2.  White-tailed deer  Mule deer  Moose  Elk  Woodland caribou  Bison  Pronghorn antelope  Black bear  Gray wolf  Bobcat

3.  North America ◦ Most important big game animal ◦ 30 subspecies ◦ Exist over entire North American Continent ◦ Expanded northward due to logging and other activities of immigrants ◦ 1900: 500,000 ◦ 2000: 30 million

4.  Minnesota ◦ Existed primarily in southern Minnesota where food and cover are available ◦ Deer did not originally live in evergreen forest ◦ Forest lands became attractive after cutover and regrowth from forest fires

5. ◦ Overpopulation occurred early in 1900’s  Habitat over browsed  Consumed entire food source  15-20 deer per square mile ◦ 1850-1900 deer marketed commercially  Deer meat sold in markets  St. Paul customers purchased 8-10 cents/pound  1872: 6 tons shipped to Boston from Litchfield  Unlimited harvest

6. ◦ Before 1897, no restrictions and no hunting license required  1900: Harvest limit 5, license cost $.25  1901: limit 3  1905: limit 2 and a 21 day season established  1915: limit 1  1920s: bucks only law and alternate year  1933: every year hunting  Today the population is growing

7. ◦ Deer management units established ◦ Present status  Deer over entire state  Hunting season is annual  Approximately 2 million deer exist in Minnesota

8.  Always present  Live primarily in western United States  Rocky Mountain species most common  No breeding colony currently exist in Minnesota

9.  Largest most distinctive mammal  Northern wilderness  A boreal (northern) forest mammal

10.  Most common big game mammal before lumberjacks ◦ Food for lumberjacks, early pioneers ◦ Loss of habitat ◦ White tailed deer competition  By 1885 Minnesota moose population scarce  First protection laws 1887  Current Minnesota population <10,000

11.  “White Rump” ◦ Wapiti  American Sioux Indian Name  Native to Minnesota, very abundant

12.  Elk disappeared by 1900s ◦ Fenced pastures ◦ Market hunters ◦ Food source ◦ Canine teeth valued  1932: small Minnesota herd found  Restocking effort ◦ Enclosure of 54 elk (from Jackson Hole, Wyoming) ◦ Superior National Forest (a few released) ◦ Beltrami County herd of 27 (from Itasca State Park)

13.  Common in Northern Minnesota  1660-1880 reported as abundant  Require large forested, muskegs (acid soil) and bog areas  Two species ◦ Tundra reindeer ◦ Woodland caribou

14.  By 1880s population diminished ◦ Unrestricted hunting ◦ Logging, mining, forest fires ◦ Settlement of land  Last Minnesota caribou sighted in 1940

15.  Lasting hunting season was in 1904  Reintroduction of caribou to Minnesota in 1938 failed  Last reintroduction attempt: 1970-1980

16.  Occupied North America from Appalachians to the Rocky Mountains  2 species ◦ Plains ◦ Woodland  Fed and provided the Indians well  75 million existed at one time

17.  Decline occurred within 30 years ◦ Due to white settler slaughter  Prairie regions of Minnesota ◦ Supported large herds  Plains bison

18.  1850s bison disappeared from eastern Minnesota ◦ Woodland  1880 4 animals were found in Twin Valley  Buffalo skulls were used by surveyors plotting SW Minnesota ◦ Section corners – 4 skulls ◦ Half sections – 1 skull ◦ Readily available – early 1870s

19.  Original range – western Minnesota ◦ On eastern edge of their range  Never abundant in Minnesota  Last hunting season – 1892  A native of America

20.  Inhabited almost all of Minnesota  Migrated north due to settlers  Black bear most common species

21.  Black bear disappeared from agricultural land areas  White Bear Lake, MN  Were considered a nuisance  First laws to protect bear in 1917 were soon repealed ◦ Bounty killing established in 1945 ◦ Bounty killing eliminated in 1965

22.  Tourist attraction  1971: first hunting season established  Separate permit required

23.  1981: 1500 bear harvested  Bear management units established  Most current census has 15,000 Black bear in Minnesota  Nuisance problems beginning again

24.  Primary predator of deer and moose  Influence on population varies greatly  Consume about 15 adult deer per wolf

25.  Prey on very young, old, weak, sick prey  Continuously hunting  Deer make easy prey in winter  Located primarily in the Superior National Forest

26.  Numbers declined from 1849-1965 due to bounty payments  In 1967, wolves were listed on Minnesota endangered species list  In 1975, management programs installed by US Fish and Wildlife Services

27.  Eastern Timber Wolf Recovery Team established  Predator control program  10-30 verified livestock losses  Currently over 3000 wolves in Minnesota

28.  Kill deer, but do not seriously affect population  Prefer smaller game mammals  Primarily live in northern forested areas

29.  Fox  Coyote  Raccoon  Others?