It was a nightmare scenario for one hunter when everything went wrong in an instant.
He faced the possibility of having the hammer dropped on him for a fluke.
And a hunter was breathing a sigh of relief after avoiding charges in this scary mix-up.
Michigan man on a coyote hunt accidentally kills protected wolf
An unidentified man went on a guided coyote hunt in Calhoun County, Michigan, 100 miles west of Detroit. Coyotes can be hunted year-round and have no bag limit under state law. The hunt appeared to be a big success when he bagged what he thought was a large coyote. But he became an unfortunate victim of misidentification.
The hunter and his guide discovered that he had shot an 84-pound gray wolf. The Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) did genetic testing to confirm that it was indeed a wolf. Coyotes typically run 25-40 pounds compared to nearly 90 pounds for a male gray wolf. Seeing a wolf in Michigan’s Lower Peninsula is an extremely rare occurrence. There are an estimated 600 to 700 in the state that all reside in the Upper Peninsula. The wolf traveled at least 300 miles to reach Marshall Country.
DNR biologist Brian Roell said that it was a mystery how the wolf made it down to the lower peninsula. A bridge separates the two parts of Michigan. He added that wolves have been known to break off from their packs and travel long distances.
“We’ve had wolves collared in Michigan show up in Missouri years ago, and more recently one traveled over 4,000 miles through Wisconsin, Minnesota, even a little bit into North Dakota, Ontario, and west into Manitoba,” Roell said. “We’ve had wolves show up in the Lower Peninsula before, but the five-mile Straits of Mackinaw[sic] are a pretty good barrier. We don’t get a lot of ice bridges anymore. So how it got there is a curiosity, and we may never be able to say.”
Roell stressed that this was a rare occurrence for a wolf to end up in the Lower Peninsula. The hunter likely had no idea that he was shooting one.
“This is a one-off event. This is not a normal thing,” Roell explained. “Pre-settlement times, the whole state of Michigan was wolf range. But even the southern Lower Peninsula, in the oak savannahs [sic], those areas probably aren’t that suitable for a wolf. This is just way out of its normal range.”
Hunter faces potential criminal charges for killing a wolf
Wolves are protected under federal and state law. Hunting them is a crime in Michigan. Killing a wolf can result in federal charges under the Endangered Species Act that come with a potential fine of up to $75,000 and 18 months in prison. Calhoun County and the DNR began an investigation into the hunter.
Calhoun County prosecutor David Gilbert told Bridge Michigan that he wasn’t going to press charges against the hunter and his guide. He thought that they had no idea it was a wolf that they were shooting. Gilbert compared it to shooting a unicorn. The DNR reached the same conclusion when they conducted their investigation into it.
“Those involved appear to have reasonably believed they were shooting a coyote,” DNR spokesperson Ed Golder told Bridge Michigan. “The investigation revealed no information to indicate they should have expected there would be a wolf in the part of Michigan where they were hunting.”
Wolves haven’t lived in the Lower Peninsula for more than 100 years. But a fluke could have resulted in the hunter ending up in a legal battle if he dealt with unreasonable left-wing prosecutors.
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