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Wolves in Michigan

Wolf in the woods.

Wolves are native to Michigan and currently found in the Upper Peninsula. Wolves in Michigan generally weigh about 70-80 pounds and are about 6 feet long. They are an apex predator with tremendous speed and stamina. Wolves were eliminated in the Lower Peninsula by the 1930s and nearly disappeared from the U.P. in the early 1960s.

The U.P. wolf population has exceeded state and federal recovery goals for more than 20 years. In 2024, a DNR survey of wolf tracks estimated the minimum wolf population at 768 animals. The DNR is conducting a research project using field cameras as another method to estimate the wolf population that is not reliant on snow cover.