Annual wolf complaints at record high in state
An annual record 252 calls for wolf conflict management assistance related to livestock, poultry, pet owners, or citizens concerned about public safety, were received in 2024 by Minnesota United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Wildlife Services, according to a USDA Wildlife Services report.
St. Louis County registered the highest number of wolf complaints among Minnesota’s 87 counties with 20 verified complaints, according to the report. St. Louis County also had the most wolves removed by USDA Wildlife Services in 2024 among all Minnesota counties with 42.
The 252 complaints were “well above” the previous 10-year average of 174 requests for assistance, the USDA report stated. Most domestic animal Minnesota wolf complaints in 2024, as in previous years, were related to cattle, followed by dogs and sheep, according to the USDA report. Another 12 calves were verified as wolf-wounded along with one cow, three dogs and one other domestic animal.
“There’s definitely more and more conflict related to this,” Troy Salzer, a University of Minnesota Extension educator based in Virginia said. “The one thing we are seeing is that a pack moves into a community because the deer populations are low and they tend to move through more rapidly. The lambing season and calving season are usually when it happens, but at other times we are seeing full-sized animals being taken when historically it was just calves.”
The 252 complaints were “well above” the previous 10-year average of 174 requests for assistance, the USDA report stated. Most domestic animal Minnesota wolf complaints in 2024, as in previous years, were related to cattle, followed by dogs and sheep.
In 2024, there were 108 verified wolf-killed calves in the state, 13 cows, 11 sheep, six dogs, one horse, three turkey, and 2 other animals such as chickens, donkeys, pigs, llamas, bison, rabbit, goats, and captive deer. Another 12 calves were verified as wolf-wounded along with one cow, three dogs, and one other domestic animal.
As wolves seek out food sources, their range has expanded, Salzer said. “There’s more and more conflict as the food supply dwindles,” Salzer said. “We’re seeing conflicts much further south than what I have seen to be the case.”
Wolf damage was verified at 113 different sites in Minnesota in 2024, according to the USDA report. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) estimated there were 2,919 wolves in approximately 631 packs in Minnesota over the winter of 2022-2023.
Minnesota House of Representatives Rep. John Burkel, R-Badger, is authoring a bill that would require the DNR commissioner to prescribe an annual open season for wolves unless the wolf is listed under the federal Endangered Species Act of 1973.
Rep. Cal Warwas, R-Clinton Township and Rep. Natalie Zeleznikar, R-Fredenberg Township, are among co-authors of the bill. Warwas said he recently attended a Hunters for Hunters meeting in Babbitt where wolf issues were discussed.
“There were personal stories being told,” Warwas said. “The wolf population is coming right into towns like in Ely and chasing deer. They’re coming into the city and what we’re seeing is they’re coming for pets and they’re coming for livestock and it has to stop.”
Since Feb. 10, 2022, gray wolves in Minnesota have been federally protected under the Endangered Species Act. U.S. Minnesota Eighth District Congressman Pete Stauber says it’s time for gray wolves to be delisted.
“The gray wolf is fully recovered, and if anyone needs proof of this fact, look no further than what’s happening here in Minnesota,” Stauber said. “The dramatic rise of the gray wolf in northern Minnesota has led to a diminished deer population, increased predation on livestock, and resulted in the tragic loss of countless family pets. In fact, Minnesota’s Eighth Congressional District has more gray wolves than any district across the lower 48. My constituents’ message to me is clear: we must remove the gray wolf from the endangered species list and return management to the states.”
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Mesabi Tribune