Minnesota DNR: Fatal shooting of wolf, dumping of nearly 2 dozen duck carcasses illegal and unethical

State conservation officials said Monday that they are trying to find whoever shot and killed a wolf in central Minnesota as well as those responsible for the shooting of 22 ducks whose carcasses were dumped along a road in Little Falls, Minn.

Tips from the public to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources led the agency on Friday to the wolf and the ducks in what DNR spokesman Joe Albert said appear to be separate incidents.

The wolf was killed near Buckman, a town about about 6 miles south of Pierz, the DNR said. The ducks, some fully intact while others were partly cleaned, were dumped near Little Falls, the agency said.

"This behavior not only is illegal, it's also unethical and gives all hunters a bad name," read a DNR statement posted on social media.

The adult wolf, a male, "already had been heavily scavenged upon, likely by eagles" upon its discovery, Albert said. "So, after we gleaned what evidence from it we could, it was disposed of in a remote area."

The discarded ducks remain in DNR possession and include eight mallards, seven pintails, six canvasbacks and one wigeon, the agency spokesman said.

The DNR is urging anyone with information about either incident to contact the Turn in Poachers hotline at 800-652-9093 or via the MNTip app. Tipsters can remain anonymous.

The official population estimate of Minnesota wolves is around 2,700.

Hunting wolves in the state is prohibited by a 2022 ruling by a federal judge. Previously, when the animals were delisted from the federal Endangered Species Act list, the DNR allowed hunting and trapping of wolves in 2012, 2013 and 2014.

Duck hunting season opened statewide on Sept. 26. In central and southern Minnesota, the season took a break on Oct. 1 before starting up again on Oct. 7 and continues until Nov. 26. Duck hunting in northern Minnesota runs continuously until Nov. 21.