A bill was introduced in Michigan last week to establish a wolf hunting season in that state.
If passed, Michigan would be the third Midwest state after Minnesota and Wisconsin to establish a wolf hunting season.
Reporter Agnieszka Spieszny of Outdoor Hub news says Michigan DNR Director Keith Creagh acknowledged in a visit to the state's Upper Peninsula that, "At the end of the day, there's going to be a method of take and it's the DNR's opinion that you ought to be able to utilize hunters to help with depredation complaints in nuisance areas."
The proposed legislation says, in part, that ""the sound scientific management of gray wolf populations in this state is necessary, including the use of hunting as a management tool, to minimize human and gray wolf encounters and to prevent gray wolves from threatening or harming humans, livestock and pets."
Gray wolves in Michigan were delisted as endangered in January. Spieszney reports that proposed fees include a $100 wolf hunting license for residents, $500 for non-residents and a $4 non-refundable permit application fee.
