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Steve Porter of Hunters for Hunters welcomed a crowd of around 100 people to the Babbitt Municipal Center on Feb. 22.
He explained the organization started about a year and a half ago. The first meeting in Squaw Lake had 400 people in attendance along with six elected officials.
Porter said the audience was largely made up of deer hunters who had spent the season in the woods without seeing any deer.
“Minnesota is in a crisis with an epic failure of wolf management,” said Porter.
The volunteer organization did 20 meetings last year across the state.
“We have never had one DNR official show up at a meeting and we invite them all the time,” said Porter who asked if there was one at the Babbitt meeting. No one raised a hand.
The board is made up of Republicans and Democrats, Porter said the Minnesota Deer Hunters Association has not participated in Hunters for Hunters.
There were several stories of people not seeing a deer during hunting season and being frustrated with their hunting experiences.
Hunters for Hunters board member Tammy Tisland, also a realtor, hammered that point home.
“What makes me sad is the thought that you all may have to one day say goodbye to that hunting family hunting property that you have had for decades in your family because you can no longer show your grandchildren a deer, and they have to listen to stories that you told about deer hunting. So I’m here to protect that legacy. I am here to stand up for you as well,” said Tisland.
Other board members of Hunters for Hunters were also on hand and described their reasons for volunteering with the organization.
Board president Dillan Porter said he helped start the organization “because I wanted to see a change in the way things are being managed in the state of Minnesota. The wolf issue is a huge issue, but there are a number of issues that need to be changed to make hunting grade again in the state.
Successes of the young organization include holding 20 meetings across the northern part of the state with up to 700 people attending one of the largest meetings. And, the group also participated in a Congressional hearing put on by Rep. Pete Stauber on the wolf issue.
Missing from that federal hearing held in Minnesota was DNR Commissioner Sarah Strommen who said she had a scheduling conflict. The group later found out Strommen was meeting with Ron Schara.
Steve Porter said the DNR blames the federal government for the wolf not being delisted. He said they pushed the agency to say the state is ready for the delisting and said the DNR is “deceitful and they don’t want wolves delisted.”
A federal bill known as the Pet and Livestock Protection Act of 2025 is being considered this year and may finally be passed. Steve Porter said the bill includes language that says “reissuance of the final rule under this section shall not be subject to judicial review. What does that mean? It means that a court can’t overturn it.”
He said this language is similar to a law passed previously involving the delisting of wolves in the western United States.
If the federal legislation is passed the state already has a wolf management plan in place. However, the plan doesn’t kick in until the DNR thinks the state wolf population exceeds 3,000. The DNR currently says there are 2,700 wolves in the state.
Bill Porter said the state plan is really a wolf protection plan and that Gov. Tim Walz (D) has said there will never be a wolf season under his watch.
Hunters for Hunters believes the plan will not work and that board members were disappointed when the Minnesota Deer Hunters Association endorsed the state plan.
Minnesota’s plan said the DNR may have a season whereas over in Wisconsin the statute says when they’re delisted, they must have a season.
Bill Porter said there is also a major problem of livestock producers losing calves every year and fewer than five percent being paid for by the government.
“Shame, shame, shame. Livestock producers and pet owners need to be protected and they’re not being protected,” said Porter. He also told a story of a child who had a service dog. The family let the dog outside to go to the bathroom and it was disemboweled by wolves.
Bill Porter advised attendees to know the laws regarding nuisance wolves and whether a wolf can be shot legally or not.
“We were happy to come to Babbitt. As far as I’m concerned, Babbitt, Minnesota is the epicenter of wolf problems, you guys. I think it is, okay? So we’re happy to come here.
“I’m sure you guys all have horror stories, and that’s why we picked about. We wanted to come here and try to give you guys some spotlight and connection with your elected officials. The importance of building relationships with elected officials, okay?”
Bill Porter also told a story about a phone call he received and he wasn’t sure who it was.
“Who is this guy? And finally, the light bulb went off, it was Ted Nugent. He called me at eight in the morning to congratulate us on the work door.
“Ted Nugent was in the White House last week having closed door meetings with Donald Trump. I text him on a regular basis. We talked on the phone,” said Porter.
Porter said Hunters for Hunters needs support from people to keep working on problems involving wolves and deer.
“We need your membership, we need your 35 bucks, we need your support, and we need your tips, call us, we need your complaints, we need your messages, your photos, we need everything, okay?” said Porter.
Rep. Cal Warwas (R) told the crowd of 100 he was newly elected in November.
“I can tell you right now we need some big changes in this state,” said Warwas. “I’ve signed on today to John Burkel’s bill about the wolf hunt if they are the listed, which of course we all want and I know there’s some others that are going to be working on a stronger bill as well,” said Warwas.
“We got to keep both feet on the gas on this issue. Your voices are being heard. It’s very important that you have citizen input. I can’t tell you how critical it is that when you have these social media channels, that you use them, that you share posts out with your friends outside of your friend groups and get the word out because the people’s voice matters,” said Warwas.
Rep. Roger Skraba (R) said, “According to the current occupied wolf range, it’s estimated to be 28,561 miles approximately one third of the state. I’m almost half of the wolf range in the district I represent, which is Babbitt, which is here.”
Skraba said he questioned Burkel on his bill which inc ludes the DNR’s wol f ma nagement plan.
“The DNR’s ma nagement plan isn’t what we want. I said, I’ll write another bill without the DNR management plan. I’ll sign on to his, he’ll sign on for mine, and we’ll see which one makes it through what we can do. But we’re fighting the (Lt. Gov.) Peggy Flanaga n s. We’r e fighting Gov. Tim Walz,” said Skraba.
Babbitt Mayor Andrea Zupancich spoke to the group as well and said she ran a Republican against Sen. Grant Hauschild (DFL).
“So all of us have stories, like real life stories of wolves. I mean, I can tell you before myself, Dave, when I saw that deer in front of your store, how horrifying, right?” said Zupancich. “And then another one the next day, right outside of town. My biggest fear is that they come to eat children next.
“We all have stories of dogs, pets being taken cats, my husband went to go see someone who had let his golden retriever out and a half hour later, he couldn’t find it. He found the retriever in a couple different pieces.
“In Ely, there are stories running wolves running right up on the deck. One woman grabbed her pet out of the wolf’s mouth amazingly enough, brought that pet to the vet, and the only reason why that pet survived was because it was a pit bull because of all the muscle that they have,” said Zupancich.
U.S. Rep. Pete Stauber wasn’t able to be at the meeting but sent a video where he said he is working to delist the wolf at the federal level.
“Hey, listen, we’re gonna delist the gray wolf this Congress like we did last Congress in a bipartisan fashion,” said Stauber. “We have a great secretary of interior, and working together, you all, with us working together, we’re gonna get it done.”
There was also discussion on the Chippewa Tribes and that there isn’t a wolf clan as Flanagan has described.
Skraba said in order to make changes, it will take electing a Republican governor and getting a new DNR Commissioner.
