Our Gray Wolf population is Valuable to the State. In fact the state will make millions from wolf hunters this year. And that is a good thing. I have no negative issues with wolfs but I did apply for a wolf hunting permit. In fact I have hunted wolfs in Alaska and in Ontario in the past, I have never seen one in that time but that is the way it goes. I do not want to decimate all wolfs I just want to shoot one and that will be enough for a lifetime for me.
As far as wolfs not being blood thirsty I beg to differ. Wolfs are not vegetarians, wolfs are carnivores. As the wolf population has increased the moose and deer population has decreased. Some will say so called global warming is the reason for the decrease in moose numbers but easer winters should make for better numbers not lower numbers. But I could be wrong. I’m sure if you asked the cute little bunny or Bambi about your canine friends you might get a different response, something like, their bloodthirsty killers that wolf ate my mommy.

Your statement that the deer population has decreased with wolf numbers increasing is not factual. Factual data states (and I will quote the DNR) "there are between 900,000 and 1,000,000 white tailed deer in the state of Minnesota"

Our overabundance of deer has lead to the destruction of valuable North Shore trees (white pine being the most effected) http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0378112711007900.

The Minnesota Deer Hunters Association is the problem. They want the wolves hunted and they want the overabundance of deer even though FACTUAL scientific data has proven our deer population is way too high and the destruction caused by the deer to ecology threatens to be irreversible. Already the DNR has upped the deer kill allowance per person and yet it hasn't controlled the population enough.

In 1971 (according to the DNR) Minnesota's deer population was on the verge of collapse and our wolf population was nearly extinct. The cause? Over harvesting by deer hunters in combination with harsh winters. http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/volunteer/sepoct98/growing_game.html

With the increase in wolf populations over the last 40 years the deer population has also grown significantly so please, stop spreading this misinformation that somehow our deer population is threatened by the existence of the wolf which is pure propaganda.

As for the moose. The DNR continues to allow a moose hunt even though our moose numbers are dwindling (another mismanagement practice by the DNR). So why, if the moose is disappearing should people be allowed to hunt them? A moose is a necessary food source for a wolf but it isn't necessary for a human and yet we have complete disregard for not only that fact but the fact that the moose is disappearing NOT because of the wolf but because of disease and parasites which have increased due to our warm winters (YES - GLOBAL WARMING!). The diseases and parasites our moose now are exposed to didn't exist prior to severe climate change. Thanks to our human caused increasing warming planet we are seeing things emerge that were once controlled by colder temps and now our moose are exposed to ailments they avoid in years past. Yes, a moose will take down an unhealthy animal such as a diseased moose, which helps keeps biodiversity in balance by not allowing that sick moose to infect other healthy moose but it is the hunter, hunting a healthy moose that contributes to the destruction of our moose population. Even the DNR has been smart enough not to blame the wolf for the loss of moose. They've taken the "we don't know" approach but science and research says otherwise and the wolf is not on the list of causes. Our population of moose flourished with the wolf in the 70's when prior to that they were over hunted by man.

If the DNR and trophy hunters want to keep perpetuating this myth that the wolf is overpopulating, killing off all the deer and moose, destroying livestock in such large numbers then they'll need to not only hide all the factual research that contradicts those claims but also erase half of the information they share about those issues on their own website.

In my prior comment on moose I meant that a wolf will take down a unhealthy moose (not moose take down a moose).

It is interesting that you state that there have only been 88 verified case’s on Minnesota farms of livestock predation from wolfs in 2011. What you forgot to mention is that only a small percentage of livestock farms are in the established wolf range. There were no cases of wild Tiger attacks in MN last year so we should all think Tigers are safe to have around in the wild! Or was it because we are outside the wild tiger range?
In approximately 1900 there were only and estimated 250,000 deer in the U.S. now there are over 25,000,000 This dramatic increase happened after the establishment of hunting seasons, before that time people could hunt whenever they wanted in a unchecked manner. I hate to break it to people but if an animal has no economic value it will be poached. If skunks had an economic value someone would raise skunks! I truly believe that the wolf population will increase now that they have an economic value and not just an emotional value.

