6/19/2023 0 Comments Are wolves moose predators![]() ![]() One major factor behind this decline could be predation by wolves. While there have now been a few years with slightly higher permit numbers due to mild winters that allowed some of the herd to survive longer and potentially reproduce more, it is clear there has still been a decrease overall in recent decades. In 20, only 147 and 263 permits were issued respectively. However, this does not necessarily mean that the moose population has been systematically overhunted. The number of moose harvested by hunters has gone down greatly as well: Whereas 1,532 permits were issued for moose hunting in 2009, only 216 permits were granted in 2017. According to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, the population dropped from an estimated 8,840 in 2006 to just 4,180 in 2018. ![]() Minnesota is home to thousands of moose, but the population has been steadily declining in recent years. Evidence of a decrease in the moose population In this section, we will address the possible effects that wolves may have had on Minnesota’s moose population, as well as explore some of the potential causes behind the dwindling population. Minnesota’s moose population has been on the decline over the past decade, and while wolves are often seen as the primary culprit, the cause of this dramatic reduction is still unknown. In order to maintain healthy population totals, The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources works in partnership with tribes, other government elected officials, and concerned stakeholders maintaining delicate stakeholder relationships with sportsman groups while developing annual hunting quotas based on population survey results conducted annually. Currently, Minnesotan wolf populations span across most parts including northern, central forested regions such as Superior National forest as well as southern portions of Minnesota nearer to urban communities like Minneapolis-St Paul and St Cloud. ![]() This allowed for recovery efforts and protected wolf populations from hunting and harassment until 2012 when wolves were delisted based on population data evidence that supported their stability for long-term survival in Minnesota. In 1978 Minnesota was among one of the first states to list wolves as endangered through federal legislation. As of 2020, Minnesota has the second-largest population of wolves in America behind Alaska. As a result of wolf management efforts starting in 1974, wolves have since recovered-expanding from a few individuals to over 2,700 wolves across about 500 packs. Wolves were once widespread across the state, but by the 1950s they had declined to nearly zero due to intensive trapping, poisoning, and shooting. Wolves (Canis lupus) are iconic species of the Minnesota landscape and are deeply rooted in the state’s history and ecology. Overview of the wolf population in Minnesota This potential overlap provides wildlife experts with room for caution when investigating the potential interplay between wolves and Minnesota’s drastic reduction of its moose population. Wolves were declared Endangered Species in 1974 under the U.S Endangered Species Act and began growing rapidly shortly after due to successful repopulation efforts by local conservation agencies since then wolf populations and their range have increased steadily across Minnesota – an estimated 2700 wolves roamed within 259 packs spread throughout 33 counties by early 2020 partially overlapping with Minnesota’s moose range – representing an increase from 654 individuals spread over 106 packs 10 years prior. While there remains much debate as to what is causing this rapid decline in numbers (some citing climate change or brain worm infection) attention has recently turned to wolves due to their well-known predatory nature and rich history within Minnesota. By 2013 surveys indicated a marked decline in the state’s moose population and estimates show just 4,760 remaining as of 2020 – an almost 50% decline since 2010. That number continued to rise until roughly 2007 when both aerial and ground surveys indicated that the population had fallen just shy of 8,000. Minnesota was historically home to robust moose populations, with extremely successful conservation efforts resulting in the state’s first official count of 3,500 animals in the early 1950s. ![]()
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