GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Some Michigan House Republicans are pushing for a wolf hunt in the state.
The resolution, which is non-binding, encourages the Natural Resource Commission (NRC) to allow wolf hunting and trapping in Michigan, and the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) to organize the hunt as part of the state's wolf management efforts.
Rep. Steve Johnson of the 72nd House District is one of ten House Republicans sponsoring Resolution 0219.
According to the resolution's text, the federal government removed the gray wolf from the 10 federal endangered species list on Jan. 4, 2021.
"Looking at the numbers we see right now we have 3 times the size of the wolf population that's needed," Johnson said. "Hunting is the best tool out there to manage our wildlife populations."
The wolf hunting would take place in the Upper Peninsula.
"A lot of times you see opposition from people down state, maybe in Ann Arbor who don't have to live with the wolves, but the people who do live next to them understand they're a nuisance to deal with," Johnson said. "If the Yoopers say that's something they need to be able to do, and science is telling us we have an over population, then the hunt needs to occur."
The NRC, comprised of a seven member board, will ultimately decide whether or not to allow the hunt and they would also decide who would be allowed to participate.
If the resolution passes, the next time the NRC meets, Johnson hopes they'll take the resolution into consideration.
A spokesperson for the DNR said the department has not typically taken positions on non-binding legislative resolutions, and they don’t have a position on this one.
As for a potential wolf hunt, the Michigan DNR believes that before another wolf hunt should be considered several things should take place:
- The legal status of wolves should be more permanently settled, especially given the long history of legal challenges to delisting decisions and the resulting shifting status of wolves. The most recent delisting decision has already faced two lawsuits in federal court in California.
- The Wolf Management Plan should be updated upon completion of a public attitude survey. A public attitude survey was part of our current Wolf Management Plan, which was last updated in 2015. We anticipate completing that plan update by June 2022.
- The DNR should have meaningful consultation with the federally recognized tribal governments located in Michigan.
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