Deer hunters across Minnesota are stepping up and speaking out about the unmanaged wolf population.

Over the past two months, thousands have attended meetings across the state to discuss the growing wolf population and its impact.

Steve Porter, a board member of the new pro-hunting organization Hunters for Hunters, said his son, Dillan Porter, and his friend, Kyle Weber, "are frustrated with how things are in Minnesota. They feel like hunters don't have a voice, so they wanted to start a new hunting club." Steve advised them to launch the group before hunting season started to make the public aware of the issues, "I knew when deer hunters returned to the woods, they would be mad since they hadn't been out there for a year. They had no idea the devastation that's been taking place since they were last in their stands."

The devastation he's referring to is Minnesota's wolf population.

The State of the Wildlife 

In 1992, the USFWS Recovery Plan for the Eastern Timber Wolf established a recovery goal of 1,251-1,400 wolves, which was increased to 1,600 in 2001. The current plan, finalized in 2022, set a population goal of 2,200-3,000. According to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (MNDNR), they counted 498 wolf packs in Minnesota during winter 2021-2022 surveys; the total wolf population was estimated to be 2,691. This means the plan allows roughly 300 more wolves before the MNDNR believes they would pose an issue. Additionally, the wolf range has expanded from the far northeast counties in 1978 to a current area of approximately 28,561 square miles (1/3 of the state).

According to the MNDNR, "Wolves have a direct impact on whitetail deer populations as a primary cause of natural mortality in the wolf range, which includes all or parts of 31 counties in central or northern Minnesota."

Data for the Minnesota whitetail deer population wasn't as clear. According to DeerFriendly.com, Minnesota had nearly one million whitetail deer in 2023, about 950,000 deer in 2020, 935,000 in 2019, and 960,000 in 2018. While this data shows the deer population staying relatively stable, data from the MNDNR shows a decrease in deer harvests, with a record high of 290,525 in 2003, to 184,698 harvested in 2021, 172,265 in 2022, and 155,072 deer harvested in 2023 (as of 12/18/2023). Furthermore, deer harvests in the northeast fell from about 59,000 to 33,824 from 2012 to 2022; the number of hunters in that area also fell from 181,000 to 145,000 during the same period.

The MNDNR website has an entire section on winter impacts on deer survival. The website states, "Whitetail deer are well adapted to survive Minnesota's cold, snowy winters. But severe winters with very deep snow and prolonged cold temperatures can increase deer mortality."

What are Hunters Saying? 

Once Hunters for Hunters was launched in November, Steve Porter posted about it on his Facebook page and, shortly after, received a call from someone asking if the group would hold a meeting in Squaw Lake to discuss the wolves. He agreed, and with only eight days' notice, they held the first meeting. And they never expected what happened. Steve explained, "Between 400 and 500 people showed up. They were mad at what they found in the woods. The people have not had a voice in Minnesota, and we're giving them a chance to speak out. We aren't doing anything other than telling the truth."

After that, the group received more calls requesting meetings in other areas. At the time of writing, Hunters for Hunters has had 15-20 meetings and has another seven scheduled through mid-January. Steve said it's more than just deer hunters showing up, "We have thousands of legitimate and credible people who are eyewitnesses. They know what they're seeing. They've seen the devastation of the wolves firsthand."  "They're land owners, deer hunters, deer enthusiasts, pet owners, livestock owners and cattlemen, and even parents concerned about their kids walking to the bus stop."

"I've had multiple run-ins with wolves. Most recently, I was going to check trail cameras on our property, and a large wolf came out of the woods in the middle of the day as I approached. Then, two years ago, while turkey hunting, my dad shot a bird, and we were taking pictures. We looked up in the field, and there was a wolf in the middle of the field looking at us, again, in broad daylight. When I was younger, I had a wolf get within 50 yards of me while turkey hunting," said Minnesota hunter Bailey Yaggy, "We have trail camera pictures. Our neighbors have pictures. My family in Northern Minnesota sees more wolves and wolf sign while hunting than they see deer. They are taking over the area. I didn't even see a deer while hunting this year. My dad saw one between archery and rifle season."

