Author: Aaron Luna, KXLY4 Reporter / Weather Anchor
COLVILLE, Wash. – Stalked by a pack of wolves, a hunter in Stevens County said he shot at a wolf that came within 15 yards of him, and the Stevens County Cattlemen’s Association said its a prime example of how wolves in eastern Washington have become accustomed to humans.
The incident happened in the Smackout Meadows area in northeastern Stevens County on October 30.
“He had raised his arms, he yelled, tried to deter the wolves, scare them off and got no response at all,” said Jamie Henneman, public relations contact for Stevens County Cattlemen’s Association.
Henneman said non-lethal methods to keep wolves away from livestock have only created wolves that aren’t afraid of humans.
“There’s a whole new danger in the woods in Stevens County,” said Henneman.
Steve Pozzanghera with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife said the hunter had every right to shoot at the wolf but that it’s more likely the young wolves in the Smackout pack were more curious than hungry.
“We actually killed one wolf this year which was involved in depredations on sheep, in the Huckleberry Wolf Pack,” Pozzanghera said.
This year alone, wolves have been responsible for the deaths of 33 sheep and two head of cattle. Since 2012 the WDFW has killed 8 wolves, though that number is not enough for some and too many for others.
“We want the department to recognize that wolves are dangerous, that there is a risk to human public health and safety and start being more proactive about that,” said Henneman.
“In order to recover wolves you’ll have to kill wolves along the way to respond to these situations,” said Pozzanghera.
The Cattlemen’s Association wants people to know about this incident and the presence of wolves. While this encounter was posted online, even Fish and Wildlife admits, they can do more.
“I think we can do a better job about outreach and education. Whether it’s TV media, whether it’s printed media, whether it’s our web-site,” said Pozzanghera.
Fish and Wildlife says there’s no evidence non-lethal hazing of wolves, which is the physical act of scaring off wolves with loud noises or in some case arm waving and yelling, is familiarizing them with humans.
At present there are 15 wolf packs in Washington, with 12 of them in the northeastern corner of the state. Wolf numbers have not yet reached recovery levels which means they are still protected by the state.