Wolf pack expands in Bob Marshall Wilderness
By The Associated Press – 12/21/03
GREAT FALLS (AP) ý A wolf pack that frequents the North Fork of the Sun
River drainage is expanding its home range in the Bob Marshall Wilderness.
Wildlife managers believe the pack has about eight wolves. Last December,
it was believed the pack had grown to 14, said Ed Bangs, the U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service’s wolf recovery coordinator. Some wolves traveling with
the pack, however, apparently have left.
Animals in the pack have been tracked as far north as the Hungry Horse
Ranger District and as far east as Gibson Reservoir west of Choteau. Now,
the pack may even be on the western side of the Continental Divide.
So far, the pack has avoided conflicts with ranchers, officials said.
ýýWe aren’t exactly sure where the wolves are right now,’ said Wendy
Maples, wildlife biologist with the Rocky Mountain Ranger District in
Choteau.
In late 2001, Fish, Wildlife & Parks officials named the wolf pair and six
pups the Gates Park Pack. But it is being renamed the Red Shale Pack
because it is traveling throughout the Bob Marshall, Bangs said.
When officials complete snow surveys in January, wildlife managers likely
will get more information, Maples said.
ýýWe are making every effort to keep track of where that pack is,’ Maples
said. ýýAnd if anyone has information, they can call the district.’
Federal officials are working with Idaho, Montana and Wyoming to delist
wolves and turn wolf management over to the states, hopefully some time
next year.