DNR asks band to reconsider moose hunt

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources is asking the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa to reconsider plans for an off-reservation moose hunt.

Band leaders are planning to offer the fall hunt to members and expect to take up to 25 bull moose. The Duluth News Tribune reports Sunday that a band official says biologists are telling them there's no negative impact on the herd.

But DNR program manager Steve Merchant says the state's moose population has declined severely, making the hunt a bad idea.

The DNR's ability to stop the hunt is limited although Merchant says a lawsuit is an option.

The band's secretary-treasurer says moose meat is a staple for the diets of many band members.

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