DNR Considering To Charge Calhoun Co Man For Killing Wolf

A Michigan man was coyote hunting in Calhoun County in January and shot a gray wolf and the Department of Natural Resources is considering charging him for the mistake.

What is the Penalty For Illegally Killing a Michigan Gray Wolf?

My best friend that I grew up with lives in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and when I told him about the guy shooting a gray wolf while coyote hunting in Calhoun County he asked if the guy was fined. At the time I said no. He said, "If someone shoots one in the U.P. they are getting fined and might do some jail time."

I looked up the penalty for illegally killing a gray wolf in Michigan and found two things. One source says (324.95153) the act is a misdemeanor and you can get up to 90 days in jail and up to a $1000 fine or both.

The gray wolf is an endangered species so the other source I found (The Endangered Species Act of 1973) also says killing a gray wolf is a misdemeanor but the penalty is up to a year in prison and a maximum of $50,000 fine.  You could go on several big hunts for 50k.

Read More: Gray Wolf Mistaken As Coyote Killed in Calhoun County 

DNR Considering Charging Calhoun Co. Man For Illegally Killing a Gray Wolf

According to WOOD, a bunch of legislators in Michigan have all signed a letter that was sent to the Department of Natural Resources to use "common sense" in making their decision on whether to charge the man who mistakenly shot a gray wolf in Calhoun County.

There are a couple of ways of looking at this, the wolf was 300 miles from where the gray wolves are commonly seen in Michigan's Upper Peninsula so the hunter may have thought it was a huge coyote because they sometimes breed with wolves or feral dogs and will be bigger. On the other hand, if you look at the picture above of the coyote on the left and the gray wolf on the right, they look different and the wolf is much larger. The hunter was with a guide who should have known better but I guess the DNR will sort all of that out.