This update provides an overview of gray wolf conservation and management activities in Washington during October 2020.
Program updates
WDFW is considering rule changes related to wolf management in WAC chapter 220-400 and filed a CR-101 on October 13.
On October 29, 2020, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service announced that gray wolves in much of the contiguous 48 states will be delisted from the federal Endangered Species Act. WDFW is committed to the recovery of gray wolves in Washington and they remain listed as endangered by WDFW throughout the state. We will continue to work closely with partners, stakeholders, and communities, just as we have over the past decade on the recovery, conservation, and management of wolves in Washington, with a focus on achieving the state’s recovery objectives and reducing conflict between wolves and livestock. WDFW’s full update is available here.
Communication and coordination
WDFW initiated a collaboration with the Colville National Forest to post cattle observation/reporting signs on public grazing allotments to assist livestock producers with gathering cattle off the range for the end of the grazing season. This effort applies to all of the pack territories in the Kettle River Range as well as the Wedge, Smackout, Goodman Meadows, Dirty Shirt, and Carpenter Ridge pack territories.
In May, WDFW Director Kelly Susewind appointed Region 1 Director Steve Pozzanghera to an interim Northeast Regional Wolf Lead position. The position was put in place to provide locally based (Colville District Office) support, coordination and direction to Wildlife Program and Enforcement Program staff directly involved with wolf conservation and management activities in the quad-county/northeast region of Washington (Okanogan, Ferry, Stevens and Pend Oreille Counties). A second objective of the position was to continue work to foster and enhance relationships with the Stevens and Ferry County Sheriffs and County Wildlife Specialist, as well as with local livestock producers and ranchers, local legislators, county commissioners and the quad-county/northeast community as a whole. The interim position ended on October 31, 2020 and Steve has completed 29 intake interviews with WDFW staff. That input is currently being used to finalize a recommendation on the position that will help shape an agency budget request. Steve returned to the Region 1 Regional Director position on November 1.
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
WDFW staff deployed fox lights along the timber line of an area where cattle are concentrated and a wolf was seen within the Leadpoint pack territory.
Lookout pack
No activity to report.
Loup Loup pack
No activity to report.
Naneum pack
No conflicts have been reported in the Naneum pack territory this month. Sheep have been removed from the pack territory and cattle are in the process of being removed from public land grazing leases in the area.
Salmo pack
No activity to report.
Sherman pack
No activity to report.
Smackout pack
On Oct. 7, a Stevens County resident reported killing a wolf when the resident encountered a pack while checking a trail camera. The reporting party stated that they observed multiple wolves within 30 yards. The reporting party waved their arms in the air and yelled in an attempt to scare the wolves off, but stated the wolves did not retreat. The reporting party shot and killed one of the wolves, and the others ran off. The wolf killed was a juvenile from the Smackout pack born this year. Information about wolf behavior in encounters with people and what to do if you feel threatened by a wolf is available here.
Stranger pack
No activity to report.
Strawberry pack
No activity to report.
Sullivan Creek pack
No activity to report.
Teanaway pack
No conflicts have been reported in the Teanaway pack territory this month. Sheep have been removed from the pack territory and cattle are in the process of being removed from public land grazing leases in the area.
Togo pack
A livestock producer in the Togo pack territory reported to WDFW staff that they gathered 100% of their cattle off the range this grazing season. This particular producer had two full-time range riders funded by WDFW’s cost-share DPCA-L program. This producer has a federal grazing permit for one of the USFS grazing allotments in the Kettle River Range. Other livestock producers in the surrounding area are also reporting good numbers so far and healthy-looking cattle.
Touchet pack
No activity to report.
Tucannon pack
No activity to report.
Wedge pack
No activity to report.
Miscellaneous/lone wolves
WDFW biologists deployed trail cameras and looked for track and sign in the south Cascades in response to sightings and reports.
