Fond du Lac Band cancels moose hunt

DULUTH, MN (AP) — A third Minnesota tribe has decided to cancel its moose hunt.

The Fond du Lac Band of Chippewa said Friday it wants to find out what’s causing the plunge in the moose population.

Tribal chairwoman Karen Diver tells the Duluth News Tribune members were split over the original decision to proceed with the hunt — and the decision to cancel it.

Fond du Lac joins the Grand Portage and Bois Forte bands in canceling hunts on lands where they hold treaty rights.

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources canceled the sport moose hunt last February after its winter population survey showed a 35 percent decline in just one year. Northeastern Minnesota’s moose population has dropped from 8,800 in 2006 to an estimated 2,760 this past winter.