ST. PAUL — The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources says about 13,000 people have applied for licenses to participate in this year’s wolf hunting season, compared with more than 23,000 last year.

After a survey showed Minnesota’s wolf population has declined, officials decided to issue 3,300 permits this year. That’s down from 6,000 permits last year.

Steve Merchant of the DNR said the novelty of getting in on Minnesota’s first regulated wolf hunt last year probably caused some people to apply.

Merchant said applicants have about a 1-in-4 chance of getting a wolf license, about the same odds as last year.

The early wolf season begins the same time as the firearms deer season Nov. 9.