R. R. Branstrom | Daily Press Large Carnivore Specialist Brian Roell speaks to an audience in Escanaba about the history of wolves in Michigan, from bounties in the 19th and 20th centuries to the animals’ first protections in the 1960s, a failed attempt at reintroduction in the 1970s, wolves’ own migration back to the Upper Peninsula in the late 1980s, and political arguments that continue today.

FILE – In this Feb. 28, 2019, file photo, provided by the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry, the U.S. National Park Service and the National Parks of Lake Superior Foundation, a white wolf is released onto Isle Royale National Park in Michigan.

ESCANABA — Following years of flip-flopping by both the state and federal governments on the animals’ protection status, “wolves are at a crossroads in Michigan,” said Wildlife Biologist Brian Roell, the large carnivore specialist for the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR).

Given the presence of wolves, whether they should be hunted has long been a controversial topic. Roell said that both sides of the debate – people who want to protect wolves and people who want hunting allowed – have been guilty of using falsehoods to push their arguments.

When someone has strong feelings about something, they often leap from an observation to a conclusion, forgetting that both steps, when used correctly, are parts of the scientific method, and that gathering data and testing hypotheses are essential to coming to an accurate answer. Roell, deliberately avoiding taking a stance on whether humans “should” hunt wolves, gave a presentation on the facts and science around wolves, particularly in the Upper Peninsula. He noted that science cannot prescribe outcomes nor eliminate uncertainty – but it does inform.

The current number of wolves in the U.P. is estimated to be about 715, based on approximations of the occupied range (11,972 square miles, which is 73% of the U.P.), the median pack territory of 82 square miles, and an average pack size of 4.9 individual wolves per pack. In other areas where wolves hunt larger prey, packs contain more individuals, but in the U.P. the primary prey is deer, which doesn’t feed a large pack.

At the federal level, wolves are on the Endangered Species List because they have not reclaimed all the range they once did – which is nearly impossible, given how some of the landscape has changed to cornfields and cities. In Michigan, the population has surpassed ­recovery goals for well over 20 years, so they are not endangered or threatened in the state.

While the wolf count climbed from the time they began to regain footing in the U.P. in the ’90s through the early 2000s, the population has now stagnated. At a plateau of between an estimated 650 to 770 wolves between 2011 and now, it can be inferred that the U.P. has reached its maximum capacity. It is not likely that the wolf population will boom out of control.

“All the suitable habitat that wolves could live in has already got wolves in it,” Roell said. “So basically, there’s no more place for wolves to go.”

They don’t like to be around people or other packs – territories don’t overlap.

“They don’t like each other. We get a lot of infighting. They’ll kill each other, given the chance,” Roell said.

While wolves are aggressive towards other canids, especially coyotes, it is not often they are a threat to humans or even livestock, Roell said. When and if cattle are killed by wild predators (wolves, coyotes or cougars), current Michigan law requires the State to compensate the farmers with payouts.

Even if uncommon, issues with wolves must be addressed seriously and handled effectively.

“Left unaddressed, sources of conflict can foster the development of negative public attitudes toward wolves, and those negative attitudes can lead to adverse impacts on wolf distribution and abundance. Indeed, negative public perception of wolves was the primary reason they were historically threatened with extinction in many areas,” reads the Michigan Wolf Management Plan.

A surprising amount of the fear around wolves comes from myths. With a tongue-in-cheek tone, Roell remarked that some of the negative perception around wolves is in part because people think of them being named “Big Bad” or eating grandmothers.

“You can’t pick another wildlife species that’s more controversial. And it’s not unique to North America, either. This is Spain, Finland, Norway, Italy, Denmark. All of this is playing out in other countries – any place where there’s wolves, there’s this controversy,” Roell said.

The Wolf Management Plan, which Roell helped compile in 2022, is a 97-page document that discusses wolf biology, history, goals, actions and more. It was informed by not just data and hard facts, but also the views of hunters, livestock producers, conservationists, trappers, the general public and various agencies. Notably, it does not state a specific population number as the ideal. Rather, it stresses the importance of research, public polling, and consultation and coordination with tribal agencies. It exists not to prescribe a determined solution, but to guide the state and its people to finding one.

“Social tolerance for a population of any large predator depends on the benefits attributed to the population, confidence that conflicts will be resolved effectively, and trust in the managing agency,” the plan states.

The most recent public-attitude survey by the DNR in 2022 showed that 49.2% of residents supported and 30.4% opposed a legal, recreational hunting season for wolves, if biologists and the DNR believed the wolf population could sustain it.

Roell said that there is science to support that a wolf harvest could be sustainable. Is it necessary to hunt wolves to diminish the population and protect humans? No. Is it possible that opening up a recreational harvest could have economic benefits? Yes. Is the issue far more complex? Absolutely.

Whether to open up a wolf hunt is not up to any one expert biologist or even the DNR, though. The Natural Resources Commission (NRC), a seven-person body appointed by the governor, has the authority to establish a hunt and parameters around it.

And before making any recommendations to the NRC, Roell’s work isn’t done. Consultations with tribes are coming up in the next few weeks.

While the process may seem tedious and lengthy, the DNR is operating with the understanding that it would be irresponsible to make recommendations for law without strategy and due diligence.

The plan – full of research gathered over decades, action steps and unanswered questions –  is hosted on the State of Michigan’s website and may be found by searching “Michigan Wolf Management Plan.”

Roell’s presentation this week, held at Bay College’s Heirman Center in Escanaba, was organized by the Delta County Historical Society.