Wolves in the U.P. of Michigan

From a MUCC Blog

On Thursday, February 10th, 2022, U.S. District Court Judge Jeffrey S. White returned gray wolves to the Endangered Species List.  The federal wolf ruling halts scientific wolf management.  It overturns the United States Fish and Wildlife Service's 2020 rule (85 Fed. Reg. 69,778 November 3rd, 2020), removing the wolves throughout the lower 48 states from the list and placing them under state management. 

Amy Trotter, executive director of Michigan United Conservation Club (MUCC), issued the following statement.  "We are extremely disappointed by the federal district court's ruling, which effectively moves wolves back under federal management.  The fact is that wolves in the western Great Lakes states are fully recovered.  They're not endangered, and they're not threatened.  Under any designation, the continued litigation of this population makes a mockery of the Endangered Species Act and jeopardizes its integrity to be used for truly endangered species."  

MUCC and its members have steadfastly advocated in every venue that the best available scientific data drive the conversation surrounding wolf management in Michigan and that these species be managed through a legal, regulated hunting and trapping season.  This federal court decision prevents state management once again.  MUCC will consider all legal and legislative options to stop this merry-go-round once and for all, but to compete with the deep pockets of national anti-hunting organizations, we will need your help.

November 9th, 2020  
The Department of Interior late last month announced the gray wolf would be delisted following the agency's determination that the species is no longer threatened or endangered. ... All gray wolves in the lower 48 states except for a small population of Mexican gray wolves in Arizona and New Mexico have been removed.

To achieve a permanent solution, SASC is working with Congressman Jack Bergman, Safari Club International, The Upper Peninsula Sportsmen's Alliance, and the Michigan United Conservation Club to pass into law through the United States Congress a bill that will remove the gray wolf as an endangered species PERMANENTLY!

Check back.  We will keep you updated as we learn more.

Wolves naturally returned to Michigan's Upper Peninsula via Canada and Wisconsin in the early 1990s. Since that time, populations have increased and continue to expand their range. Evidence of range expansion into the Lower Peninsula came when a gray wolf was accidentally killed in Presque Isle County in 2004.   
In 2015, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources announced the second confirmed presence of a gray wolf in the Lower Peninsula since 1910.   This wolf probably crossed on the ice between the U.P. and the Lower Peninsula.

Wolves are the most prominent members of the Canid family (wild dogs), including coyotes and red and gray foxes.
As adults, wolves average 30 inches in height at the shoulder and 65 pounds. Their feet are generally 3 1/2 inches wide and 4 1/2 inches long and provide an easy way of differentiating wolves from coyotes, whose feet are only 1 1/2 inches wide and 2 1/2 inches long.

To learn more about Wolves in Michigan, click on the link below.

Click below to see the 2022 Wolf Management Plan.

  July 27, 2020

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources reported the state’s wolf population has remained relatively stable over the past nine years, with the most recent survey completed this past winter. DNR Wildlife Division staff who participated in this latest survey estimated a minimum of 695 wolves found among 143 packs across the Upper Peninsula. Pack size has remained stable and averages just under five wolves.

The 2018 Winter Survey estimated a minimum of 662 wolves found among 139 packs across the Upper Peninsula. The 2016 minimum population estimate was 618 wolves. This past winter’s survey found fifteen more wolf packs than in 2016, but pack size has decreased slightly and now averages less than five wolves.

It is important to note that these estimate the minimum number of wolves.

 The gray wolf is currently listed as a federally endangered species.  Wolves have been found in every county of the Upper Peninsula, but for some years, they have been absent from Keweenaw County (excluding Isle Royale) during the population surveys.  Please report wolf sightings using the link below.