Michigan may adopt grey wolf hunting season if federal protections are lifted
In this Feb. 13, 2019, file photo provided by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, a member of the Mexican gray wolf recovery team carries a wolf captured during an annual census near Alpine, Ariz. Once on the verge of extinction, the rarest subspecies of the gray wolf in North America has seen its population nearly double over the last five years. President Donald Trump recently directed the Department of the Interior to determine "whether the gray wolf and the Mexican wolf have met the recovery criteria for delisting or downlisting under the Endangered Species Act." (Mark Davis, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service via AP, File)
This March 13, 2014 file photo provided by the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife shows a female wolf from the Minam pack outside La Grande, Ore., after it was fitted with a tracking collar. (Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife via AP, file)
This June 29, 2017, file remote camera image released by the U.S. Forest Service shows a female gray wolf and two of the three pups born in the wilds of Lassen National Forest in Northern California. The federal government is currently reviewing data to see if wolves may be stripped of their federal protections across the contiguous U.S. (U.S. Forest Service via AP, File)
In this Feb. 13, 2019, file photo provided by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, a member of the Mexican gray wolf recovery team carries a wolf captured during an annual census near Alpine, Ariz. Once on the verge of extinction, the rarest subspecies of the gray wolf in North America has seen its population nearly double over the last five years. President Donald Trump recently directed the Department of the Interior to determine "whether the gray wolf and the Mexican wolf have met the recovery criteria for delisting or downlisting under the Endangered Species Act." (Mark Davis, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service via AP, File)
This March 13, 2014 file photo provided by the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife shows a female wolf from the Minam pack outside La Grande, Ore., after it was fitted with a tracking collar. (Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife via AP, file)
This June 29, 2017, file remote camera image released by the U.S. Forest Service shows a female gray wolf and two of the three pups born in the wilds of Lassen National Forest in Northern California. The federal government is currently reviewing data to see if wolves may be stripped of their federal protections across the contiguous U.S. (U.S. Forest Service via AP, File)
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LANSING - Pending legislation would allow grey wolf hunting and trapping if the federal government takes the animals off the Endangered Species List.
The possibility raises concerns among environmentalists that removing grey wolves from federal protection could set the species back and destabilize the ecosystem in Michigan.
President Donald Trump recently signed an executive order directing the Department of the Interior to review the status of grey wolves on the federal list of endangered species.
The Department of Natural Resources (DNR) estimated the state's wolf population at 792 for the winter of 2026.
If the federal department delists the species, and if the bill introduced by state House Republicans passes, it would authorize an open season to hunt and trap them in the state.
DNR deputy public information officer John Pepin said his agency could not comment on the legislation, but the state's grey wolf population has reached milestones in recent years.
"We continue to advocate for delisting wolves in Michigan because they long ago reached federal and state population goals," said Pepin. "Under current law, any decision about a possible wolf hunt would be made by the Michigan Natural Resources Commission, an independent body appointed by the governor."
In a press release, lead sponsor Rep. Dave Prestin, R-Cedar River, said authorizing wolf hunting licenses could improve the economy of the Upper Peninsula. Among the cosponsors are Reps. Gregory Markkannan, R-Houghton; Tim Kelly, R-Saginaw; Rep. Parker Fairbairn, R-Harbor Springs; and Rep. Curtis VanderWall, R-Ludington.
"Upper Peninsula families and sportsmen have watched wolf numbers explode while our deer and moose populations take a severe beating," said Prestin.
"This will help restore balance to our forests, protect our big game populations, keep our deer camps full, support local economies that rely on hunting and reduce livestock losses and pet attacks that are becoming far too common," he said.
However, Emily Smith, the policy manager for land and water conservation at the Michigan Environmental Council, said introducing hunting licenses for grey wolves may not have the effect intended by the sponsors.
"Having a hunting season in hopes of increasing the deer population isn't going to be seen," said Smith. "Instead, we may see other negative effects because they are a keystone species that help control other species."
If the bill becomes law, the state would have a mandatory wolf hunting and trapping season, but details would still be at the discretion of the commission, Smith said.
"This bill does not lay out the specific hunting season," said Smith, "so they could say 'we'll do it like we do the sturgeon' and have a set amount of six wolves" that could be taken in that season.
The bill was sent to the Committee on Natural Resources and Tourism.