Wolf hunting

Hunters must register all wolves by 10 p.m. the day of harvest in order for the DNR to monitor zone-specific harvest levels.

Registration is available via:

• Telephone at 888-706-6367
• Online using a computer web browser or compatible smartphone at mndnr.gov/gameregistration
• In person at an authorized big game registration station 

Animals must be tagged per the instructions printed on a hunter's wolf license and site tag. Do not field dress.

Radio collars and ear tags must be retained and turned into DNR at the time of carcass and pelt inspection, which occurs after the season in a particular wolf zone closes.

Hunters must skin the animal before bringing in for inspection. Pelt and carcass must be brought to inspection.

Hunters may not party hunt for wolves; possess the site tag of another wolf hunter or trapper; or use a dog or a horse to take a wolf while hunting or trapping.

Complete registration information is available on page 8 of the wolf hunting regulations.  Questions should be directed to an area wildlife office.

Hunters should bring wolves in for inspection as soon as possible after wolf harvest registration to one of the scheduled wolf carcass inspection locations or to a DNR wildlife office by scheduling an appointment. For a hunter to receive a wolf fur registration tag, which is required in addition to wolf harvest registration, and for DNR to collect biological information on wolves harvested during the season, wolves must be brought in for carcass inspection by a DNR wildlife manger or designee.

A hunter must:

• Keep the pelt and carcass covered and stored in a vehicle until you've visited the reception area of the wildlife office and have been directed to the appropriate inspection location.
• Wolves should not be field dressed like a deer. Wildlife managers will be collecting samples from the abdominal cavity for data collection. For pelt preservation, skin the animal as soon as possible after wolf harvest registration.
• Skin the animal before arriving and present both the pelt and the carcass.
• Keep evidence of sex attached to the pelt for data collection and population monitoring.
• Retain any radio collars or ear tags and return them at the time of inspection.
• To speed up wolf inspection, complete the inspection form  before arriving for a designated or scheduled wolf inspection.

Plastic tags supplied by the wildlife manager or designee must remain affixed to the raw pelt until the pelt is tanned or mounted. Tanning a wolf pelt does not eliminate the need for carcass inspection of a wolf.

A hunter or trapper is responsible for carcass disposal following inspection. Remember the following when disposing of the carcass:

• The disposal or abandonment of a wolf carcass within a wildlife management area is prohibited
• Dumping a wolf carcass on public land is considered littering
• Carcasses may be disposed of in an appropriate trash container, at the local landfill, on the hunter's land or on private land with permission of land owner

Complete registration information is available on page 9 of the wolf hunting regulations.  Questions should be directed to an area wildlife office.

Know Your Target

Hunters can legally take coyotes in Minnesota and may misidentify a coyote as a wolf while wolf hunting. Make sure the animal in you take is a wolf prior to wolf harvest registration. Wolves and coyotes are closely related but are well distinguished by their difference in size and physical characteristics.

Gray wolf (Canis lupus) or timber wolf: Height – 30 inches average; Length – 5½ feet; Weight – 50-110 pounds; Color – shades of gray or tan, sometimes black, rarely white.

		4½ inches long
3½ inches wide

Coyote (Canis latrans) or brush wolf: Height – 18 inches maximum; Length – 3 feet; Weight – 25-35 pounds; Color – all shades of gray, tan, buff, black or white (very rare).

		2½ inches long
1½ inches wide

Target harvests have been established in each of the state's three wolf hunting zones. If a target harvest is achieved, hunting and trapping will be closed in that zone. The statewide target harvest is 400 wolves, which includes all three wolf zones. Zones may close before the season's established target is met to properly limit take.