Current Animal Legislation

Canned Hunts:

Senate File (S.F.) 3048—no companion bill was introduced in the House.  This bill would ban hunting preserves (farms) in the state.  Currently there are over 700 hunting preserves in Minnesota that charge a fee for killing deer, moose and elk that are farm raised.  MHS supports this bill.

Coyote Bounty Hunts:

S.F. 0761 and H.F. 868.  This bill would authorize counties to establish a bounty on coyotes.  No hearings have been scheduled this session.  The bill is not likely to pass.  MHS is working against passage.

Hunting of Bears with Hounds:

A bill to authorize the hunting of bears with hounds was not introduced this session despite considerable support in the hunting community.  MHS opposes this bill.

De-Listing of Wolves:

On March 27^th, a proposal to de-list (remove) the wolf from the protection of the Endangered Species Act in the Great Lakes Area, which includes Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan, was published in the Federal Register.  Comments will be accepted through June 26^th, and there will be one public hearing in Duluth, Minnesota on May 8^th, from 6:00 – 8:00 p.m.  Wolf management would be turned over to the State of Minnesota.  The legislature passed a wolf management bill in 2001, which was opposed by the environmental community.  The state would be divided into two zones—Zone A retains the most protection; Zone B will allow farmers and others much broader leeway to shoot or trap wolves if they are perceived as a threat to livestock, pets or people.  MHS opposes the de-listing of wolves.

Click here for contact information for the members of Minnesota’s House of Representatives and Senate.