Picture of a Coyote capture by Benjamin Murphy

As Michigan works to pass house bill 6008 to allow wolf hunting in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, there are several that argue that is not a good approach to conservation. Many oppose the legal hunting of gray wolves in Northern Michigan because there is no science to backup that it directly contributes to the preservation of deer or moose.

These actions to establish a plan 90 days after the bill passes comes in correlation to the US House of Representatives passing their bill entitled the Pet and Livestock Protection Act. According to the Department of Natural Resources in Michigan there has been a reduction of hunters by 40 percent. In doing so this does not directly tied into how many deer are being harvested. It also correlates that hunting as a hobby or past time is declining in popularity. Part of why this bill is being introduced is to supposedly protect deer populations for the hunters.

An article from Bridge Michigan says that while predation is something that both deer and moose deal with they are not they leading cause of population reduction. One aspect that is discussed is that harsh winters and the reduction of critical habitats from logging and development. There are several other predators that also lead to the decline of the deer population, according to wildlife biologists, coyotes kill more deer in a year than wolves do. The experts just do not support wolves being the reason that deer populations are on the decline.

Another aspect of why hunters and representatives want this bill passed is the concern of livestock and pet protections. While there are livestock attacks each year they are relatively low in numbers, the Mining Gazette shows that in 2019 there was only six of the nearly 900 cattle farms that experienced a wolf conflict. For reference that is .006 percent of the farms. If a cow is killed or injured the state reimburses the fair market value of the last cattle to the farmer. According to statistics from the DNR there has only been 34 dogs killed in the last ten years. While this may seem like a higher number the dogs that were killed were hunting dogs tracking bear in a high wolf populated area. 

The counterargument to this is that wolf populations are booming in the region and it is the leading cause to deer and moose decline. In seeing this because it is claimed that the population has risen rapidly that the season should be opened and implemented within 90 days. Another thing that the DNR stated is that the population in the last 14 years has remained stable amongst the packs of wolves holding steady at almost 750 wolves in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.

Overall, there is no reason or evidence to hunt wolves in Michigan. The science shows that wolf populations are not the primary cause and typically prey on the animals that are already sick or injured. The desire to hunt wolves is for nothing more than profit.