Hunters rally against wolves in Carlton

Roughly 300 hunters sat rapt Wednesday at Four Seasons Sports Complex in Carlton to hear a new grassroots group's plan to pressure the state to act against federal protection of the gray wolf.

The group, Hunters For Hunters, formed earlier this year, in front of the Minnesota firearms deer season, which unfolded with disgruntled hunters throughout northeastern Minnesota complaining about seeing more wolves than deer.

"Everybody coming out of the woods [was] going to be mad," said Steve Porter, one of the group's founders. "Everybody in this room has credibility."

Porter described himself as a one-time deer farm operator and former law enforcement officer in Kittson County.

The upper level at Four Seasons was wall-to-wall people, with listeners even flowing down the stairs as Porter delivered a message of hunter unity.

"We're trying to create a voice," he said. "We will be heard."

He described the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, and other entities, such as the Minnesota Deer Hunters Association and state attorney general's office, as ineffectual.

"What we're looking for is a bunch of men who don't have reverse," Porter said, as a way of saying they need to take the fight to Washington, D.C. There was a smattering of women and children in the crowd.

Porter wondered aloud why the "love affair" with the gray wolf had "to spill over onto your land?"

Listeners were urged to sign up for memberships, including annual fees of $35, $50 and $60, promising membership cards and window decals.

Porter decried the "liberal media," and denied having an interest in politics, while repeatedly identifying Republican politicians as allies in the effort.

Minnesota DNR officials and wildlife management experts have identified a series of harsh winters as having had the biggest impact on the declining deer population.

Meanwhile, Porter talked about "snubbing a nose at the feds," and used the example of Texans who hunt hogs from helicopters, a practice he said was against federal law. The crowd vocally affirmed its support of Porter's message at several turns.

Hunters For Hunters bills itself as a nonprofit organization, but, as a 501(c)4 entity, donations are not tax deductible.

The recruitment event was part of a series of meetings to be held throughout northeastern Minnesota in the coming days. Rep. Jeff Dotseth (R-Kettle River) appeared in the crowd. There was no counterpoint given to Porter's claims prior to the Pine Knot leaving to meet its deadline.

"I just want (wolf) management," Porter said. "I don't want all my deer gone."