Monthly Wolf Report - April 2020

Publish date
May 11, 2020

This update provides an overview of gray wolf conservation and management activities in Washington during April 2020.

Program updates

The Wolf Advisory Group held two virtual meetings on March 31 – April 1 (PDF) and April 30.

Communication and coordination

The full Washington Gray Wolf Conservation and Management 2019 Annual Report and a video summary were made available in April. See the news release here.

Current population status and proactive conflict mitigation

The year-end minimum population count for 2019 was at least 108 known wolves in 21 known packs including at least 10 breeding pairs. The Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation reported 37 wolves in five packs. Annual wolf population surveys are conducted in the winter because wolf populations experience the least amount of natural fluctuation during this time. Counting the population at the end of each year allows for comparable year-to-year trends at a time of year when the wolf population is most stable. The year-end minimum population count for 2020 will be released in April 2021.

Reports of remote camera images or videos, wolf tracks, or sightings from the public are extremely helpful in locating previously undocumented wolf activity and potential new packs on the landscape. Please take photos of wolves or wolf sign (use some way to measure the size of a track) and upload them to the wolf reporting page via the following link: https://wdfw.wa.gov/species-habitats/at-risk/species-recovery/gray-wolf/observations

Definitions: A “pack” is defined as two or more wolves traveling together in winter, and a “breeding pair” is defined as at least one adult male and one adult female wolf that raised at least two pups that survived until December 31. In any given year, the number of packs will always be greater than or equal to the number of breeding pairs. The known territories and more information for each pack can be viewed by clicking the pack name.

Beaver Creek pack
No activity to report.

Butte Creek pack
No activity to report.

Carpenter Ridge pack
No activity to report.

Diobsud Creek pack
No activity to report.

Dirty Shirt pack
No activity to report.

Goodman Meadows pack
No activity to report.

Grouse Flats pack
No activity to report.

Huckleberry pack
No activity to report.

Kettle pack
No activity to report.

Leadpoint pack
No activity to report.

Lookout pack
No activity to report.

Loup Loup pack
No activity to report.

Naneum pack
No activity to report.

Salmo pack
No activity to report.

Smackout pack
The Smackout pack was involved in a confirmed wolf depredation on April 3. Full details are available here.

Stranger pack
No activity to report.

Strawberry pack
No activity to report.

Sullivan Creek pack
No activity to report.

Teanaway pack
No activity to report.

Togo pack
No activity to report.

Touchet pack
No activity to report.

Tucannon pack
No activity to report.

Wedge pack
No activity to report.

Miscellaneous/lone wolves
A solitary wolf formerly of the Teanaway pack has been documented traveling alone since March. This wolf is associated with a probable livestock depredation event involving two calves in a private pasture. A range rider is working in the area daily.

Note: The Frosty, Nason, Nc’icn, and Whitestone pack territories are within Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation (CTCR) lands and are managed under tribal authority. Information regarding these packs is proprietary and reported at the discretion of the CTCR.

Mortalities

There were no wolf mortalities documented in April.

Depredation activity

Please report any suspected livestock depredations or the death or harassment of wolves to the WDFW Enforcement Hotline at 1-877-933-9847.

In 2019, 85% of known wolf packs were not involved in any documented livestock depredation.

Below is a summary of packs with documented depredation activity within the past ten months (some packs have depredation history prior to the current ten-month window; this timeframe is considered based on guidance from the wolf-livestock interaction protocol (PDF)).

Pack

Depredation date

Depredation type

Proactive non-lethals

Ten-month window

Agency lethal removal actions

Togo

7/24/19

Confirmed kill of calf

Yes

5/24/20

 

 

7/29/19

Confirmed kill of calf

Yes

5/29/20

 

 

7/31/19

Confirmed injury of calf

Yes

5/31/20

 

 

8/11/19

Confirmed kill of calf

Yes

6/11/20

 

 

8/11/19

Confirmed injury of calf

Yes

6/11/20

 

 

8/11/19

Confirmed injury of calf

Yes

6/11/20

 

 

8/23/19

Confirmed kill of calf

Yes

6/23/20

 

 

8/31/19

Confirmed injury of calf

Yes

6/30/20

 

 

9/10/19

Probable kill of calf

Yes

7/10/20

 

OPT

7/6/19

Confirmed kill of cow

Yes

5/6/20

Adult male lethally removed 7/13/19

 

7/18/19

Confirmed injury of calf

Yes

5/18/20

 

 

7/18/19

Confirmed injury of calf

Yes

5/18/20

 

 

7/20/19

Confirmed kill of calf

Yes

5/20/20

 

 

7/22/19

Probable kill of calf

Yes

5/22/20

 

 

7/26/19

Confirmed injury of calf

Yes

5/26/20

 

 

7/26/19

Confirmed injury of calf

Yes

5/26/20

 

 

7/26/19

Confirmed injury of calf

Yes

5/26/20

 

 

7/31/19

Confirmed injury of calf

Yes

5/31/20

 

 

8/5/19

Confirmed kill of cow

Yes

6/5/20

Juvenile lethally removed 8/7/19, juvenile lethally removed 8/8/19, adult lethally removed 8/13/19, two adults and two juveniles removed 8/16/19

Grouse Flats

7/8/19

Confirmed kill of calf

Yes

5/8/20

 

 

7/22/19

Confirmed kill of calf

Yes

5/22/20

 

 

8/30/19

Confirmed kill of calf

Yes

6/30/20

 

 

9/12/19

Confirmed injury of cow

Yes

7/12/20

Adult female lethally removed 9/25/19

 

2/3/20

Confirmed kill of calf

Yes

12/3/20

 

Smackout

4/3/20

Confirmed injury of calf

Yes

2/3/21

 

Wedge

6/12/19

Confirmed kill of cow

Yes

4/12/20