This update provides an overview of gray wolf conservation and management activities in Washington during August 2019.
Program updates
WDFW is currently accepting comments on the scope of an updated wolf conservation and management (post-recovery) plan. The deadline for submitting comments is Nov. 1, 2019 at 5:00 pm.
WDFW has scheduled three online, interactive webinars this September and October to discuss this effort. While public comment won’t be accepted during the webinars, the goal is to both educate about wolves and share ways that people can voice their thoughts to WDFW concerning wolf management. This input will help to inform the State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA) process that will be used to develop a post-recovery plan for wolves.
The dates for the interactive webinars are:
- Tuesday, September 17, 6-7:30 p.m.
- Wednesday, September 25, 12-1 p.m.
- Tuesday, October 15, 6-7:30 p.m.
Communication and coordination
WDFW staff began reviewing the current status of wolves in Washington using population projections from the wolf population model developed for the Wolf Conservation and Management Plan. This effort is part of the periodic status review of wolves. WDFW staff met with researchers from Wisconsin, Montana, and Washington to discuss whether newer modeling tools are available or if updating the existing model parameters with empirical data from Washington wolves would be the best approach. Staff are reviewing the information and deciding on next steps.
Current population status and proactive conflict mitigation
The year-end minimum population count for 2018 was at least 126 known wolves in 27 known packs including at least 15 breeding pairs. 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 2019 will be released in April 2020.
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
On Aug. 30, ranch personnel encountered the Beaver Creek wolf pack on private land while searching for a bear seen earlier that morning. A 16-year-old deceased cow was in the area; wolves were not seen feeding on it and the cause of death was unknown. After one of the ranch personnel fired a shot over three adult wolves observed, all of the pack members (four pups in addition to the three adults) retreated, except one adult not previously seen. The wolf that remained approached the ranch personnel. They felt threatened and shot it, and believe they injured the wolf. It retreated and was not located after a search by WDFW staff. Staff believe that the behavior observed indicates the ranch personnel came upon the Beaver Creek rendezvous site.
Rendezvous sites are areas of concentrated wolf activity often associated with feeding, resting, and gathering. Wolves may establish rendezvous sites after denning as early as mid-May and as late as the end of September. Wolves move weaned pups to rendezvous sites until they are old enough to travel with the pack. Several rendezvous sites may be used in one year and the locations of these sites often vary from year to year. Entering a wolf pack’s rendezvous site is perceived by wolves like a burglar coming into your home, and it is normal for wolves to approach, circle, or bark at people as a response. This experience may be threatening for many people, and information about what to do if you feel threatened by a wolf is available here. It is legal to kill a wolf in defense of human life.
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
The Grouse Flats pack was involved in a livestock depredation incident on Aug. 30 (details available here).
Huckleberry 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
Livestock producers have been using approved nonlethal wolf deterrence measures, including range riders, on both sheep and cattle grazing allotments. No significant wolf conflicts were reported in August.
Old Profanity Territory (OPT) pack
For information on the OPT pack during August, please see updates posted on Aug. 2, Aug. 6, Aug. 13, Aug. 16, and Aug. 20. On Aug. 16, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) lethally removed the four known remaining members of the OPT wolf pack. A series of WDFW investigations had shown the pack responsible for 29 depredation incidents. The last documented livestock depredation in this pack territory occurred on Aug. 5.
Salmo pack
No activity to report.
Sherman pack
No activity to report.
Smackout pack
No activity to report.
Stranger pack
No activity to report.
Strawberry pack
No activity to report.
Teanaway pack
Livestock producers have been using approved nonlethal wolf deterrence measures, including range riders, on both sheep and cattle grazing allotments. No significant wolf conflicts were reported in August.
Togo pack
For information on the Togo pack during August, please see updates posted on Aug. 9, Aug. 16, Aug. 23, and Aug. 30.
Touchet pack
No activity to report.
Tucannon pack
No activity to report.
Wedge pack
Wolf biologists deployed cameras to monitor wolves in the Wedge pack territory this past month.
Miscellaneous/lone wolves
No activity to report.
Note: The Frosty, Nason, Nc’icn, and Whitestone pack territories are within the Colville Confederated Tribes (CCT) reservation and are managed under tribal authority. Information regarding these packs is proprietary and reported at the discretion of the CCT.
Mortalities
From Aug. 7 through Aug. 16, WDFW lethally removed the known remaining members of the OPT wolf pack (seven wolves in addition to an adult male removed on July 13). Details are available here.
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 2018, 81% 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 |
10/26/18 |
Confirmed injury of calf |
Yes |
8/26/19 |
Adult male lethally removed 9/2/18 |
|
|
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 |
|
|
OPT |
10/5/18 |
Confirmed injury of calf, death later |
Yes |
8/5/19 |
Juvenile lethally removed 9/16/18 |
|
|
10/7/18 |
Probable injury of calf |
Yes |
8/7/19 |
Adult female lethally removed 9/28/18 |
|
|
10/11/18 |
Confirmed injury of calf |
Yes |
8/11/19 |
|
|
|
10/23/18 |
Confirmed kill of calf |
Yes |
8/23/19 |
|
|
|
1/4/19 |
Confirmed kill of cow |
No |
N/A |
|
|
|
1/4/19 |
Confirmed kill of calf |
No |
N/A |
|
|
|
1/4/19 |
Confirmed kill of calf |
No |
N/A |
|
|
|
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 |
|
Smackout |
10/14/18 |
Confirmed kill of heifer |
Yes |
8/14/19 |
|
|
|
10/21/18 |
Confirmed kill of heifer |
Yes |
8/21/19 |
|
|
|
10/31/18 |
Confirmed kill of heifer |
Yes |
8/31/19 |
|
|
|
11/1/18 |
Confirmed kill of heifer |
Yes |
9/1/19 |
Adult male lethally removed 11/8/18 |
|
Single wolf (Chiliwist area) |
11/27/18 |
Confirmed kill of calf |
No |
9/27/19 |
|
|
Grouse Flats |
10/28/18 |
Confirmed injury of cow |
Yes |
8/28/19 |
|
|
|
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 |
|
|
Wedge |
6/12/19 |
Confirmed kill of cow |
Yes |
4/12/20 |
|