Minnesota DNR Investigating Wolf Attack



ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) - The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources says it's investigating a rare apparent wolf attack on a teenager.

The DNR says it happened early Saturday morning at the West Winnie Campground on Lake Winnibigoshish in north-central Minnesota.

It says the 16-year-old boy suffered multiple puncture wounds and a laceration on his head about 4 inches long. The wolf ran into the woods after the boy kicked it.

After receiving local first aid, the boy was taken to a Bemidji hospital. The wound required multiple staples to close, but was not life-threatening.

The DNR says a serious injury or fatal attack on a human had never been documented in Minnesota before. The only two recorded wolf attack fatalities in North America in the last decade were in northern Canada and Alaska.

 

I don't find it surprising. I have had them come in close to my camp before and have had them follow me. The ones I have seen close showed no fear. They don't have any reason to.
Having a dog with you would really boost the chance of a problem. Even on a leash.

While I understand the folks who believe wolves shouldn't be on the landscape, I bet if you ask the DNR you'd find plenty of black bear attacks during the last few decades in MN. Any wildlife species can become aggressive, or may take a pot shot if it is hungry or sick etc... I realize the bigger they are the more likely they may cause a fatal wound or kill someone, but everyone who lives in large carnivore country and I'm including coyote, black bear, wolf, mountain lion, brown bear, etc.. should know and understand they are entering an area where there could be trouble.

We all know even fox and bobcats and raccoon can attack people in very serious ways when cornered, or when sick or starving. When I first moved here the first fatal attack by a mountain lion occurred. The individual was reported for chumming critters including fox and bobcat during a rabies epidemic. He lived by himself in the deep woods and bathed naked in a remote pond area. Lion killed him, no policy changes required except maybe laws to prevent folks from feeding wildlife.

The population size of wolves in the upper midwest has been growing for a long time but the numbers have been high enough that this could have happened a long time ago. We've had multiple non fatal attacks of black bear and mountain lion here in NM and folks have cried out for change in policy, but in reality these are things that happen in areas where people are hiking, camping or living in remote country where you should know you live around these animals. This doesn't prevent the attacks from occuring, but being more vigilant can stop many of these cases from occurring.

Disclaimer, this kid sounds like he didn't have a chance to see it coming, and I'm not saying human victims of such attacks are not intelligent folks who have the right to camp, hike or live in such country.

Just saying, 1 attack doesn't mean the floodgate is opening and the wolves are taking over the world.

Justin

Its really just more than about 1 attack. They have harassed a lot of people here. And have effected my freezer big time.

ADC, Know lots of big game guides and subsistence hunters from western states, understand the issue and complaint.
Just saying the lightning bolt of an attack is statistically not relevant, except to that individual and his family. I have
empathy for him and don't think twice about the DNR heading out to remove and test that animal, just not a sign that
the "critters is risin up!!" if you know what I mean.

True, I remember some Yotes killing a woman in Canada about a year ago. Im not overly worried of them when in the back country. Though they may come out on the wrong end of a lethal encounter if they do bother me, or my dog.

Now I wouldn't be too surprised to hear of encounters becoming more common. With the game depleted in the high country they are coming down closer to towns here. Had one hit on the highway a couple weeks ago here. In a very populated area.

Great analogy HDWILDIFE with your "Statistical" lightening bolt!!

The wolves now have one lightening bolt on the scoreboard.

I think it is pretty neat we seen their introduction in our time. Gray and RED Wolves !!
I guess we call this an adjustment period for man & beast alike.

Just a guess. That wolf probably was fed by humans at some point.
There must of been a reason not to fear this person or possibly other persons.

Beside sickness what other reasons would of wolve not fear and attack us?

Justin, I can see your point of view and am the last to declare war on wildlife but I am still firmly of the mindset of controlling their numbers. I'm glad to have them back in some numbers but it really irritates me that the non outdoor public even has a say in the matter. As far as I'm concerned unless you live on the landscape with the predators then you have no say in their control.
Not that this is to disenfranchise anyone but the city folks and leftists ought to stick to the cities and leave well enough alone.

David,

I agree wholeheartedly that the folks in the city shouldn't have sole say in what those in the country live with. It is a problem and a big one, just checked in for a moment, gotta run, but just wanted to say, I do agree with you on that point and have argued the NIMBY attitude sucks in this country.

Folks who are wildlife lovers and advocates can become killers overnight, we all know that doing this business, see it everyday, I love wildlife but now this squirrel is in my walls when I was enjoying feeding him, can we kill it with some sort of poison or trap?

