Outdoor Insights: Is it time for Minnesota to host a limited state moose hunt again?

A letter writer recently addressed a topic that many sportsmen ponder: Why do three Chippewa tribes kill several dozen moose every year while state hunters kill zero?

First, a recap of Minnesota moose history. Forty years ago, we had two distinct regions with large, huntable populations of moose — the northwest and the northeast. For reasons that remain unclear, the northwest population crashed first with the DNR canceling hunting there in 1997.

From a high population of 8,800 animals in 2006, the northeast herd also declined rapidly. State hunters went bulls-only starting with the 2007 hunt, then the last season occurred in 2012 with 87 tags that resulted in a kill of 45 bulls.

The three tribal bands in the region, Fond du Lac, Bois Forte, and Grand Portage, also halted their hunting in 2013, when the northeast moose population estimate had dropped to 2,730 animals. No one argued with closing the season at the time.

Since then, the moose population rebounded slightly, then has been relatively stable for five-plus years, fluctuating between 3,500 and 4,000 moose. The state has a moose plan that calls for five years of population increases before a hunt can occur again.

That hasn’t happened, but the bands decided several years ago that there are enough moose on the landscape for their members to kill some. Total tribal moose harvest for 2024 was 33 bulls – 12 by the 1854 Treaty Authority (Bois Forte and Grand Portage) and 21 by Fond du Lac. This year, across the three bands, there are 65 tribal tags which will probably result in a kill similar to 2024.

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That’s 1% of the population estimate of a herd many times the size of our resident elk herd (which we hammer annually with state and tribal permits). The moose herd appears capable of handling some harvest, and this scribe agrees that state hunters deserve their share, too.

There’s an old saying in conservation that if you want to save a species of concern, hunt ’em. When a species has value to the sporting community, there’s more incentive and interest in protecting them and their habitat. There’s also revenue.

Twenty tags at, say, $400 each would generate a few bucks, but application fees could produce a whole lot more. A recent press release from the Wisconsin DNR said 26,000 hunters there paid $10 each for a shot at one of 13 Badger State elk tags, with $7 from each of those applicants going toward elk management, habitat restoration, and research.

That’s more than $183,000 that could buy a lot of moose collars for research over here if Minnesota implemented a similar season structure for moose.

Key people in DNR Wildlife understand the itch among state sportsmen regarding moose. Barb Keller, big-game program leader, acknowledged that the now dated, existing moose plan didn’t foresee the stabilization in the northeast moose herd and needs to be revisited.

Dave Trauba, DNR Wildlife Section manager, told me that at the section group meeting at Camp Ripley this summer (his first as leader), he had a list of priorities for the next five years. One of them is evaluating whether the agency can reinstate a moose hunt. Trauba hunted Minnesota moose himself back in 2010, though he noted the agency has a lot happening with big game right now, including elk and moose research projects.

“We’re interested, but for clarity let’s get this research underneath us,” he said. “But it seems like some opportunity there.”

I’m glad DNR is receptive to possibly re-starting a limited moose hunt, because I’m not willing to permanently cede all moose harvest to the bands. State sportsmen, who subsidize the bulk of game management and research in this state, need to keep pressure on the agency to make this an immediate priority.

Minnesota Bowhunters, Inc. agrees, and has an online petition advocating for House File 1333, which would re-establish a state moose hunt. To sign it, visit www.minnesotabowhunters.org and click Advocacy.