The Impacts of Wolves on Deer in the Upper Peninsula
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Note: Coyote hunting in Zone 1 and Zone 2 is closed Nov. 15-30
Many Michigan residents are concerned about the impacts of wolves on the Upper Peninsula deer population. The extent of those impacts is influenced by many factors. However, compared to the deer mortality caused by other sources, including other predators, the impact of wolves on the deer population is relatively small. Several studies have examined wolf kill rates, and recent estimates range from 30 to 50 deer eaten by an adult wolf each year. Wolves
prey upon a variety of species, and the proportion of their diet comprised of deer changes continuously. Also, an unknown number of deer eaten by wolves may have died from other causes, such as winter conditions or vehicle collisions.
A population of 400 adult wolves (about the number of adult wolves in the UP in 2005) could eat between 12,000 and 20,000 deer annually. There are about 350,000 deer in the UP, and hunters killed about 50,000 deer in 2005. Between 5,000 and 8,000 deer-vehicle crashes are reported annually in the UP, and even more deer are killed in crashes that are not reported. A severe winter can kill 30 percent (or more) of the deer population.
Wolves and deer evolved together, and deer possess physical and behavioral adaptations for avoiding wolf predation.
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http://www.michigan.gov/dnr/0,1607,7-153-38954_38955-150249--RSS,00.html
