Rare Gray Wolf Shot, Killed By Coyote Hunter In Southwest MI: DNR

CALHOUN COUNTY, MI — Officials are looking into a rare Michigan sighting of a gray wolf that was shot and killed by a hunter in January, according to the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.

The hunter initially thought he shot and killed a large coyote during a legal hunting season in Calhoun County, but subsequent genetic tests revealed the 84 pound animal was a gray wolf, according to officials.

Gray wolves have not been seen in that part of Michigan since the likely extirpation of wolves from the state in the early part of the 20th century, according to officials.

Officials do not believe the gray wolf was part of an established population in Michigan's southern Lower Peninsula.

Officials also said the public does not need to be concerned about a broader wolf presence in the county or the Lower Peninsula, as data shows wolves in Michigan can travel thousands of miles, in some cases far beyond their known range, according to officials.

"This is an unusual case, and the DNR is actively delving into the matter to learn more about this particular animal's origin," Large Carnivore Specialist for the DNR Brian Roell said. "While rare, instances of wolves traversing vast distances have been documented, including signs of wolves in recent decades in Michigan’s Lower Peninsula."

Wolves in Michigan are a federally endangered species, meaning they can be killed only if they present a direct and immediate threat to human life, according to officials.

Wolves were once present throughout Michigan, but now they are almost entirely found in the Upper Peninsula, according to officials.

The department continues to search for wolves in the Lower Peninsula but has found only a few signs of wolf presence in that part of Michigan since the state’s wolf population became reestablished in the 1980s.

Other notable wolf sightings in Michigan include:

• October 2004, a wolf originally collared in the eastern Upper Peninsula was captured and killed by a coyote trapper in Presque Isle County.
• During winter track surveys in 2011 and 2015, track evidence consistent with wolflike animals was observed in Cheboygan and Emmet counties.
• In 2014, biologists from the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians captured a wolf on a trail camera during an eagle survey. DNA analysis of scat collected at the site confirmed the animal as a wolf.