By: Brian Johnson
Friday afternoon the DNR sent out a tweet and press release reminding folks about this year’s wolf hunt. It said there are a limited number of licenses, and the hunt will be first come, first served — starting August 3.
However an hour after News Ten’s Brian Johnson called about the release, it was taken down.
A spokesperson said the department is “currently reviewing the Aug. 3 date for license sales to make certain” it has the “capability to meet the considerable interest among hunters.”
“Given that it’s been decades since there have been any kind of hunting of wolves in Michigan, we don’t know at this point exactly how much interest there is going to be in buying licenses and for people to go out and participate in this hunt,” said Steve Beyer, a spokesman and researcher for the DNR. “What this wolf hunt is designed to be is a very limited hunt. We will see how effective it can be and it is not designed to have an overall impact on the wolf population.”
The DNR is allowing up to 1,200 people to try and kill up to 43 wolves.
LIcenses cost is $100 for Michigan residents, and $500 for non-residents.
“We hope that this will be the first and the last hunting season on wolves in Michigan,” said Jill Fritz of Keep Michigan Wolves Protected.
Just the idea of a wolf hunt has the group upset.
“There’s no reason to have it so why have it?” said Fritz. “The DNR has not produced a single shred of scientific evidence to show that a hunt is needed. State law already allows problem wolves to already be addressed.”
Wolves were removed from the endangered species list 18 months ago. At last count there were 658 wolves in Michigan.
The DNR says regardless of your opinion, “it’s encouraging to see that people do care about wildlife. That’s encouraging that people want to come out and want to have a say on wildlife and have the interest enough to get involved with how their wildlife is managed,” said Beyer.