The wolf population in Michigan's Upper Peninsula (U.P.) has apparently hit its stride, at least according to the latest numbers from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR). In a recent tally that has some conservationists breathing a sigh of relief and hunters cocking their rifles in anticipation, the DNR estimated a total of 762 wolves across the region. That's a snug bump up from the 631 counted in 2022, marking the highest number since 2007—as highlighted in a Detroit News report.

The DNR found them cozily split into 158 packs, averaging nearly five members each. With a plateau in numbers that has the specialists buzzing, as Brian Roell, the DNR's large carnivore specialist, stated in a release, "When a wild population reaches this stable point, it is typical to see slight variations from year to year, indicating that gray wolves may have reached their biological carrying capacity in the Upper Peninsula." 

Meanwhile, Justin Tomei, the policy and government affairs manager for the Michigan United Conservation Clubs suggested that the robust numbers indicate that wolves could handle a hunting season. "It is long past time for state management, including a U.P. wide hunting and trapping season, to resume." Tomei told the Detroit News. However, this stance is under federal review, as wolves are protected by the Endangered Species Act, a shield that can only be lowered if they threaten human life.

Beyond the U.P., the wolf whisperers at the DNR are not sitting on their heels. They have a Lower Peninsula survey planned for early 2025, following up a mysterious wolf appearance in Calhoun County in January earlier this year. According to Roell, the northern Lower Peninsula could be a patchy hotel for wolves, but whether these canids check in for a long stay remains uncertain—“However, this habitat is fragmented and the ability of wolves to travel the landscape among these habitat patches is uncertain. Suitable habitat becomes even more patchy in the more populated southern Lower Peninsula, which makes it unlikely that wolves would establish themselves there.” Roell shared with Michigan.gov.

As it stands, Michigan's DNR is continuing to evaluate whether to stick to its snowy track surveys or to pivot to a more modern trail camera method. The thought there is to save on staff time and possibly peer into the wolves' lives year-round, not just when the snow makes tracking easy. The aim is to keep a scientific eye on nature's balance, ensuring that the wolves neither roam too far from their ecological script nor tumble back towards endangerment.