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On Wednesday, July 7, The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources announced it wouldn’t sanction a wolf hunt or trapping season for wolves until 2022 at the earliest.
The DNR said it hadn’t finished its 20-year wolf plan and wouldn’t have it completed until March 2022.
One of the tools the DNR is using to craft a wolf plan is a 2020 survey. Some 9,750 Minnesota residents were queried about their interest, likes and dislikes about wolves. The information was used to collect baseline information about the attitudes and values for wolves and wolf management.
The study was conducted with the University of Minnesota through the Minnesota Cooperative and Wildlife Research Unit.
Individuals who received questionnaires were broken into three groups: 5,250 residents, 2,000 deer hunters and 2,500 livestock producers.
Included in the questions asked were people’s experiences with wolves, attitudes about wolves, and reasons for valuing wolves.
Despite having a wide range of attitudes, most Minnesotans agreed the wolf population in the State should be maintained. Among the 5,250 residents, many answered that they would like the wolf population to stay where it is and the area where wolves live and roam remain the same.
Some 80 percent of deer hunters and livestock producers favored having a hunting and trapping season for wolves. The general public was split, with 41 percent supporting hunting and 30 percent favoring trapping.
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