If only a small number of farms exist in wolf territory then why do farmers keep crying "wolf." They can't have it both ways. Farmer's and ranchers have pushed for the hunt claiming large losses which the facts do not support.

Nature seeking tourists out number hunters 7 to 1 and bring in 510 million dollars to the economy annually. Taking out such a valuable species will not only negatively affect biodiversity but it will also hurt the state of Minnesota since currently the wolf is a significant draw for tourist to the northern part of the state. Do you really think Ely would still be on the map if it weren't for the wildlife, the International Wolf Center and the Bear Center?

When you speak of the tiger and wolf you compare apples and oranges. Share your statistics on wolf attacks. According to statistics the Tiger has killed more humans than any other big cat. Tiger attacks mainly occur when humans cross into their territory as oppose to the wolf which there are few recorded human attacks. Wolves are among the least threatening of all predatory animals. Most recorded attacks of a wolf were due to humans offering them food. In some parts of the world 60 people a year have been killed by Tigers and 2 people a year in the U.S and yet only a handful of wolf attacks in the United States ever confirmed.

So why is the wolf really a threat? A special interest group called the Minnesota Deer Hunters Association.

To answer your first question. You claimed there are 7000 farms in Minnesota not me, but I can believe that. But you do not seem to believe me when I write the only a small percentage are in the wolf range. Have you ever been out of the city? Drive up north to the wolf range and see how many farms you see in the forest then drive south to farm country and see how many you see. You will find the there are fewer farm’s in the forest then in the open plains. Now let’s say that 10% of farms are in the wolf range and half raise livestock that’s 350 farms in the wolf range that raise animals, do you follow so far? Of those 350 farms 80 had wolf problems that over 22%, now to you that may be a small number but they’re not your animals getting killed are they? How are the farmers with livestock getting killed or maimed crying wolf? How are the farmers trying to have it both ways? I think you will find that farmers on the southern part of the state could care less about wolfs because there aren’t any where they live and wolfs don’t eat a lot of corn or soybeans. Just maybe if we can get some deer flavored tofu we can change that but until then how do you purpose we manage the population? Or should the wolf population remain unchecked?

In response to your second comment. Minnesota hunters spent 500.000.000.00 last year and that does not count licenses and permits so when you claim a 1 to 7 ratio of hunters to ”nature seeking tourists” I think you need to get the “nature seeking tourist” do drop come cash. How are hunters “taking out” the wolf? Hunters are not taking out the wolfs, their controlling the unchecked numbers. Have you ever seen a wild wolf? I would guess the answer is no, but I could be wrong. And yes I think Ely would be on the map today with or without wolfs. Have you ever heard of the BWCAW? I have been to Ely a dozen or so times and have never gone to the wolf or bear zoos. When an animal in inside a cage it is called a zoo, correct.

To quote you. “Share your statistics on wolf attacks”
Be careful what you ask for and you asked for it. According to Robert Armitage Sterndale, Naturalist and Statesman. “Wolfs are seldom a threat to human adults”. BUT Indian wolfs have a history of preying on children.
In 1878 wolfs killed 624 people in the Utlar Pradesh area, and 14 more in Bangal in the same time frame. In 1900, 285 people were killed in the Central Provinces, between 1910 and 1915, 115 children were killed in Hazaribagh. Between 1980 and 1986, 122 children were killed in the same area. Between April 1993 and April 1995 five wolf packs killed 60 and mauled 20 more, again in the same area. Between March 27, 1996 to July 1, 1996 21 children were killed and 16 more mauled, again in the same area. Most of these attacks were in human settlements.
Were these children offering an arm as food?
I think we need to agree to disagree.

I don’t believe I ever said wolfs were a threat to people, that’s just how you interpreted it. I am not a member of the Minnesota Deer Hunters Association but have or am now a member of the NRA, Roland Ward and Safari Club International. I have been lucky to be able to hunt around the world. Many of those hunts have helped local people, both economically and with protein in protein starved areas. If you don’t like wolf hunting don’t go wolf hunting. But if I choose to that is my choice, in fact in the state of Minnesota it is in the Constitution that I have the Right to hunt and fish under the guidance of the DNR. If I have a permit it is legal and if you try to stop me you are breaking the law. I need to run now and get back to the woods to go deer hunting, it is the season.