This update provides an overview of gray wolf conservation and management activities in Washington during November 2021.
Program updates and coordination
- WDFW initiated new rule making in response to a decision by Governor Jay Inslee in September 2020 to grant a petition for rule making directed to the Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission relating to wolf management with the goal of instituting practices that will avoid the repeated loss of wolves and livestock in Washington. WDFW Director Kelly Susewind sent a letter to Governor Inslee on Nov. 24, 2021 (PDF) providing an update on the status of the effort.
- On November 19, the Wolf Committee of the Fish and Wildlife Commission was briefed by WDFW staff on potential conservation and management scenarios that the University of Washington will include in modeling simulations to inform the Periodic Status Review for gray wolves. The meeting recording and associated materials are available at https://wdfw.wa.gov/about/commission/meetings/2021 under November 19 - Special Wolf Committee.
- The Wolf Advisory Group held a virtual meeting on Nov. 9-10. Meeting notes and associated materials are available on the Wolf Advisory group page under the Meetings tab.
- WDFW staff gave presentations for the Washington Association of Conservation Districts and the Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission Wildlife Committee in November.
Current population status and proactive conflict mitigation
The year-end minimum population count for 2020 was at least 132 known wolves in 24 known packs including at least 13 breeding pairs. The Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation reported 46 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 2021 will be released in April 2022.
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
No activity to report.
Diobsud Creek pack
No activity to report.
Dirty Shirt pack
No activity to report.
Goodman Meadows pack
No activity to report.
Grouse Flats pack
No activity to report.
Huckleberry pack
No activity to report.
Kettle pack
No activity to report.
Leadpoint pack
No activity to report.
Lookout pack
No activity to report.
Loup Loup pack
No activity to report.
Naneum pack
No activity to report.
Navarre pack
A biologist checked cameras and conducted track surveys in some recent snow in this pack territory over the last month.
Onion Creek pack
No activity to report.
Salmo pack
No activity to report.
Sherman pack
No activity to report.
Skookum pack
No activity to report.
Smackout pack
No activity to report.
Stranger pack
No activity to report.
Strawberry pack
No activity to report.
Sullivan Creek pack
No activity to report.
Teanaway pack
A biologist checked cameras and placed cameras in this pack territory over the last month.
An injured calf was discovered and removed from the Teanaway pack territory by the livestock owner in October. WDFW staff investigated the injured calf on Nov. 8 and found wounds consistent with a confirmed wolf depredation. Based on wound age and healing, the injury likely occurred sometime around September 15 or after.
Togo pack
No activity to report.
Touchet pack
No activity to report.
Tucannon pack
No activity to report.
Vulcan pack
No activity to report.
Wedge pack
No activity to report.
Miscellaneous/lone wolves
Updates for the area of new wolf activity in Columbia County were provided in November on Nov. 2 , Nov. 8 monthly update, Nov. 10, Nov. 18, and Nov. 22.
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
- On Nov. 5, WDFW staff responded to a report of a dead wolf on the side of a road in the area of new wolf activity in Columbia County. A yearling female wolf was struck and killed by a vehicle.
- On Nov. 18, WDFW lethally removed an adult male member from the area of new wolf activity in Columbia County in response to repeated depredation of livestock.
- An uncollared wolf was found dead in northeast Washington during the month of November. Because this incident is under active investigation by law enforcement, no further information is being provided at this time.
- As reported on Dec. 9, WDFW staff responded to another report of a dead wolf on the side of a road in the in the area of new wolf activity in Columbia County on Dec. 5. A second yearling female wolf was struck and killed by a vehicle.
- As reported on Dec. 9, a juvenile male wolf was legally killed under an authorized permit on Dec. 8 in the area of new wolf activity in Columbia County.
- As of this update, WDFW has documented eight 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 |
9/5/21 |
Probable mortality of calf |
No |
7/5/22 |
|
|
Leadpoint |
3/26/21 |
Probable injury of calf |
Yes |
1/26/22 |
|
|
|
7/22/21 |
Confirmed mortality of one calf (died from injuries), confirmed injury of second calf |
Yes |
5/22/22 |
|
|
Naneum |
5/7/21 |
Confirmed injury of calf |
Yes |
3/7/22 |
|
|
Smackout |
8/30/21 |
Probable injury of two calves |
Yes |
6/30/22 |
|
|
Teanaway |
11/8/21 |
Confirmed injury of calf |
Yes |
9/8/22 |
|
|
Togo |
6/24/21 |
Confirmed injury of calf |
Yes |
4/24/22 |
|
|
|
8/6/21 |
Confirmed mortality of calf (died from injuries) |
Yes |
6/6/22 |
|
|
|
8/17/21 |
Probable injury of calf |
Yes |
6/17/22 |
|
|
|
8/17/21 |
Confirmed injury of calf |
Yes |
6/17/22 |
|
|
Touchet |
1/16/21 |
Probable kill of calf |
No |
11/16/21 |
|
|
|
8/10/21 |
Confirmed mortality of calf |
Yes |
6/10/22 |
|
|
Area of new wolf activity north of Touchet pack and west of Tucannon pack (Columbia county) |
8/25/21 |
Confirmed injury of calf |
Yes |
6/25/22 |
|
|
|
9/13/21 |
Confirmed mortality of calf |
Yes |
7/13/22 |
|
|
|
10/16/21 |
Confirmed injury of calf |
Yes |
8/16/22 |
|
|
|
11/1/21 |
Confirmed injury of one calf, probable injury of two calves |
Yes |
9/1/22 |
|
|
|
11/15/21 |
Confirmed mortality of calf |
Yes |
9/15/22 |
Adult male lethally removed 11/18/21; juvenile male lethally removed under authorized permit on 12/8/21 |