I just messaged a buddy on Monday that lives over just West of Baraga, at the base of the Keweenaw Peninsula in the UP. He is a fisheries biologist up there and has many contacts across the UP. I had found a post on FB on a mountain lion killing a deer near a town called Toivola which I knew was nearby him. Sure enough he confirmed the trail cam video was from a known guy about 20 miles from his house that had been getting a few pics of mountain lions in the area.
We got to chatting and soon he sends me a video from an employee of his's trail camera, less than 5 miles from his house, with 8 big wolves in a pack going past it. Here is that video:
He said that deer hunting isn't the same as it used to be when I would go up to hunt with him during and after college. The fact that his one son shot his first buck this year was a big deal in that area. Several years back an old buddy and I went to the UP south of the SOO to do some bunny (snowshoe hare) hunting. The place we went to was a guarantee to kick up bunnies as we hunted it many times while in college. Though the habitat looked identical still we were lucky to cut a single bunny track in miles of walking. What we did see was plenty of big dog tracks. Later we ended up talking to a local who said the wolves have taken over the area and wiped out bunnies, deer, you name it. They have been screaming for help on wolves and now with the mountain lion becoming more prevalent they are about to give up.
Now that Michigan has mandatory deer registration it will be interesting to see how bad things get up there before they actually do something. Yeah, another DNR that is afraid to take the bull by the horns.
