Hunters near quotas in wolf season

Minnesota hunters have killed 94 wolves this season and appear on their way toward hitting this year's 250-wolf quota.

The early season, which coincides with the firearms deer season, closes Sunday in parts of the northwest zone, and it runs through Nov. 23 elsewhere in the northwest, or until the harvest quota is met.

The early season in the northeast zone closed Friday after hunters approached the 37-wolf quota there.

A late wolf season, in which trapping also is allowed, opens Nov. 29.

Heading into the third hunting season, the wolf population remains stable and shows no sign of being hurt by hunting and trapping, which began in 2012, state officials said.

"The hunt isn't having a significant influence on wolf numbers,'' said Dan Stark, large carnivore specialist with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR). "But that wasn't the intent. The intent is to have a sustainable hunting and trapping season,'' he said, not to reduce the wolf population.

A DNR survey last winter estimated the wolf population at 2,423 — up about 200 or 10 percent from 2013. That change isn't statistically significant, Stark said.

"The population still is in the range of what it was at its peak,'' Stark said. "Overall, it is still doing quite well. It continues to be one of the highest wolf densities anywhere in North America.''

The DNR estimated that, besides single wolves roaming the state, there were 470 wolf packs averaging 4.4 wolves per pack.

Because deer are a primary food for wolves, Stark said deer densities — and not hunting — likely will drive the wolf population. The deer herd has declined drastically in northern Minnesota in recent years, hurt by brutal winters and liberalized hunting regulations that have now been tightened.

"We certainly have a viable deer population that is large enough to support the wolf population we have,'' Stark said. But, he said, "I don't know that our wolf population will ever be what it was in the early 2000s if we don't have a higher deer population.''

Lack of prey may explain the increase in the number of problem wolves that have been killed this year because of livestock depredation.

Meanwhile, interest in hunting or trapping wolves remains strong. Around 15,000 people applied for 3,800 available licenses this year. Last year, 13,000 applied for 3,300 licenses.

"There's definitely more interest than we have licenses available,'' Stark said.

Some 2,300 licenses were sold for the early-season wolf hunt. Based on earlier hunter surveys, 85 percent of successful hunters during that early season say they were deer hunting when they encountered a wolf and shot it. The late-season wolf hunt occurs after the firearms deer season, meaning hunters have to specifically target wolves. This year, about half of the 1,500 licenses went to hunters and half to trappers, Stark said.

The success rate for those seeking a wolf remains extremely low: around 7 percent overall. Hunters have less than a 5 percent success rate, while trappers have about a 20 percent success rate.

In comparison, firearms deer hunters have about a 30 percent success rate.

doug.smith@startribune.com

Twitter: @dougsmithstrib