Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) is considering lethal removal in the Sherman wolf pack territory in northeast Washington in an effort to change pack behavior.
Since May 15, 2025, WDFW staff have investigated four confirmed calf injuries and one confirmed calf mortality attributed to wolves in the Sherman pack, impacting a single livestock producer in Ferry County. Per WDFW protocol, lethal removal may be considered when there are at least three depredation events attributed to a wolf pack territory within a 30-day rolling window, or at least four depredation events within a 10-month rolling window. Depredations in this pack territory in the past 30 days include:
- On May 15, 2025, WDFW staff and the Stevens and Ferry County wildlife specialist responded to a report of three injured calves and one calf mortality. The investigation revealed evidence consistent with confirmed wolf depredation.
- Before the mortality investigation was complete, the livestock producer fatally shot an adult male wolf that was reportedly chasing additional cows.
- On May 26, 2025, WDFW staff and the Stevens and Ferry County wildlife specialist investigated an additional injured calf in the same pasture as the May 15 event. The investigation revealed approximately week-old injuries that were consistent with a confirmed wolf depredation.
Following the May 15 investigation of the depredations and one wolf being killed, WDFW’s Director decided to enter an evaluation period rather than moving forward with lethal removal to observe if the May 15 wolf killing would change behavior of the pack and disrupt a potential depredation pattern. The May 26 depredation occurred despite the use of proactive and responsive non-lethal measures by the producer in this incident, which include:
- Range riders worked in the area approximately every other day
- Human presence by the producer, family members, and ranch hands
- Calving away from wolf high-use areas
- Removing sick and severely injured livestock from the range
- Livestock carcass sanitation
WDFW staff are discussing how to most effectively address the situation and will provide a recommendation to WDFW’s Director as soon as possible.
Previous Sherman pack updates: