Why Does Minnesota have more Wolves?

Questions regarding the Flora and Fauna on the island.

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Why Does Minnesota have more Wolves?

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Re: Why Does Minnesota have more Wolves?

Post by Midwest Ed »

They touched on my first thought, that Michigan and Wisconsin do not have a border with Canada whereby wolves cannot freely migrate. Michigan and Wisconsin were eventually populated from Minnesota packs. I believe there are several hundred in Montana. My guess is mostly in the more mountainous regions. By that logic, their return to the Great Plains, including North Dakota, would probably be a harder expansion. I now wonder how many it would take to bring down anything but the sickest Bison. Of course the Bison population there is a mere fraction of the historic highs when wolves probably flourished in the grass lands.
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Re: Why Does Minnesota have more Wolves?

Post by treeplanter »

Wolves have crossed over from Ontario to the eastern UP throughout the years. I know that several the Michigan DNR have trapped (in the last ten years) had Ontario DNA . But the article is right in that the great majority have come from Wisconsin (which came from Minnesota). An attempt was made to reintroduce wolves to the UP in the late 1970's (four were released in the Huron Mountains at the Huron Mountain Club) but they quickly died or were killed. Wolves have crossed over to Michigan's Lower Peninsula on ice bridges during a cold winter. Not many survive down here though. The public won't tolerate wolves, at least yet.
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Re: Why Does Minnesota have more Wolves?

Post by jerry »

I almost hit a wolf on Mich. 117 north of Engadine a few years ago (on the way to Copper Harbor). On the way home that year, another wolf was on the side of the road (Mi. 94 W. of Rumely). They are in Wisconsin (saw one E. of Clam Lake). I've seen some along L. Superior in Minnesota.
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