DNR stance on Timber Wolves

[IsItFriday]

I was wondering where the DNR and the state or Minnesota stand on Timber wolves. Last year a seen a few around the cabin. Before this I have never seen any. Maybe one set of lone tracks every couple years. This year though has been different just this morning I seen three together out in a field. You can't go any where with out seen signs of them. Also I've had four different deer in my trail camera pictures that looks like they have been hit by wolves. Any thoughts or comments? Oh location is in between Park Rapids and Detroit Lakes.

[thunderpout]

Our deer camp is up north of Nevis, State Forest land.  I've seen wolves(two black ones) heard and seen signs of em in the last few years... used to think it was cool to have em around untill ya start hearin theres so many that they start picking off peoples livestock and pets.... gets me a bit paranoid when grouse hunting with my bird dog and just a 20g shotgun.....

[CampYJewel]

They are all over that area and have been for about 5 years.  4 Years ago they came in the early am and tried to eat my dogs!!!  My lab had long teeth or claw marks on her sides, and my bulldog got his eye ripped open and some other small cuts.  I went running outside yelling and a big black timberwolf was standing on the end of my deck just starring at me.  It was scary.  I have probably seen at least 10 others but they were just out in fields or traveling down the road. 

Right now I think I have a young one by my place.  I have seen it 3 times now in about a month and a half.  Last week it was about 100 yards from my barn, about 3 weeks ago mid day it was out in my pasture and one of my cows chased it away, and the third time it was going across the field south of my house.  So far they have not bothered any of my animals.  I also thought they were cool at first but they seem to be getting a bit more used to people and that is not good!!!

[Cody Gruchow]

i havent seen any but i have found a few deer that were attacked and eatten, figured it was a timber wolf because of the size of the tracks. they are expanding there range southward and dont really seem to be all that afraid of humans anymore. and i agree that aint a good thing

[Finlander]

Wow ! It's like a time warp . I remember more than 20 years ago people saying the same things in the Finland area .  We'd be out deer hunting and seeing a lot of wolf sign . Then get back to the truck and they'd been there during the day . Many times I've seen the same thing . Take a long walk in the woods and there are wolf tracks following yours on the way in . How close did they really get .  I've seen them many times along Hwy.61 going to and from the cabin . Heard many scary stories of packs surrounding individuals but keeping their distance until the safety of the truck was reached . Even seen a wolf cross Hwy. 61 and headed into the wayside rest at Tettegouche State Park by the Baptism River with people and cars around . They are unnerving, but I've become accustomed to them being around and they don't bother me as much as they used to . Until it gets dark . Then you can't help but wonder how close they really get . Like the walk out of the woods after a day of deer hunting and you can hear what sounds like dogs barking . Knowing dam well that they are not dogs because of being to far from any houses . I really hope that a wolf hugger will be the first known attack on a human and they live to talk about it.

[Cody Gruchow]

i agree with you 100% great post

[The General]

I live in the central part of the state so I haven't had any problems.  What are the laws about shooting them?  If you can't.....does that change if they are in the pasture with the cattle?  How about up buy the deck?  I'm pretty sure I'd snuff them out if that happened to me.  But it's probably one of those situations "If I only had my gun".

[Cody Gruchow]

if they are chasing cattle or any other live stock i think you can shoot them, then call the dnr right away. dont think you can if its just up on your deck but if its growling and making aggressive moves towards you i think you can shoot it also.

[UncleDave]

Has there ever been a human attack in Minnesota?  I don't want to be a tree hugger here, but this sounds like alot os scary talk with no actual attacks that I've ever seen in my lifetime.  Bear, moose, coyote, huge muskie, etc are all scary too, but never or RARELY have they ever attacked humans.  I do understand the concern with pets and livestock.  I'd much rather walk through the woods of Ely anytime day or night than the streets of north Minneapolis.   

[Cody Gruchow]

a female moose protecting a calf will attack you without a dout, but i agree i would rather take my chances with all the animals above then walk around north or south minneapolis at night you would be one dumb to do that

[repoman]

a female moose protecting a calf will attack you without a dout, but i agree i would rather take my chances with all the animals above then walk around north or south minneapolis at night you would be one dumb to do that

hey hey hey now  ! i spend more time in n mnpls and s mnpls trapsing around all hours of the night then most and i never had a problem ! actually id rather repo a car in north mnpls then from someone out in the country !!!!!  and im out there in the middle of the night to take there cars etc..  and i never had a problem in the n-s mnpls area.
does that make me dumb cody ??        

[repoman]

you should of known id chime in on that one 

[Cody Gruchow]

no it dont make you dumb, it just makes you one brave guy 

[Finlander]

They keep on saying over the years that there has never been a reported attack on a human . But , that's not saying that anyone lived to talk about it .  From what I've seen of what a pack can do to a Sow bear and a cub . There is nothing left to find .

 A cousin of mine lived in a tent in the woods for a summer and logged with another cousin of ours. He camped near the logging area up near the Trestle Inn north of Finland . He had that sow and cub raiding his cooler every night for about 4 nights . He finally shot the sow with a 22 pistol in the dark and she left bellaring with the cub following . She did'nt go to far away in the woods and the cub started bellaring and the sow went quiet . A few hours later he said there was a lot of growling and snarling along with both bears raising a ruckus . He said he could see the wolves running through his camp . He said it was'nt long and the bears were quiet and the wolves were snarling and growling amongst themselves . When daylight finally came he looked around with his 22 drawn and could only find blood and alot of bear hair .  That was his last night of camping in the woods that summer .

  As far as I know you are not suppossed to do anything to the wolves . All you are legally to do is call the game warden .  But, I could easily shoot one if it was threatening me .

[repoman]

i think before i would of shot the bear with a .22 pistol i would of rasied my goods high in a tree with a rope like they teach you at any ranger station . the bears probaby woulda left well enough alone and went on searching for food . might of gave the bears a fighting chance 
thats just me anyways . ive spent alot of time on the gunflint and had many encounters with bears in my campsite , but never had to shoot one .
we seen a few wolf when we were camping somewhere on lake sag where we just pulled off and decided to spend the night . there was nobody for miles upon miles .  i came out too do my biz 
and there they were about 40 yds from us just watching . i took some pics then yelled out at them and they took off like bats outta hell . dident see them again either .
but yeah if its life threatening   

[UncleDave]

Just rub their bellies and tell them to rollover.

[repoman]

good lil puppy     

[Finlander]

The point of the story was what the wolves did to the bears . I too would've hung my food up in a tree or set the cooler up in the cab of the logging equipment . There were many years in that area when it was really rare to see a deer, rabbits, squirrels and even birds . There was a couple of moose hanging around but they were both taken during the moose season that year . There was always fresh wolf tracks every morning up and down the road . It was their easy hunting route. Quite a few of the areas that my cousins logged were hunted by wolves . They were like dead zones , nothing moving or making a sound . In those areas they also had less of a mouse problem in the equipment . As the years have gone on we don't see as many wolf signs as we used to and a few wolves that we've seen have had mange . There is still to many around and they hang closer to the shore of Lake Superior than they used to . I think they like the taste of Fido or Mouser the cat too.

  Maybe this next deer season I'll bring the doggy treats and just make them my buddies .