Unsold wolf hunt permits going up for sale
More than 600 early season wolf hunting licenses will go up for sale next week after going unsold to winners of a lottery.
Minnesota Department of Natural Resources officials say 2,985 lottery winners purchased wolf licenses by the midnight Wednesday deadline.
The remaining 615 will go up for sale at noon on Monday for people who applied for this fall's lottery but were not selected. If there are any wolf hunt licenses left after that, they'll be made available to the public on Nov. 1.
DNR wolf expert Dan Stark said he's not surprised there were so many unsold licenses.
Grow the Future of Public Media
MPR News is supported by Members. Gifts from individuals power everything you find here. Make a gift of any amount today to become a Member!
"When you put in for the application it's a couple of months before the actual hunt, and so people's plans change," he said. "That's likely why they're not buying the licenses."
Stark said he expects the remaining licenses will sell quickly.
"When the unsold bear licenses are available for people to purchase, they're gone within a matter of minutes," he said. "People that are interested in getting a license that maybe didn't get drawn in the lottery are probably going to be waiting there at noon to have a shot at it."
Minnesota's first managed wolf hunt begins Nov. 3, the same day as deer hunting season.