On Nov. 27, a livestock owner’s employee rounded up cattle including a 400-pound calf from Department of Natural Resources land. The employee moved the livestock to WDFW land, which is customarily used in the fall as a gathering site as cattle transition to private land. When the employee returned to collect cattle midday on Nov. 28, the calf was found dead.
Upon receiving the report that evening, WDFW staff asked the producer’s employee to return to the site, cover the carcass with a tarp to preserve evidence, and install a trail camera. At approximately 7 p.m., the employee and a neighbor returned to the site with a tarp and a trail camera. At that time, they saw an animal running from the carcass, but it was too dark for identification.
On Nov. 29, external examination of the calf indicated bite lacerations on the left hind leg. Skinning the carcass revealed subcutaneous hemorrhaging, damage to the muscle tissue, and bite puncture wounds on the left hind leg, left front shoulder, and left front leg. Wolf tracks were found adjacent to the dead calf. The evidence indicated one wolf involved in the incident; no collared wolves were present in the area at the time of the depredation.
Based on the available evidence, WDFW classified the event as a confirmed wolf depredation and later deployed a trail camera in the area to document any wolf activity near the site. There have been no confirmed livestock depredations by wolves in this area prior to this incident. In an effort to reduce the likelihood of future conflict, the livestock producer removed the carcass from the area and removed the remaining cattle to private land. The livestock producer and WDFW have an excellent working relationship and will continue to work cooperatively to mitigate conflict as they have done previously.