By JOHN PEPIN
Deputy public information officer
Michigan Department of Natural Resources

On a desolate two-track road, a man approaches on a snowmobile.

Watching the road ahead, he notices a line of tracks in the snow that lead from a dense stand of trees along a creek. The man stops the sled and as it idles, he leans over for a better view.

He’s found what he’s looking for – gray wolf tracks. Read more

The newest episode of the DNR Wildlife Division’s “Wildtalk” podcast is now available. The March show covers Michigan’s largest carnivore, the black bear, and does a deep dive on the American woodcock, a peculiar little ground-nesting bird with lots of charisma and some unique physical adaptations.

James Miller, a DNR wildlife biologist based in southwest Michigan, stops by to talk about spring infrastructure projects such as maintenance of the dike systems and water control structures at Maple River State Game Area, habitat work at Allegan State Game Area to support the Karner blue butterfly and prescribed burn planning for several locations.

DNR wildlife biologist Pete Kailing also drops in with an overview of hunting and trapping opportunities, plus a nod to filmdom’s famed mountain man, Jeremiah Johnson.

Visit the “Wildtalk” webpage for the March episode, as well as show notes and links to past episodes. Questions about the podcast? Email DNR-Wildlife@Michigan.gov.

Anyone who has explored Alabama’s great outdoors or spent time on a tractor cultivating an agricultural crop knows how destructive feral swine can be on the landscape.

Because of the prodigious reproductive capacity of these wild hogs, controlling the populations is difficult at best, and many researchers believe that total eradication of this invasive species is not a viable option.

Some are looking to methods other than hunting or trapping to control the hog numbers, and Texas recently approved the use of a warfarin-based toxicant called Kaput against the burgeoning swine population in that huge state. This action has spurred renewed discussion on the research and developments surrounding various types of feral hog toxicants. Read more

Oklahoma’s pronghorn population has declined, according to statistics presented by Dallas Barber, Big Game Biologist for the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation, to members of the Oklahoma Wildlife Conservation Commission at their regular meeting March 4.

Aerial survey results in 2019 showed 2,088 pronghorns throughout Texas and Cimarron counties. That number decreased to 800 pronghorns counted this year. Hunters reported harvesting about 90 pronghorns in 2023, down from about 150 the previous year. Read more

The wild population of Mexican wolves saw another year of growth in 2023, according to the results of the annual survey.

The 2023 population census revealed a minimum of 257 Mexican wolves distributed across Arizona and New Mexico. This increase marks the eighth consecutive year of population growth, the longest continuous streak since recovery efforts began.

The 2023 population minimum count represents a six percent increase from the minimum of 242 wolves counted in 2022. Survey results show the population is distributed with a minimum of 144 wolves in New Mexico and 113 in Arizona.

“In the aggregate, the 2023 data points out that Mexican wolf recovery has come a long way since the first release,” said Jim deVos, the Mexican wolf coordinator for the Arizona Game and Fish Department.

“Each year, the free-roaming Mexican wolf population numbers increase, and the areas they occupy expands. Read more

Grant program marks 10 years of progress

The state of Michigan announced that 31 projects will share $3.6 million in grants through the Michigan Invasive Species Grant Program.

This cycle marks the MISGP’s 10th anniversary. To date, over $36 million has been awarded to support 269 projects undertaken by units of government, nonprofits and institutions. Read more

The funding Congress is expected to approve this week for the State and Tribal Wildlife Grant program — at a moment when America’s wildlife crisis is accelerating — underscores exactly why Congress needs to pass mandatory funding for state, territorial, and Tribal wildlife conservation. The legislation reduces the funding available in FY24 for essential state and Tribal wildlife conservation funding by more than $1.4 million below what Congress approved for the current fiscal year. Read more