Traverse City Record-Eagle

Michigan

February 26, 2011

U.P. wolf killings continue

By JOHN FLESHER Associated Press

TRAVERSE CITY — Poachers have shot six gray wolves in the Upper Peninsula so far this year, following three consecutive years in which the number of illegal wolf killings there has risen, a state official said Friday.

It's too early to say whether the numbers represent a long-term rising trend or a minor blip, said Brian Roell, wolf coordinator for the state Department of Natural Resources and Environment. Many in Michigan's far north remain frustrated by their limited ability to deal with wolves preying on livestock and pets, but killings and complaints have fluctuated over time, he said.

"You've got ups and downs," Roell said. "The important thing to know is that the overall wolf population is still doing well. We're not seeing any declines."

After being driven to virtual extinction in Michigan, the state's wolves have rebounded over the past two decades, aided by protections under the federal Endangered Species Act. Wildlife biologists are still compiling the latest census, but last year's put the Upper Peninsula's wolf population at 557.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has tried three times since 2004 to remove wolves in the upper Great Lakes region from the endangered species list, which would enable state wildlife managers to kill those that repeatedly cause problems for farmers and other people. Each time, federal courts have overruled the agency after environmental and animal rights groups sued. The agency plans to try again in April.

Some believe wolves are driving down the number of whitetail deer in the U.P., though wildlife scientists disagree. Roell said the number of wolf complaints he receives often depends on how well hunters fared during the most recent deer season.

Three of the six known wolf killings this year happened together.

William Hayward, 58, of Bay City, pleaded guilty this month to shooting three wolves in Mackinac County. He was sentenced to a year in jail, though he'll have to serve only 90 days if he meets conditions of his probation. He was fined $5,090 and lost hunting privileges for three years.

Hayward shot the wolves after they approached a bait pile near his camp, said Lt. Skip Hagy, of the DNRE's Newberry field office. He cut off the radio tracking collars that two of them were wearing and tried to hide the remains, but someone discovered them the next day and tipped off authorities, Hagy said.

The DNRE has appealed for information in recent poaching cases in Chippewa and Luce counties.

The number of known wolf killings in the Upper Peninsula has risen from eight in 2008 to 12 in 2009 and 15 last year. But Roell said the figures remain too small to know whether an upward trend is under way. A dozen wolves were killed in 2004, but over the next three years the totals fell to seven, rose to 11 and dropped to four.

Opponents of removing wolves from the federal endangered list say there isn't enough scientific information demonstrating the population is stable. Roell said he feared people's tolerance for wolves would erode unless states are given authority to manage them.

"It's actually a very few wolves that are causing problems," he said. "If I can just control the bad apples in the bucket, it would help a lot."

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