Wolf killed in Michigan 2024

Bridge Michigan teamed with the Points North podcast at Interlochen Public Radio to explore the mystery of how a wolf wound up dead in a Marshall-area farm field. Listen here

DNR officials said it appeared the hunter who killed the wolf honestly believed the animal was a coyote. It remains a mystery how the animal ended up in southern Michigan with a trap wound on its paw.

State officials ended their investigation into the January wolf kill without figuring out how the animal ended up in southern Michigan, hundreds of miles south of its known habitat. A county prosecutor vowed not to ‘play politics’ when considering whether to bring charges.

Wounds may have been days or weeks old, documents indicate. That has some wondering if the animal was relocated from the Upper Peninsula before it was shot by a hunter who mistook it for a coyote.

Records obtained through the Freedom of Information Act reveal the animal had a wound consistent with trapping, law enforcement officer initially resistant to confiscating the animal.

Twenty-seven lawmakers signed a letter defending the man who killed an endangered gray wolf in January. Wolf advocates accused them of meddling in a criminal investigation.

Criminal investigation comes amid questions about a how a wolf from the north woods wound up dead in Calhoun County. A hunter claims he shot the wolf, thinking it was a coyote; others are skeptical.

State officials confirmed a hunter killed a gray wolf while hunting coyotes in Calhoun County in January. The closest known wolf population is in the Upper Peninsula; officials downplayed any risk to the public.