Wolf management

Minnesota's gray wolf population is currently managed under the authority of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Wolves in Minnesota are classified as threatened under the Federal Endangered Species Act.

We anticipate a decision to delist gray wolves in Minnesota in the next year. Once that happens, wolves will be managed in Minnesota by state statute, rule and under a wolf management plan (2.33 MB). Read the Delisting FAQ.

The state wolf plan is designed to protect wolves and monitor their population while giving owners of livestock and domestic pets more protection from wolf depredation. It splits the state into two management zones with more protective regulations in the northern third, considered the wolf's core range.

The plan establishes a minimum population of 1,600 wolves to ensure the long-term survival of the wolf in Minnesota. The state's wolf population, estimated at fewer than 750 animals in the 1950s, has grown to the most recent estimate of 2,921. There will be no public hunting or trapping seasons for wolves for at least five years. The endangered species act requires the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to monitor wolves in Minnesota for five years after delisting to ensure that recovery continues.

Minnesota DNR position statement: "The Minnesota DNR is committed to ensuring the long-term survival of the wolf in Minnesota, and also to resolving conflicts between wolves and humans."

• Delisting Frequently Asked Questions
• Legal and management status
• Wolf Management Plan (February 2001) (2.3 Mb)
• Wolf Managment Roundtable Summary
• 2008 Wolf Survey Report (11 pages | 416 Kb)
• International Wolf Center
• Minnesota Department of Agriculture Wolves in farm country
• Compensation claim for livestock destroyed by a wolf
• U.S. Fish and Wildlife Wolf Information

Maps

• Wolf Management Zones (1.3 Mb)
• Minnesota Wolf Distribution and Management Zones (478 k)
• Wolf Range Expansion 1978 to 1998 (208 K)

Wolves and Big Game

• "Do Wolf Tracks and Few Deer In Your Fall Hunting Area Mean What You Think They Mean?" article reprint courtesy of MDHA Whitetales Magazine
  (1.25 Mb)
• Bounce Back
• Moose Population Dynamics in Northeastern Minnesota (71 k)
• Moose Mystery
• End of the Reign?