This update provides an overview of gray wolf conservation and management activities in Washington during January 2021.
Program updates
The Wolf Advisory Group held two virtual meetings on Jan. 6-7 and Jan. 27. Meeting notes and associated materials are available on the Wolf Advisory group page under the Meetings tab.
Communication and coordination
On Jan. 29, WDFW staff gave a virtual presentation and led a discussion about wolves as part of the Wild Washington lesson on wolves for middle school students in the Pacific Northwest Science Club.
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
Biologists attempted to capture and collar new wolves in this pack via helicopter but were unsuccessful.
Diobsud Creek pack
No activity to report.
Dirty Shirt pack
No activity to report.
Goodman Meadows pack
Biologists attempted to capture and collar new wolves in this pack via helicopter but were unsuccessful.
Grouse Flats pack
No activity to report.
Huckleberry pack
Biologists attempted to locate the collared wolf in this pack via helicopter in an effort to collar a new individual; however, no signals from the collar were located.
Kettle pack
No activity to report.
Leadpoint pack
No activity to report.
Lookout pack
Biologists were able to capture and collar a two-year-old male wolf in this pack via helicopter in January.
Loup Loup pack
Biologists attempted to capture and collar new wolves in this pack via helicopter but were unsuccessful.
Naneum pack
Biologists were able to capture and collar a three-year-old male in this pack via helicopter in January.
Salmo pack
No activity to report.
Sherman pack
No activity to report.
Smackout pack
Biologists attempted to capture and collar new wolves in this pack via helicopter but were unsuccessful.
Stranger pack
No activity to report.
Strawberry pack
No activity to report.
Sullivan Creek pack
No activity to report.
Teanaway pack
Biologists deployed trail cameras and searched for tracks in this pack territory in January.
Togo pack
Biologists attempted to locate the collared wolf in this pack via helicopter in an effort to collar a new individual; however, no signals from the collar were located.
Touchet pack
On Jan. 15, WDFW staff received a call regarding a dead steer. An employee of an adjacent landowner found the carcass in the road alongside private pasture where the reporting party had observed the steer alive grazing the previous day. WDFW staff investigated the 600-pound steer carcass. There were multiple factors documented consistent with wolf depredation characteristics and attack signatures. No subcutaneous hemorrhaging was noted because no muscle tissue remained to be examined. Wolf tracks and scat were documented in the vicinity of the carcass. Bite marks were discovered in areas consistent with wolf attack signatures. Collar locations show a wolf in the vicinity of the area around the time the carcass was discovered, and on the carcass later in the evening. This incident was determined to be a probable wolf-caused depredation within the Touchet pack territory. Non-lethal deterrents were not in place at the time of the depredation because this steer was discovered after cattle had been removed from the area during the fall.
Tucannon pack
No activity to report.
Wedge pack
No activity to report.
Miscellaneous/lone wolves
Biologists checked trail cameras and searched for wolf sign in areas in the North Cascades in Skagit County, in Chelan County south of Lake Chelan, Yakima County near White Pass, and areas in Klickitat and Skamania counties.
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
No wolf mortalities were documented in January. As of this update, WDFW has not documented any wolf mortalities in 2021.
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 2020, 76% of known wolf packs were not involved in any documented livestock depredation.
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 (PDF)).
|
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 |
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 |
|
|
Touchet |
1/16/21 |
Probable kill of calf |
No |
11/16/21 |
|
|
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 |