News Cut Category Archive: wildlife

How to kill a wolf

Posted at 10:23 AM on May 23, 2012 by Eric Ringham (2 Comments)
Filed under: Icons, Science, wildlife

By Paul Tosto

I don't hunt. But when I heard about plans by the DNR to hold Minnesota's first wolf hunt in decades, my first thought was: That's going to be one tough prey.

Wolves make their living being smart and fast. Killing them won't be easy.

"Hunting wolves in the northwest has certainly proven to be a challenge, and will no doubt be difficult in Minnesota as well," said Jonathan O'Neal, owner of www.huntwolves.com, an Idaho-based website with lots of detail on tracking and killing wolves.

In Idaho's first wolf season three years ago, the wolf quota was only 220 animals. "Even with that small quota, the season had to be extended several months because of the difficulty sportsmen had hunting wolves, and it ended without the harvest goals being met," he said.

Last season was better as the state allowed trapping and lengthened the season, "but many hunting zones still closed without the quota being filled."

Here are some of O'Neal's recommendations for a good hunt:

Scout heavily for tracks, wolf kills and den sites well in advance of the season to find wolves and try to pin down their home range and travel habits.

Use wolf howlers to locate and call wolves in.

Use prey distress calls (rabbit calls, calf elk cries and fawn bleats) to call wolves in.

Take advantage of every fresh snowfall to make tracking easier.

Minnesota's wolf population is much larger than Idaho's, and the DNR here will allow some baiting. But the wolves learn quickly, O'Neal said.

"Wolves will definitely become even more difficult to find the longer they are hunted. They learn quickly and adapt their travel & hunting patterns to minimize human encounters."

-- Paul Tosto

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Is your appetite killing the ocean?

Posted at 5:10 PM on May 22, 2012 by Michael Olson (0 Comments)
Filed under: wildlife

Folks from flyover country are easy to spot on ocean beaches. They tend to linger longer. You may have seen similar behavior from your South Dakota cousin in the way he looks at the tall buildings in Minneapolis.

We've known for some time that these distant bodies of salty water aren't faring well, but the news keeps getting worse. A new report from the World Wildlife Fund details the extent of overfishing among other negative environmental indicators.

We have our own problems with the fish in Minnesota lakes, but overfishing isn't the leading culprit.

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Could climate change kill off walleye?

Posted at 9:16 AM on May 9, 2012 by Michael Olson (2 Comments)
Filed under: wildlife

In this May 9, 2009 file photo, anglers cast their lines in the early morning during the Governor's Fishing Opener on White Bear Lake. AP Photo/Pioneer Press, Ben Garvin

Ice-out dates for Minnesota keep moving up. This has been the case for the last 30 years. DNR biologists Mike Duval and Tom Jones discussed what the earlier ice-out dates mean for anglers. Here are a few highlights:

What are the implications of early ice out? Duval: It will mean a variety of things: longer open water periods, warmer water temperatures, more evaporation, and more inter-mixing of lake water because the ice "lid" that capped the lake will have been removed for a longer period of time. Over time, Minnesota waters and their fish populations will tend to be more characteristic of states to the south of us. Will warmer water improve or reduce fishing quality? Jones: That depends. Temperature is a limiting factor for many fish species and, thus, a critical component of their habitat. Clearly, warmer water temperatures will be detrimental to tullibee, lake trout and other species that depend on cold water. Tullibee, for example, could disappear in the next few decades from some southern and central Minnesota lakes due to a combination of higher water temperatures higher in the top portion of the water column, and insufficient oxygen in the lower portion of the water column where temperatures are cooler. On the other hand, bass will do just fine because they can tolerate warmer water temperatures. In fact, bass abundance is already increasing across Minnesota. Growth rates should improve as well because of longer growing seasons. Overall, the early ice-out trend will create winners and losers, depending on the temperature habitat requirements of each particular species. What's the long-term forecast for walleye and northern pike? Jones: In northern Minnesota lakes, higher water temperatures may benefit walleye and northern pike by increasing the length of the growing season. However, in southern lakes, temperatures may become too warm and lead to periods of mid-summer stress. If this stress becomes too severe, fish weights could decrease and walleye mortality could increase.

(More from the MN DNR website)

Do climate changes like earlier ice-out dates change the way you enjoy the outdoors?

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Carp on a stick?

Posted at 2:53 PM on October 20, 2011 by Hart Van Denburg (0 Comments)
Filed under: wildlife

When does an invasive species become the dominant species in an ecosystem? Or, to put it another way, when do we stop hating invasive carp and learn to love the species in that most Minnesotan of ways, dipped in batter and deep fried on a stick at the State Fair?

It seems a reasonable question, given that a National Park Service biologist says invasive silver carp have swum up the Mississippi as far as Lock and Dam No. 1. Not that anyone has actually seen the marauding fish. Instead, its DNA has been found in water samples taken downstream of the dam. But the carp are coming.

The State of Illinois has already learned to roll with the punches in this dilemma, signing up a Louisiana chef in an effort to tart up the carp's image and use it to help feed folks who don't know where their next meal is going to come from.

"We are in uncharted water here," said Illinois Department of Natural Resources spokesman Chris McCloud. "Why remove them and put them into a landfill when you can take them and use them for good?

This is a market opportunity waiting to happen. And if this video is any indication, harvesting the carp will be a whole lot easier and cheaper than scoring a booth to sell the bony fish at the State Fair.

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Freakishly large animals in the news

Posted at 10:17 AM on August 18, 2011 by Jon Gordon (3 Comments)
Filed under: wildlife

The moose, a freakishly large mammal, is in the news today. And so is the capybara, a freakishly large rodent.

In our Today's Question feature we asked:

Minnesota's moose population is in sharp decline, but the DNR says hunting is not the reason. State officials would like to ban the feeding of deer, a practice that concentrates deer and exposes moose to disease. Should Minnesota suspend moose hunting?

Here are some representative answers:

"Yes. It is a natural resource and we are in possession of a fragile population that is not growing."

"‎30 years ago I had the good fortune of working with the Forest Service out of the Sea gull Lake area and what I learned is that the State and Federal Biologists really do tend to know best, so if they've collaborated and figured out strategies and plans, I would encourage us to respect them, that they are doing their best for the moose and deer, they know more about it than we do, and I haven't hunted for 20 years."

"We should stop baiting everything: deer, bear, waterfowl. Moose: we need to find out what's happening, should have LONG ago! There's no "sport" here. Like shooting a cow. Do those who can afford moose license REALLY need moose meat?!?!?!?!?!"

"Yes.... Gotta make sure there are Moose for our grandchildren to see that aren't hanging on a wall. I'm all for responsible hunting, but the Moose is not sustainable game."

"Simple: distribute lottery tags.. issue 25 winners out of 1000. The state will profit & the lucky few will enjoy their hunt. Most rocky mountain states have a similar draw."

"NO, its already a lottery once in a life time hunt. and IF you get drawn, there is no guarantee you will get one. VERY few moose are taken by MN hunters every year."

A personal aside: About a year ago, my brother in Spokane, Washington hit a moose in his Volkswagen Passat. His car crumbled, and the moose just ran off. My bro says the moose looked as big as a giraffe.

And now, on to the capybara, the largest rodent in the world. Folks in Paso Robles, on California's central coast, had the pleasure of sighting one of these beasts.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

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