TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. (AP) — Michigan’s wolf hunting season begins Friday. It’s the first since the animal was placed on the endangered list four decades ago.

Forty-three wolves will be shot in three areas of the Upper Peninsula. Twelve hundred hunters bought tags allowing them to participate.

Wolves had all but disappeared in Michigan by the 1960s. But federal protections helped them mount a comeback. The Department of Natural Resources estimates the U.P.’s population at 658.

The department says the hunt is needed to deal with livestock attacks and other conflicts with humans that non-lethal methods haven’t resolved.

Opponents contend the hunt is about appeasing special interests and is based on inaccurate information.

The hunt continues through December unless the quota is reached earlier.