MN Wolves and Low Deer Numbers

[Rowdie]

 

[bravo]

Legislation based on how pretty and majestic wolves are has overruled common sense. Look at Idaho elk numbers since packs were re-introduced. Not saying they don’t have their place, but they need to be controlled just like anything else when they start causing problems.

 

[3Roosters]

Wolves destroy the Beaver population also. A Beaver that ventures too far away are in danger of getting attacked by wolves.

 

[db-2]

A game warden told me a few years ago that to control the elk in the Turtle Mts they did discuss and consider bring wolves into the area. When one thinks about it you find there is no common sense in some people's brain. I am sure every livestock grower could not wait or do wolves only eat elk meat. Maybe hunters but then close to every inch of ground up there is posted. db

 

[eyexer]

A game warden told me a few years ago that to control the elk in the Turtle Mts they did discuss and consider bring wolves into the area. When one thinks about it you find there is no common sense in some people's brain. I am sure every livestock grower could not wait or do wolves only eat elk meat. Maybe hunters but then close to every inch of ground up there is posted.

The complete lack of access is going to eventually do the same damage as wolves. Especially when the hog population explodes

 

[db-2]

Have not seen a hog on camera or in person but have been told they are around the area. And the same old story for me that elk came in big time. I am sure if there is a wild hog around it will be dead.

I was also under the impression that is against game and fish rules to kill them as it makes it harder to control by you and me trying to shoot one.

The landowners up there protect their land big time and do not want outsiders around. I have experience that big time myself.
And i post what little land i have control of up there. However, i have let some in that have asked and the few that just go in. For me i have better spots to hunt than there but at one time it was the best there was.

Much easier to post electronic.

When i first started hunting deer in 1959 we had an issue of no deer, but the issues today are way more. Need to find a lot of answers. db

 

[Uncle Rico]

We own land in the Turtle Mountains, and have never seen a wolf, bear, pig or cat on camera, and we run a bunch of cameras. Certainly there are a few cats in the hills, and I can't speak for what exists in other parts of the hills either. But in our area, we run 15 or so cameras over a section of land, and have never seen any of the above critters.

The elk are a whole different story, they have exploded over the past few years. When a huge herd of cows got pushed into our land this fall, we had a fellow come in and shoot one but it had no impact. A day later there were 23 elk on a photo in a food plot. When possible in coming years we plan to have hunters come in to shoot them, I'm not sure what else would help besides harvesting them. One herd was 12 or so, and there were only 4 or 5 mature cows in my opinion. Something has to change drastically with the elk tags up there in my opinion, they cause so much more damage than deer and other critters. I've been hearing a lot of grumbling from other landowners this year.

 

[SLE]

We own land in the Turtle Mountains, and have never seen a wolf, bear, pig or cat on camera, and we run a bunch of cameras. Certainly there are a few cats in the hills, and I can't speak for what exists in other parts of the hills either. But in our area, we run 15 or so cameras over a section of land, and have never seen any of the above critters.

The elk are a whole different story, they have exploded over the past few years. When a huge herd of cows got pushed into our land this fall, we had a fellow come in and shoot one but it had no impact. A day later there were 23 elk on a photo in a food plot. When possible in coming years we plan to have hunters come in to shoot them, I'm not sure what else would help besides harvesting them. One herd was 12 or so, and there were only 4 or 5 mature cows in my opinion. Something has to change drastically with the elk tags up there in my opinion, they cause so much more damage than deer and other critters. I've been hearing a lot of grumbling from other landowners this year.

So I was told a few years ago from a local that the reason the snowmobile trails aren't allowed to open up in the hills (regardless of snow conditions) until January is because the private land owners didn't want the sledders pushing the elk out until after all of the hunting seasons had closed?

 

[zoops]

Good on you @Uncle Rico for using hunters to try to help. I have no familiarity with the area but imagine the elk cause plenty of damage. Have an uncle in the Bozeman area who talks about how some ranchers in that area complain about all the elk but then won't let anyone hunt.

 

[Uncle Rico]

So I was told a few years ago from a local that the reason the snowmobile trails aren't allowed to open up in the hills (regardless of snow conditions) until January is because the private land owners didn't want the sledders pushing the elk out until after all of the hunting seasons had closed?

The NDGF says the elk were all over throughout the hills last winter when they flew the area with thermal sensing equipment. The saturation throughout the hills was something they were a bit surprised by, or at least that's what I was told (by them).

I would doubt landowners want elk spending more time on their land and messing with bales, etc. over winter when they could be living up in the park. Maybe that's what you're saying, I can't tell for sure.

 

[db-2]

For numbers only on 1.8 acres i had 125 elk spend part of the winter last year. I could with the right wind and tree cover get within 75 yards of them. i then decide to give chase on foot by just showing myself. In a short period of time, they did move about 2-3 miles west of me and spend the winter there. In the last days i have had a herd of about 12 move into my food plot by the border. I am sure more will come.
They are as bad as a herd of cows doing damage. Love to polish their horns on the evergreens i have planted and it does not take them long to eat the plots bare. I did visit with game and fish on that and got nowhere. db

 

[db-2]

They say the elk are as good as beef to eat and the landowners had their private herd to pick from. Game and fish told me the count was over 1000 up there last winter and i told them to recount. db

 

[bucksnbears]

I know several Wolf camps in Mn.
They used to be treasured deer camps.

 

[espringers]

A good elk population. Assuming access... which is an absurd assumption... I know... that seems like a good problem for ND hunters

 

[db-2]

Unless you're never going to get an elk tag and if get only one and they destroy your whitetail hunting ground. dnb-2

 

[SLE]

The NDGF says the elk were all over throughout the hills last winter when they flew the area with thermal sensing equipment. The saturation throughout the hills was something they were a bit surprised by, or at least that's what I was told (by them).

I would doubt landowners want elk spending more time on their land and messing with bales, etc. over winter when they could be living up in the park. Maybe that's what you're saying, I can't tell for sure.

They way I understood it. The landowners won't open up their private land for snowmobile trail access until elk season is done which is the first weekend of January. AKA, they want the elk on their land for hunting or fee hunting, but don't care as much once the hunting season is over. So if they are that big of a problem, the land owners need to help themselves a little with land access to others. I don't know any of this first hand, this all comes from hearsay from both the aspect of why the sled trails aren't open sooner and also the exploding population of elk up in the hills. I've put my share of miles on the sleds up there and I've never ran across elk. We see moose and deer regularly.

I did go up one year when we had a bunch of snow before the trail system was technically "open". I was expecting that it wasn't open because it wasn't signed, cleared, or groomed which didn't bother me. That is until we tried to ride the trail (followed gps maps and years of memory knowing where the trails are) only to run into fenced off areas and closed gates with posted signs. So when they show closed on the state trail system web site, they mean actually closed off.

 

[eyexer]

If they’re destroying your property you can shoot ‘em right?

 

[db-2]

no, that is the elk. db

 

[Rowdie]

If they’re destroying your property you can shoot ‘em right?

Just say "There're coming right at us" and claim self defense.

 

[Rowdie]