Is A Wolf Trapping Season in Michigan’s Future?

Is it time to start managing the burgeoning wolf population in Michigan? Mike Wendland, columnist with the Detroit Free Press, argues that responsible, limited harvest may be necessary to maintain a wolf population that is acceptable to both wildlife enthusiasts and the general public. You can read the great news story and video clip here. Mike provides some great video footage of wolves and excellent insight on the issue, including interviews with Michigan wolf experts. Some arguments for wolf management are noted below.

… the current wolf population in the UP is now estimated at well over 500 and is increasing by about 15% each year. “The problems are going to increase,” he said. “We have built up the population and now we have a duty to manage it before public opinion turns against them again.”

… surveys now show most Michigan people are delighted that the wolf has made a comeback. But opinion can change. “Think of the giant Canada goose,” he said. “Back 10, 20 years ago, the public loved them. Now there are so many that they litter golf courses and parks, and they’re considered a nuisance. Same with the whitetail deer in many areas. The herd has grown so large that they do lots of crop damage, even landscape damage in the suburbs. And there are so many car-deer car crashes that their sheer numbers in some parts of the state pose a safety problem.”

Hammill says unless Michigan sets up a hunting or trapping management program for the wolf, they could once again become a nuisance also. “It’s our duty,” he said.

A well regulated wolf hunting/trapping season could be the ticket to maintaining a healthy wolf population while ensuring public acceptance of the wolf as an important component of the forest ecosystem, and not a nuisance. Perhaps wolf harvest is in the best interest of both animal rights groups and hunters and trappers. Now if only we all could see it this way.

Be sure to read the great article and watch Wendland’s video clip here.

Do Water Trappers Ever Stay Dry?

I fell in again today.  Getting wet seems to be a common occurrence in water trapping, and at times it’s as comical as it is frustrating.  Today’s episode would have been an amusing one viewed from the bank, but as luck would have it, it was just me and the river. 

The fall was sort of a graceful slide.  I was curious about a beaver flowage on the river I was doing research on, and decided to take a minute to go down and see what kind of beaver activity was present.  I made the fatal mistake of walking on some thin shelf ice at the river’s edge, which broke off from the shore and had me sliding down a huge chunk of ice and into the freezing cold water.  Wet and shivering, I retreated back to the truck without bothering to further investigate the flowage.  I guess those beavers are safe for now. 

This coldwater episode wasn’t as bad as the “up to my shoulders” dunk I had last year while muskrat season, but it certainly served as a reminder (the occasional dunk always does) that waders don’t make you invincible!