Or, to this thread more, okay, so lets release wolves in the suburbs and let you folks who believe those in the country should live with them.

Doesn't go over well, and of course they love to argue that there isn't enough good habitat or prey, etc...

Not.In.My.Back.Yard.



Gotta love it!

I think ADC and I are the only regulars on here from wolf country so we have a vested interest in them. This won't be popular but I'm a firm believer in
S-S-S as far as land owners are concerned, they are protecting their property, livestock, and should be allowed to use any means necessary. For ten years the ranchers have asked me what to do about them, I always say if it was my cattle I would practice S-x-S, shoot and shut up forget the shovel it leaves too much evidence. I took the required Montana wolf trapping class two weeks ago but don't expect to ever use it since the nearest wolves to me are about 70 miles southwest of here and would require too much winter back country travel to check traps. I have seen one wolf 30 miles east of Billings while I was out coyote huntin', he was chasing the same coyote I was. I doubt the wolf ever becomes a money maker for us ADC guys for two reasons, the expense of all that travel and there is a five wolf limit per person.

How many deer hunters here have watched a wolf take a deer, after they shot it. I stuck a doe once, the wolf must have been following it. I was a little wierded out about getting down out of my tree, but hey, there's more deer where that one came from right.

This is a subject that I really have trouble with. Why did my Wisconsin ancestors hunt the wolf to extinction? Because nobody cared. During the majority of my life, Wisconsin was completely wolfless. Who cared? Certainly not the deer, elk, or coyote. And the farmers and dog owners never had much of a problem with the rest of Wisconsin's predators.

So, what is the only good thing that the gray wolf accomplished in Wisconsin? They kill coyotes. who actually kill more people than wolves!

And speaking of coyotes, we never ever had them either. So what is the only good thing that a coyote does? They eat feral cats.

In conclusion, if we got rid of the lunatics that threw their cats out of the car window, we would have no reason for two other predators. So who is going to take the place of all these predators?..... the same predators we have always had; you and me behind the steering wheel.

Now those of you ( Justin? ) that feel that these predators have their place, let's hear it. I have lived over half my life with none of them and I wouldn't mind living without them again.

Paul, You always make me smile

Folks like yourself and others, have a common sense view of things that I can't tell you is wrong, because it is a question of philosophy, theory and human perception and socio factors.

Thus, though I can tell you biologically where predators play a role (not that everyone on here doesn't know the role they play, even those against wolves or predators, do understand biologically the role they serve in the ecosystem.

However, should I start spouting too much about ecosystems, I'll likely end up with my bi-monthly label of anti or some such.

Facts are that I come from an outfit that has and does continue to do wolf removal. I myself have spent plenty of time on coyote/depredation situations and know full and well what wolves can do to livestock.

If we were to think though Wink about the history of predators and predator removal in the country, we would find folks that didn't know 1/2 of what they know now about ecology and balance and how these things work.

The facts exist that elk for example in absence of large predators absolutely degrade wetland and riparian areas through overgrazing. Now plenty of folks would say, no worries, just increase the tags right?

Nope, not that simple and as much as I support anyone protecting, land, life, livestock, there are more and more people who are finding the ability to work within the system and still make a living, this includes, bear, coyote, lion, wolf.

When I was in UT the guy we received our study sheep herds (300 lamb/ewe pairs times 2) that we ran on the coyote study, had migrant herders that lived in trailers. His rule was if a lion hit the sheep, the herder was to move the sheep to another canyon or grazing unit. Why?

Was he a radical animal loving anti?

Nope, simple economics, it was cheaper for him to move the sheep to another unit away from the killing. Can you always do this or should you have to? Nope, but the options exist.

I know Wink that you also see no use for coyotes and I just simply can't wrap my mind around that. I've trapped coyotes, called and shot them and worked to provide exclusion for them in urban and rural farms. However the call of a coyote is a special thing to me and always will be. That is one species that surpasses nearly all others in adaptability and raw ability to learn and evade and so forth.

I know guys who from birth nearly have killed coyotes for a living and many say, when retiring not seeing another would be just fine, but I know too many trappers on this forum who wouldn't imagine a field or farm where coyotes do not exist (unless they like to trap red fox of course!).

When folks were living in shacks or dugouts worrying about their scalp, or struggling through the dust bowl later on, I imagine the idea of predators wasn't high on anyones list.

But my final thought and statement would be, in the natural world, the predators have a role and they serve it well.

What isn't always served is balance, because as in the case of wolves, those who wanted them brought back, also now sue to keep them from being harvested even though goals for populations have long since been met in the major recovery areas.

