Under a somewhat contentious agreement with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR), Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa and Bois Forte will each be allowed to harvest five bull moose this fall.
This decision comes on the heels of a recent hunt conducted in northeastern Minnesota by the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa who took 25 moose, starting their hunt September 24 and ending it mid-October.
The difference between the two is that Fond du Lac did not sign the 1854 Treaty Authority and kept its sovereign rights to hunt, fish and gather in exchange for payments of money.
Meanwhile, Grand Portage and Bois Forte signed the 1854 treaty and received $1.6 million per year, giving up some, but not all of their rights to hunt, fish, and gather.
In 1988 the state of Minnesota began paying Grand Portage and Bois Forte to conduct moose hunting at the same time the state has its hunts. Due to declining numbers of moose, Minnesota has not had a hunt for moose since 2013.
Dr. Seth Moore, director of biology and environment for the Grand Portage Trust Lands, said the state’s decision to cancel its moose hunt is based more on public emotion and opinion than on science.
That seemed to be the sentiment of DNR Commissioner Tom Landwehr in 2013 when he stated at the time that the state’s limited hunts were not the cause of the population decline. Still, due to public pressure and perception, the DNR canceled the moose hunts.
Since then, the DNR’s winter aerial surveys have shown the numbers of moose to be fairly consistent.
“We feel good that the population has stabilized,” said Moore, adding that the adult moose population has steadied and calf mortality numbers are improving.
Minnesota’s moose population fell dramatically from an estimated 8,840 in 2006 to about 3,500 in 2013. Today the DNR’s winter aerial surveys put the number of moose around 4,000. Those same studies also seem to suggest that Moore is right because from 2014 to 2016 the DNR’s estimates ranged from 3,500 moose to 4,500 moose in northeastern Minnesota.
Between 2010 and 2013 the state’s moose population fell by 52 percent, causing the state to cancel its moose-hunting season. All of the bands followed suit until this year.
Moore said the hunt is a subsistence hunt, not a ceremonial hunt as has been suggested by the DNR.
Canceling this year’s hunt, said Moore, would take the focus off of the big picture—trying to determine what caused so many moose to die so quickly. Scientists know some of the culprits: brain worm transmitted by deer, predation by wolves and bears, winter ticks, climate change and a lack of habitat, but those same scientists are still not sure what caused the precipitous drop in numbers of moose and are still looking for answers.
The DNR has conducted aerial moose population surveys in northeastern Minnesota since 1960. The survey involves flying transects in 49 randomly selected plots spread across the Arrowhead region of Minnesota. The Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa and 1854 Treaty Authority contribute funding and provide personnel for the study.
Grand Portage began its moose hunt on October 22. Hunters were selected by lottery. If the hunt goes well, moose meat will be on menus this winter. Hunters will take five moose, no more. As Dr. Moore said, the hunt is part of the band’s culture; moose meat is part of their diet. If the hunt were to hurt the land or was detrimental to the animals, the band would oppose it.
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