Reader stories: A wolverine sighting? Michigan turkey hunter says he saw one in Kalkaska County

While sitting in a deer blind last fall in a wilderness area north of Iron Mountain, Mich., a coyote came out of the swamp right in front of me.

The coyote was redish in color, like a red fox.

By the time I realized it was way too big to be a red fox, it yipped a couple times and disappeared.

When I got back to our deer camp I told my buddies what I saw, and they asked me if I had seen any pink elephants. This was very discouraging and disappointing because I know what I saw.

Fast forward to this spring.

I was turkey hunting in Kalkaska County when I came face-to-face with a large weasel.

I was posted in a makeshift blind at the headwaters of the Manistee River on Grass Lake Road. The area encompasses more than 12 sections of near wilderness with very little human presence.

The critter came up behind the tree I was leaning against and was 10 feet away from me when we made eye contact so I got a good look at it.

I have seen every type of weasel we have in Michigan except a fisher.

I have seen long-tailed weasels and short-tailed weasels.

I have seen mink and otter and even a least weasel once. I was also chased by a badger once while pheasant hunting in South Dakota. This weasel was none of those.

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This weasel was reddish brown and looked to weigh about 25 pounds. It had straw-colored fur on its head, which ran along both sides and over its rump.

I am positive it was a wolverine, but it is the official position of the Michigan DNR that there are no wolverines in the Wolverine State and there never was.

So who do I tell? Am I going to be asked if I saw any pink elephants?

I’m sure it was a wolverine.

Editor’s note: To date there is no indication of a breeding population of wolverines in Michigan.

A lone female wolverine was spotted in 2004 by coyote hunters near Ubly in Michigan’s Thumb region. It was later confirmed and photographed by the DNR. The wolverine hung around the Minden City State Game Area for several years until its dead carcass was found by hikers in 2010. DNA testing of that animal found similar DNA in wolverines in Alaska.

How that lone female ended up in Michigan’s Lower Peninsula remains a mystery.