Gray wolves in the Upper Peninsula are a step closer to being hunted this fall.
A new state law designating wolves as game animals in Michigan passed late last year.
Adam Bump of Michigan Department of Natural Resources spoke with Cyndy about the implications of hunting wolves.
“The focus was to give the DNR the full range of options for wolf management," said Bump.
Bump noted the conflicts the wolves created.
“There certainly is a lot of conflict that exists surrounding wolves. We’ve had consistent depredations where wolves are praying on livestock.”
For most species, population levels are dictated by biology and social carrying capacity.
As of 2011, there were 687 wolves in Michigan, said Bump.
Wolves have steadily increased throughout the past decade.
“From our perspective, we think, after examining the Wolf Management Plan, that there’s enough evidence in our data to move forward with discussions about the use of public harvest to resolve conflict," said Bump.
“The specific goal wouldn’t necessarily be population reductions. The overall goal would be to try to resolve conflicts in specific situations."
For more of Bump’s interview, check out our podcast above.
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