Minnesota began its first regulated hunt of gray wolves last weekend.

In recent months, I've received plenty of questions and comments about the hunt, which stirs emotions like few other outdoor endeavors. Some questions have been ill-informed, others legit.

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources has tiptoed through the controversy. Here are the unfiltered answers from a guy who considers wolves about as cool as any animal but also loves hunting:

Q. Why hunt wolves?

A. Actually, the question should be: Why not? Our state's natural resources are ours to be harvested -- responsibly, ethically and sustainably. There was a reason not to hunt wolves: We almost killed them all off. Now, they've recovered. Thus, we can hunt them.

Q. Do we know the wolves have recovered enough?

A. Several groups opposed to the wolf hunt argue that we don't. "We don't have an accurate baseline population," said Dr. Maureen Hackett, founder of Howling for Wolves. Hackett questions the DNR's estimate of the state's wolf population, at 3,000 and stable. That figure hasn't been updated in years, she points out. On the other hand, the nation's leading wolf experts, most notably David Mech of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, say they're confident the killing of 400 wolves -- the quota for the season -- will not hurt the population. Wolves have proved their ability to adapt and rebound, Mech said. American Indian groups also oppose the hunt, primarily for spiritual reasons.

Q. Will 400 actually be killed?

A. No one knows. There is little data to help predict how successful hunters will be in a largely forested region hunting an animal they've never hunted here. There are actually two seasons. The first runs from Nov. 3 to 11 in some areas and to Nov. 18 in others. It's open only to hunters and has a quota of 200. As of Tuesday afternoon, Nov. 6, hunters had killed 69 wolves, slightly ahead of the pace that several wildlife officials had estimated. That included eight in the east-central zone (one of three zones), which was close enough to the zone's quota of nine to prompt the DNR to close hunting in that zone.

The second season, which also has a quota of 200 wolves, runs from Nov. 24 to Jan. 31 and is open to hunters and trappers. We do have data on trappers, who have been paid by government contracts to trap wolves that prey on livestock. We know many of these trappers will be successful.

Q. Deer, bird and small-game hunters eat their meat. Will wolf hunters?

A. Unlikely -- but I think many should consider it. Most wolf hunters are expected to use the pelts, which, like coyote, make excellent material for fur-lined garments such as hats and coat hoods. Some will have full body mounts made as trophies. There are no inherent health risks to eating the meat, but some people might feel strange about eating a wolf. This raises a touchy issue: If a deer hunter stripped a carcass of the hide and left the meat, he'd likely be scorned for (if not charged with) wanton waste. Many trappers don't eat the meat of the fur bearers they catch, but they find uses for other parts of the animal, using meat for baiting traps and glands for oils.

Wolf hunters should find as many uses as practical for their kills, addressing criticism that this is more about "sport" than "sustenance." It also honors the animal that stirs us as deeply as any.

Dave Orrick can be reached at dorrick@pioneerpress.com or 651-228-5512. Follow him at twitter.com/OutdoorsNow.