DNR Conservation Officer Doug Erickson and Randy Kladivo examine the dead wolf recovered from Lake Vermilion Sunday. The wolf was run down by snowmobile and shot.Wolves shot on Lake Vermilion Marshall Helmberger.

One timber wolf was gunned down and a second was shot during an early morning incident, Sunday, near Lake Vermilion's Bass Bay.

According to DNR conservation officer Doug Erickson, the wolves apparently were feeding on a recent deer kill around dawn, when an individual on a snowmobile chased two of the animals down and shot them with a shotgun. One of the animals was killed and later dragged onto a small island, usually known as Peitso Island, where the shooter hid the animal in the woods. A blood trail indicated that a second wolf was also hit, but investigators did not find the body and the animal's current status is unknown.

The incident was reported shortly after it occurred, when a group vacationing at a nearby cabin called authorities to report hearing several shots fired.

Upon responding to the scene, Erickson said he found snowmobile and wolf tracks indicating that the snowmobiler had shot at the two wolves while pursuing them. Other wolves that were also in the pack apparently fled into the woods.

The case remains under investigation and the dead wolf is being sent to a crime lab for autopsy. Erickson said he is currently seeking additional leads and said reward money is available for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the shooter. Despite the proposal to remove the timber wolf from the threatened species list, the animal remains listed and is legally protected.

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