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The Associated Press
St. Paul, Minn.

DNR says Minnesota wolf population stable

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Gray wolf
The Department of Natural Resources says its latest population estimate is that 470 wolf packs and 2,423 wolves lived in Minnesota's wolf range this past winter.
MPR file photo

Minnesota will issue 500 more wolf licenses this year and allow hunters and trappers to kill 30 more wolves than last year.

The Department of Natural Resources says its latest population estimate is that 470 wolf packs and 2,423 wolves lived in Minnesota's wolf range this past winter. It says that's 212 more wolves than estimated in winter 2013

Dan Stark, the DNR's large carnivore specialist, says the estimate shows a stable population with no significant change from last year.

Wolf hunt opponents decried the DNR's decision.

Minnesota law already lets people kill wolves perceived as threats and "there is no good justification for a recreational wolf hunt," the group Howling for Wolves said in a statement.

"Most Minnesotans don't want a wolf hunt, and the hunt itself on these recently-endangered animals creates chaos for their packs which in turn creates unpredictable effects for wolves, farmers, and livestock," the group said.

The DNR will make 3,800 hunting and trapping licenses available. The statewide harvest target is 250 wolves. The DNR will start taking license applications Aug. 1, and the early season opens Nov. 8.

This will be Minnesota's third wolf hunting season since the animals came off the endangered list.