Wolves that struck out on their own last year went to Canada or Idaho, not unoccupied territories in Washington.
Don Jenkins
Capital Press
Washington’s lone wolves traveled far in 2017, but not in directions that moved the state closer to meeting recovery goals.
Nine wolves wearing radio collars left packs and dispersed north into Canada, east into Idaho or stayed in northeast Washington, according to the Department of Fish and Wildlife’s annual wolf report.
None went west or south to populate the Cascades, a prerequisite to taking wolves off the state’s protected-species list.
The department has maintained for years that wolves will spread throughout the state as packs saturate the northeast corner. The department, however, didn’t detect that migration pattern last year.
“If we’ve learned anything about wolf behavior, it’s that they’re not terribly predictable,” said Scott Nielsen, president of the Cattle Producers of Washington. “It’s the same old story. We’re saturated with them and waiting for them to disperse,”
The annual report, released March 30, adds details to previously announced information about the status of wolves in Washington. The department tallied 122 wolves at the end of 2017, up 6 percent from last year’s count of 115. Breeding pairs, those with pups that survived to the end of year, increased to 14 from 10. The number of packs increased to 22 from 20.
Nevertheless, the state lost ground in having at least three breeding pairs in each of three recovery zones. While Eastern Washington now has 13 breeding pairs, the North Cascades recovery zone lost one of its two breeding pairs from 2016. The state’s third recovery zone, the South Cascades, has no confirmed wolves.
“It (recovery) has taken a hit,” said Tim Coleman, executive director of the Kettle Range Conservation Group in northeast Washington.
Coleman said that he suspects wolves in northeast Washington will disperse south when the population thickens. The department has confirmed 28 wolf mortalities in the past two years, some of them breeding females. “That certainly has a significant impact,” Coleman said.
The department killed three wolves last year to stop depredations on livestock, and the Colville tribe legally harvested three wolves. Two wolves were killed by vehicles, two were lawfully shot while attacking livestock and four were killed under suspicious circumstances.
According to the department, here’s where the nine dispersing wolves went:
• Dirty Shirt pack: Three members left this pack in Stevens County. A male went more than 100 miles into British Columbia before being killed. The report does not say how the animal died. Efforts to reach the department for more information were unsuccessful.
A female also went into British Columbia, but returned to the pack after eight days and traveling 300 miles. Another adult female went 30 miles north and established the territory of the new Leadpoint pack, also in Stevens County.
• Smackout pack: A male traveled at least 1,700 miles from Stevens County before settling northwest of Yellowstone National Park in southwest Montana.
• Loup Loup pack: A female went 542 miles into south-central British Columbia before her collar stopped working. The pack is one of three in the North Cascades recovery zone.
• Profanity Peak pack: A female left the pack in June and went into southern British Columbia and western Ferry County before being killed under suspicious circumstances in November. The department says it’s investigating.
• Goodman Meadows pack: Two males left the pack in November and crossed into northern Idaho. One was harvested in March, and the other settled in northwest Idaho.
• Huckleberry pack: A female moved north within Stevens County to the Stranger pack.