LANSING, MI-- The number of gray wolves in the Upper Peninsula has dropped for the second straight year, but DNR officials say the change isn’t significant and wolf populations remain stable.
The 2014 wolf survey using primarily tracks and radio-collared animals indicate there were a minimum of 636 wolves this year, down from 658 in 2013 and
687 animals two years ago.
The DNR implemented a wolf hunt last year in which 22 animals were taken. That’s the difference in the population from last year to this year’s estimate.
But DNR furbearer specialist Adam Bump says that’s a coincidence. He says the hunt was implemented to reduce wolf-related conflicts in certain areas, not to reduce the wolf population itself.