Okay, fire away!

PS - I have known of SSS since I was a young kid, however in the day and age of tracking devices that are implanted and can still be radio tracked by plane and vehicle....I bet you will see far more arrests for such in the coming decade as batteries, implants and technology increase.

I forgot about the MN, WI and MI guys, you too have wolves, but I think our situation is a little different, correct me if I'm wrong. I hear and read countless stories of wolf predation on livestock out here in the West but I never seem to hear anything about it back East, does it happen often? As far as big game goes we've all lost the bulk of our elk and moose due to wolves.

Justin, a high power projectile passes through so with no digging who's gonna know?

I should have added to the elk portion of that post, I know a ton of folks who are overrun by deer and elk on alfalfa and other crops. Now do they want wolves? Nope not usually, but fencing and programs to deter or exclude these critters is desperately needed throughout the midwest and western states where these large herds exist.

Good point about the bullets dave, thats probably where the third S comes in to play. Many folks can't do that one.

The upper midwest does indeed have wolf depredation issues. Dairy cattle on pasture, beef cows, sheep etc... Lots of the same issue as out west with the exception that often the free range western style management means you don't know you had a kill till many things have been on the scene, or when you do your roundup to move to the next pasture and realize your missing 30 head.

I think too Dave, the reference to losing the elk and moose is an example of not allowing harvest or a reasonable balance of take on predators after reintroduction. Will guarantee there is a model that shows exactly how many wolves can be sustained without sucking down the native ungulates beyond allowance.

Your point though goes to my reference to social and philosophical and other factors.

If you guide elk hunts or moose hunts or subsist on it, then predators are simple competition and no one desires that!

Thank God for people like Justin. It's way easier to agree with me than it is to write an intelligent post that might tread on my delicate sensibilities. I have to admit that I am a special case. I will also begrudgingly admit that although we now have predators that we have never had before, ( including black bear in southern Wisconsin ) we also have a lot more of everything else. There is no doubt in my mind that we may have more of every native non-predator wildlife in Wisconsin than we have ever had. I feel that I am very fortunate to have been able to enjoy this incredibly abundant amount wildlife.

A wise man once said, "I have never learned a single thing from someone that agreed with me." ( Which means that I owe nearly all my intelligence to my lovely bride )

Paul,

One thing I count on with you is that your always open to a good debate and provide good humor. I have been fortunate to be exposed to a ton of wildlife issues throughout my lifetime from the farm as a kid, to where I am now and all things in between. I have always enjoyed being able to engage in a variety of situations and discussions and I couldn't agree more about learning from someone that doesn't agree with you. I spend an inordinate amount of time listening to some wild things being said by folks and more often than not I at least learn where they develop their opinion and if I am looking to make something part of my business, I learn aspects I need to in order to ultimately sell or be involved as a company.

(Oh and LOL about the wife!)

Wolves are moving south a great lakes region wolf was DNA confirmed killed in ky last year . We get them in southern mi as well . No reason there not nation wide over the next 20 years

Its very simple really. I am all for wolves. They should be in all the zoos. Outside of a zoo the only good wolf is a dead wolf. We never wanted the wolves here. They were shoved down our throats whether we liked it or not. This is not the wild west. We don't have massive wilderness lands anymore and we cannot support a bunch of killing machines. 10 years ago the Fish and Game claimed we had too many elk in my hunting district. Now you have a better chance getting hit by lightning than getting an elk there.
One of the last elk we got had a pack of wolves ripping her apart before we could get to her. She was lung shot at less then 100 yards. They ripped her open and allowed her to drag her own intestines a short distance before the bullet finely finished its job.
A few years ago two wolves got into a herd of sheep and killed the entire herd. 100 animals. It is all publicly documented. None of the sheep were fed on. Purely a kill for sport.
Two friends have killed four wolves. All within view of their house one less than 100 feet from their front door. It was eating one of their sheep when he shot it. This was within 2 miles of a city.
Cat hunters are afraid to turn their dogs loose now, as the dogs barking will draw in any wolves in the area. Several packs of dogs have been wiped out.

Two years ago. In less than two weeks in the Bitterroot valley. 10 dogs were killed in their own yards. One on a front porch. Around the same time a Sula rancher in another area stepped out of his front door and shot two wolves out of pack that were attacking his stock dogs. This was within 20 feet of his front door.

They have no fear of humans. They have no reason to fear us. And with the population growing we are only going to see more and more conflicts.

Whoever came up with that crock about prey animal management never bother to check if they needed managed. Probably the same people who claim they only take the sick and week.