Michigan Department Of Natural Resources
Michigan officials are calling the state’s historic first wolf hunt a success, despite falling short of the number they had hoped for.
The Department of Natural Resources says as of Tuesday, the final day of the wolf hunt, 23 wolves were killed in three sections of the Upper Peninsula.
The state had issued 1,200 wolf licenses for the 45-day hunt with a goal of killing 43 wolves during the season that began on November 15.
Wildlife biologist at the DNR’s Marquette office, Brian Roell, says the first hunt was successful because it was the first time the state used a call-in system to keep track of animals killed.
It also marked a shift from more than 50 years ago, when the state paid hunters a bounty to kill wolves.
Before the season, the DNR estimated that Michigan had 658 wolves.