forces trying to influence them. But we are also on the streets, in bars and parks, on farms and in warehouses, to tell you the stories of those affected by the movements of the government and big business. And we are free. No ads. No paywall.
Our stories can be republished online or in print under a Creative Commons CC BY-NC-ND 4. 0 license. We ask that you edit them just for pleasure or for short, provide attribution and link to our website.