"Hunter harvest is a poor metric for estimating deer density. Where I hunt in Cass County, ten years ago, I could pass a deer with the expectation of seeing others. My kids started hunting with me six years ago and have only had one opportunity to shoot a deer there," said Mark Volk in a Facebook comment on the Hunters for Hunters page, "The harvest numbers are not going down as fast as the herd numbers because hunters learned they cannot pass on an opportunity to harvest. Hunter harvest does not correlate to the number of animals seen by hunters."

"The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources and Minnesota Governor Walz has failed the Hunters in Minnesota. I used to see up to 16 deer a day during rifle hunting. This year, I saw 0," said Todd Rud, "Thank God for Hunters for Hunters."

Steve said he has spoken to many hunters at the meetings who have said they are done hunting, "They are steadily seeing the deer numbers go down. They can sit ten to 15 days and not see a single deer. They only see wolf tracks. And they are done hunting."

The Hunters for Hunters Facebook page, launched on November 1, is full of similar comments from hunters.

However, the MNDNR blames the weather and a series of cold and snowy winters. Steve agrees to an extent but says, "Deer can survive cold winters. They can survive a lack of food quite well. But they can't survive while being chased by wolves every day."

It's not only hunters who are expressing concern. Livestock owners and cattlemen are seeing the impact firsthand as they continue to lose animals due to wolf kills. But Steve explained that the MNDNR has been less than helpful. "They'll say, we know the cow is dead but can't prove how it died. It could have been struck by lightning. We don't have a statement from the cow or a video of the cow dying, and we can only see that wolves were eating it. Since we don't know what killed it, we're not signing off on your wolf claim." He has heard repeatedly, and the livestock owners say they have stopped reporting them because they don't get paid anyway.

The Main Goals

Steve explained that the main goal is not to kill all wolves. He agrees that everything has a place but wants to see them appropriately managed. He said the primary goal of Hunters for Hunters was to shed light on the subject, which they are doing through meetings and press coverage.

Next, they'd like to see the federal government delist wolves. At the state level, they want legislation that changes one simple word in the wolf management plan. "When they're delisted, we want it changed to: we must have a season instead of may have a season," Steve explained.

"Additionally, I would like to see our politicians represent us, and I'd like to see our deer numbers come back. I'd like to see kids out hunting with their grandpa again."

Steve said politicians know about the meetings, and all are welcome. Many are already attending and answering questions from concerned attendees. He said he hopes they can work together on what should be a bipartisan issue to, "save the deer hunting heritage in Minnesota."

"Whether they do anything or not, when our lawmakers look back on this, history isn't going to be kind. They're allowing our deer herds to be destroyed and wolves to get to a number that they'll end up starving. It's complete big game species mismanagement," Steve warned, "It's not going away, and we're on the right side of it."

How You Can Get Involved

Hunters for Hunters was created to help protect the rights of hunters, landowners, and sportsmen and women. While many issues need to be addressed, the current priority is the unmanaged wolf population.

Visit https://www.hunters4hunters.org/ and follow them on Facebook to become a member, donate, and stay updated on events and meeting details.

Do you deer hunt in Minnesota? Have you seen any impact from the wolves in the areas where you hunt? Let us know in the comments below.

- Sarah Honadel, DeerCast Senior Writer

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Image Credit

 JacobKifer_PrincetonMN_Wolf21.jpg and JacobKifer_PrincetonMN_Wolf22.jpg; Photo courtesy of Jacob Kifer of wolves on his property in Princeton, Minnesota.

TravisBanks_Deer-WolfKill_CherryMN.jpg; Photo courtesy of Travis Banks of a wolf kill in Cherry, Minnesota.

 Hunters-for-Hunters_AuroraMN-Meeting.jpeg; Photo courtesy of Hunters for Hunters of their meeting in Aurora, Minnesota.

ToddRud_HuntersvilleMN-1.jpeg and ToddRud_HuntersvilleMN-2.jpeg; Photo courtesy of Todd Rud of Huntersville, Minnesota.

"Sparrow and Niko, Gray Wolves, Wolf Park (51095899581)" by Raed Mansour from Chicago, USA is licensed under CC BY 2.0.