DNR: Gray wolf killed in Calhoun County
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — After a hunter killed what he thought was a “large coyote” in Calhoun County, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources says the animal was actually a gray wolf.
The animal was harvested in January during a legal coyote hunt with a guide, according to a Wednesday release from the DNR, although it did not say exactly where the wolf was discovered The department said it weighed 84 pounds, while eastern coyotes generally weigh between 25 and 40 pounds.
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Genetic testing confirmed it was a gray wolf, not a coyote. The DNR says this marks the first time a gray wolf has been spotted in the area since the early 1900s. Though gray wolves once lived throughout Michigan, they are now “confined almost exclusively to the Upper Peninsula,” according to the release.
The DNR doesn’t believe the wolf belongs to an established population in the southern Lower Peninsula. The department says wolves have been known to travel thousands of miles.
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“This is an unusual case, and the DNR is actively delving into the matter to learn more about this particular animal’s origin,” said Brian Roell, large carnivore specialist for the DNR, in a statement. “While rare, instances of wolves traversing vast distances have been documented, including signs of wolves in recent decades in Michigan’s Lower Peninsula.”
The DNR says wolves in Michigan are an endangered species.
“I don’t expect ever to find another wolf in Calhoun County. The southern lower peninsula is just really not suitable wolf habitat. They are pack animals but that doesn’t necessarily mean that there’s others in the area,” Roell said.
Biologists may never know how the wolf made it to Calhoun County.
“We have documented wolves moving into the lower peninsula back in 2004 we had a radio-collared animal make it from Mackinac County down into Presque Isle County,” Roell said.
The most recent evidence of wolves was discovered in the northern lower peninsula in 2014.
“We were able to use DNA analysis of scat collected by the Little Traverse Bay Band of Indians biologists where they were doing some eagle work but since that time we have not documented the existence of wolves in the lower peninsula,” Roell said.
The DNR cannot rule out for certain the existence of more wolves in the lower peninsula.
“We will be doing another survey in the winter of 2025. Doesn’t mean that one doesn’t exist down there. Anything like that. It’s just that they’re at such low occurrence that we aren’t able to detect them at this time,” Roell said.
Biologists say the DNA testing shows the animal was a Great Lakes wolf and not a hybrid with a dog but a lot of questions remain.
“How did it get there? How long was it in the lower peninsula? If it did, get there naturally,” Roell said.
The discovery is not considered to be a safety concern.
“Wolves are on the lower end of the scale as far as that goes just because they just really shy away from people,” Roell said.
The law enforcement division is investigating, but it is not yet known if the hunter will face any charges.
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