From: Gray Wolf Recovery Coordinator, Helena, MT
Subject: Status of Gray Wolf Recovery, Week of 6/25/07 to 6/29/07
NEW WEB ADDRESS - The 2007 annual interagency wolf report (covering all 2006) can be viewed at http://westerngraywolf.fws.gov/annualreports.htm. It has maps of wolf pack locations and home ranges, tables of wolf numbers and depredations, discussions of litigation and funding issues, summaries of scientific studies, an extensive bibliography, and additional information.
Monitoring
One NPT crew surveyed the Wolf Fang pack to determine reproductive status. The most recent aerial locations were searched, but no sign of pups or rendezvous site(s) was found. At this point it appears this pack may not have produced pups, but there may be further efforts directed at this pack. This crew also scouted for wolf sign in the Thunder Mt. pack territory based on a report from the local Conservation Officer. A promising area of wolf tracks and scats was located near the conclusion of the hitch and will be checked again first thing when the next work period begins for a potential capture operation. Finally, this crew believes they obtained a complete pup count on the Blue Bunch pack; 3 gray pups were observed for approx. 1/2 hr.; formerly a single pup had been observed here on 2 occasions.A second NPT crew ran a trap line in the Lochsa pack territory, where no radiocollared wolves remain after the apparent dispersal of B232; no wolves were captured and no evidence of wolf use of previously documented home sites was located. This crew obtained a pup count on the remote Eagle Mountain pack: 2 gray and 1 black pups were observed, as well as 4 gray adults. Ten wolves were observed during a monitoring flight during winter 2006/2007.
A third NPT crew investigated previously documented rendezvous sites of the Jungle Ck. pack, but wolves are not present at this time and the sole radiocollared wolf, B157, was not detected. This crew also conducted follow-up investigations of wolf sign reports received from Univ. of Montana's surveyors from Anderson Ck. and Bull Ck. Hotsprings areas; no additional sign was discovered that led to capture operations. Alpha female B205 of the Packer John pack was re-captured and fitted with a GPS collar thanks to efforts of Univ. of Montana's survey team.
Jim Akenson, Univ. of Idaho researcher based at Taylor Ranch Field Station, and interns obtained a pup count of 8 grays belonging to the Monumental Creek pack. Thank you again for helping out with the Wilderness packs.
Carter Niemeyer collared a subadult female in the new Phantom Hill pack, located just north of Ketchum. The pack had been feeding on numerous road killed deer and elk that had been killed in a highway wildlife crossing area nearby. Nate Borg verified reproduction in the Calderwood pack near Garden Valley and the Steel mt. pack as well. Michael Lucid and the wilderness team spent last hitch in the Elk Summit area south of Powell and though they verified some wolf activity, rendezvous sites were not located and trapping was unsuccessful. They hiked 5-20 miles/day scouting for wolf sign. This hitch they will be working out of the Moose Ck Ranger Station in the Selway. Backcountry users are being encouraged to contact IDFG with recent wolf location information in the Selway.
The MFWP NW Montana wolf team captured and collared an Adult female in the previously uncollared Kootenai South pack on the 28th. A pup was also captured and released unharmed. Traps were pulled on that day. The Murphy Lake pack trapline was pulled on the 29th.
Control
ID WS was contacted by a cattle producer in the upper Stanley basin who reported that he had repeatedly been seeing a wolf amongst his cattle for the last three weeks. The rancher reported that he has harassed the wolf multiple times by chasing it with vehicles and firing cracker shells at it, seemingly to no effect. So far, it does not appear that the wolf has attacked any cattle, but it is very persistent about returning to the cattle pastures. The rancher contacted WS to report the incidents and get his non-lethal harassment efforts on record.Kachel, Mitrovich, and Sovie (MFWP) have been working daily throughout the week in an attempt to haze the Lydia pack to a rendezvous site off the grazing allotment. The Lydia pack's den site is near the edge of the allotment. They have been successful in moving the pack to a new location but currently still within the allotment. These efforts are in response to a depredation on 6/18 (correction to last weeks update which stated the depredation occurred on 5/18).
On 6/25/07, WY W.S. completed an ongoing control action near Meeteetse, WY. by removing 1 adult wolf from the Gooseberry Pack. Wolves had repeatedly killed livestock on private land.
Research
On 6/29/07, Pehringer (WY W.S.), Woodruff (USFWS), and Taylor (USFWS) trapped and radio collared a female wolf in the Absaroka Pack, west of Cody, Wyoming. The wolf had been previously collared with a GPS collar; however, the collar no longer functioned properly. The newly collared wolf will provide location data to be used in a cooperative study between the University of Wyoming, USFWS, and WYG&F Department.Information/Education and Law Enforcement
On 6/28, ID WS captured an adult, gray male at the ranch near Cascade where 4 confirmed wolf depredations on cattle had taken place since Memorial Day. Curt Mack and Jim Holyan with the NPT were contacted so they could fit the wolf with a GPS radio collar. At the same time, Todd Grimm and Rick Williamson were nearby speaking to a group of about 30 teachers about the impacts of wolf reintroduction on livestock producers. The teachers were attending a workshop put on by the University of Idaho to receive continuing education credits. WS seized the opportunity to provide a better educational experience to the teachers and escorted them to the site where they could view the collaring effort. Curt, Rick and Todd all provided information about the process and what information might be gained by collaring and releasing the wolf and the teachers were provided plenty of opportunities to photograph the wolf and the collaring process. The rancher was also able to speak to the teachers for 25-30 minutes about what impact wolves have had on him and his community. The teachers were very appreciative of the opportunity they had and felt they now had a better grasp of the issues that livestock producers face in occupied wolf country.The Service’s weekly report can be viewed at http://westerngraywolf.fws.gov/ . This report is government public property and can be used for any purpose. Please distribute as you see fit.
Contact: Ed Bangs (406)449-5225 ext. 204 or Ed_Bangs@fws.gov