I just read the Minnesota White-tailed Deer Management Plan draft and found that the DNR is taking 50 cents out of the sale of every deer-hunting license ($300,000 annually), which goes directly into the Wolf Management Account. I’m a little confused and shocked that the state would take such fraudulent actions. The state does not manage the wolf population. That was taken away from the MNDNR by a federal judge out east that didn’t have a clue about the Minnesota wolf problems. The Federal Government was awarded the management duties of the gray wolf in the court’s decision. The DNR also takes $1 per license fee to go into the Deer and Bear Management Account. Since we have a bear season generating revenue from license sales, why is the DNR taking money from potential deer management to manage the bear? I don’t think that the Minnesota Deer Hunters want to support the gray wolf and bear management with money taken from deer licenses fees. If the state wants to take a portion of deer license fees to manage the gray wolf, the state should lobby to take the wolf off the Endangered Species List and take control of the management like western states.
If you read the U.S. Department of Interior’s paper entitled The Status of the Federal Government Management of Wolves, a portion of the section, which is titled State Partners, reads as follows:
“State biologists such as Wisconsin are essential to monitoring efforts, as the Service does not have the personnel available to adequately collect monitoring data, trap and collar animals and conduct other on-the-ground management activities. Despite limited personnel, the Service provides financial resources and technical expertise to equip states and local communities to engage in wolf management and recovery.” Why are Minnesota deer hunters paying into a Wolf Management Account when the federal government is supporting the wolf program? Besides, most of the deer hunters in our area don’t have a real high opinion of the gray wolf or their management.
If the Minnesota DNR needs more money for wolf management, go to the Humane Society of the United States. That group paid to get the gray wolf on the Endangered Species List so the wolf would be under federal control instead of state control. They have plenty of money because in the past, less than 1 percent of the HSUS donations get to any local Humane Societies. Most it spent on political agendas.
I was quite impressed when I also found out that the MNDNR is also taking another 50 cents per license fee for Wild Cervid Health and Emergency Deer Feeding Account. There’s another $300,000 going down the drain! I’m sorry, but up the North Shore, the only emergency deer feed comes from area deer hunters trying to save deer from starvation. Every year we have many second estrus fawns that are normally too small to survive the winter. I would recommend that the deer hunters in Minnesota take the time to get on the Minnesota DNR website select the Minnesota Whitetailed Deer Management Plan draft section and write your opposition to this plan. If you read the whole plan, you will see that the plan is neither in your best interest nor in the best interest of the white-tailed deer in Minnesota. The only way you can make a difference is if you do something!
James Vannet
Grand Marais
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