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
One wolf mortality was documented in October (a juvenile wolf from the Smackout pack killed during an encounter detailed above). As of this update, WDFW has documented eight wolf mortalities in 2020.
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.
There were no documented wolf depredations in October.
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).
|
Pack |
Depredation date |
Depredation type |
Proactive non-lethals |
Ten-month window |
Agency lethal removal actions |
|
Beaver Creek |
8/21/20 |
Probable injury of calf |
Yes |
6/21/21 |
|
|
Leadpoint |
6/19/20 |
Confirmed injury of calf |
Yes |
4/19/21 |
|
|
|
6/19/20 |
Confirmed injury of two calves |
Yes |
4/19/21 |
|
|
|
6/19/20 |
Confirmed injury of calf |
Yes |
4/19/21 |
|
|
|
6/28/20 |
Confirmed injury of calf |
Yes |
4/28/21 |
|
|
|
8/3/20 |
Confirmed mortality of calf (calf died from injuries) |
Yes |
6/3/21 |
|
|
|
8/7/20 |
Confirmed injury of calf |
Yes |
6/7/21 |
|
|
|
8/7/20 |
Confirmed injury of calf |
Yes |
6/7/21 |
|
|
|
8/7/20 |
Confirmed injury of calf |
Yes |
6/7/21 |
|
|
|
8/7/20 |
Confirmed kill of calf |
Yes |
6/7/21 |
|
|
|
8/10/20 |
Confirmed injury of calf |
Yes |
6/10/21 |
|
|
|
8/10/20 |
Confirmed kill of calf |
Yes |
6/10/21 |
|
|
|
8/14/20 |
Confirmed injury of calf |
Yes |
6/14/21 |
|
|
Togo |
6/6/20 |
Confirmed injury of calf |
Yes |
4/6/21 |
|
|
Grouse Flats |
2/3/20 |
Confirmed kill of calf |
Yes |
12/3/20 |
Adult female lethally removed 9/25/19 |
|
|
8/12/20 |
Probable injury of calf |
Yes |
6/12/21 |
|
|
Smackout |
4/3/20 |
Confirmed injury of calf |
Yes |
2/3/21 |
|
|
|
7/24/20 |
Confirmed kill of calf |
Yes |
5/24/21 |
|
|
Wedge |
5/11/20 |
Confirmed injury of calf |
Yes |
3/11/21 |
|
|
|
5/19/20 |
Confirmed kill of calf |
Yes |
3/19/21 |
|
|
|
5/19/20 |
Confirmed injury of calf |
Yes |
3/19/21 |
|
|
|
6/17/20 |
Confirmed injury of calf |
Yes |
4/17/21 |
|
|
|
7/11/20 |
Confirmed injury of three calves |
Yes |
5/11/21 |
|
|
|
7/11/20 |
Confirmed injury of calf |
Yes |
5/11/21 |
|
|
|
7/11/20 |
Confirmed injury of calf |
Yes |
5/11/21 |
|
|
|
7/11/20 |
Confirmed injury of two calves |
Yes |
5/11/21 |
|
|
|
7/13/20 |
Confirmed injury of calf |
Yes |
5/13/21 |
|
|
|
7/25/20 |
Confirmed kill of calf and injury of calf |
Yes |
5/25/21 |
Adult female lethally removed 7/27/20 |
|
|
7/29/20 |
Probable kill of calf |
Yes |
5/29/21 |
|
|
|
7/29/20 |
Confirmed injury of two calves |
Yes |
5/29/21 |
|
|
|
7/30/20 |
Confirmed injury of two calves |
Yes |
5/30/21 |
|
|
|
7/31/20 |
Confirmed injury of two calves |
Yes |
5/31/21 |
|
|
|
7/31/20 |
Confirmed injury of calf |
Yes |
5/31/21 |
|
|
|
8/1/20 |
Confirmed injury of calf |
Yes |
6/1/21 |
Adult male and female lethally removed 8/13/20 |