SAGOLA, Mich. (AP) -- More than three dozen wolves are believed to have been deliberately and illegally killed in Michigan's Upper Peninsula within the past five years.
That's according to state Department of Natural Resources data obtained by The Associated Press under the Freedom of Information Act.
Some residents resent the wolf's presence. Some believe the wily predators are decimating the whitetail deer herd and raiding livestock.
The wolf isn't universally despised. The DNR says a 2005 survey indicated most residents were willing to peacefully coexist. Tips from citizens have been instrumental in nabbing poachers.
Still, most cases go unsolved. Residents even have a phrase for dispatching a wolf and hiding the evidence: "Shoot, shovel and shut up."