MARQUETTE, MI – (Great Lakes Radio News) – A State House panel has taken a step toward allowing a wolf hunt in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.
The House Natural Resources Committee approved a bill yesterday that would grant the authority to designate an animal as a game species eligible for hunting to the Natural Resources Commission. Currently only the State Legislature has that authority.
A referendum effort which would block a wolf hunting season would be rendered moot by the bill, however opponents of it could still organize a new referendum to stop the new legislation, if it gets final approval and is signed by the Governor. The State Senate approved the same measure last week.
Supporters of a gray wolf hunt say the resurgence of the wolf population in the U.P. has been enough to make the animals a nuisance. But opponents contend wolves that attack livestock or domestic animals should be managed individually and immediately to be truly effective.
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