This update provides an overview of gray wolf conservation and management activities in Washington during September 2022.
Program updates and coordination
$51,400 reward offered for information about poisoned wolves
For the past seven months, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) Police have been investigating six wolf mortalities within the Wedge pack territory in Stevens County. WDFW Police began the investigation in February, and it is ongoing. Toxicology results revealed all six wolves died from ingesting poison.
Initially, investigators found four animals in late February, and within a month during searches of the area, WDFW found two additional wolves.
The investigation remains active, and the Department encourages anyone who might have relevant information to report it confidentially by calling WDFW's poaching hotline, 877-933-9847, or by texting a tip to 847411.
The following organizations are offering rewards totaling $51,400 so far for information that leads to a conviction in the case of the poisoning of Stevens County wolves:
Center for Biological Diversity
Conservation Northwest
Defenders of Wildlife
Kettle Range Conservation Group
Northwest Animal Rights Network
Sierra Club – Washington Chapter
Washington Wildlife First
Western Watersheds Project
Gray wolves are listed as endangered under state law throughout Washington. In the western two-thirds of the state, they are also listed as endangered under the federal Endangered Species Act. Under state law, the illegal killing of a wolf or other endangered fish or wildlife species is a gross misdemeanor, punishable by up to one year in jail and a fine of up to $5,000.
- WDFW continues to support the Conflict on Workinglands Conservation Innovation Grant (CoW-CIG) research team’s evaluation of the effectiveness of range riding at reducing conflicts between livestock and carnivores. WDFW staff have continued coordination to assist with the PhD student’s interest in expanding future study areas in the Cascades. The PhD student leading the study will be conducting field work between October and November.
Current population status and proactive conflict mitigation
The year-end minimum population count for 2021 was at least 206 known wolves in 33 known packs including at least 19 breeding pairs. 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 2022 will be released in April 2023.
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.
Columbia pack
No activity to report.
Dirty Shirt pack
No activity to report.
Dominion pack
A yearling female wolf from the Dominion pack was killed by a cougar on Sept. 3. More information about this incident will be provided in a forthcoming blog post.
Goodman Meadows pack
No activity to report.
Grouse Flats pack
No activity to report.
Huckleberry pack
No activity to report.
Leadpoint pack
Updates for the Leadpoint pack were provided on Sept. 20, Sept. 22, Sept. 29, and Oct. 5.
Lookout pack
No activity to report.
Loup Loup pack
No activity to report.
Navarre pack
No activity to report.
Onion Creek pack
No activity to report.
Salmo pack
No activity to report.
Shady Pass pack
No activity to report.
Sherman pack
No activity to report.
Skookum pack
No activity to report.
Smackout pack
Updates for the Smackout pack were provided on Aug. 30, Sept. 1, Sept. 8, Oct. 3, Oct. 5, and Oct. 7.
WDFW staff investigated another injured calf in the Smackout pack territory on Oct. 8 and confirmed the calf was injured by wolves.
Two Smackout wolves (an adult female and a pup) were found dead in September. WDFW staff believe the adult female was killed by a moose and the pup was killed by a cougar on Sept. 13. More information about this incident will be provided in a forthcoming blog post.
Stranger pack
No activity to report.
Sullivan Creek pack
No activity to report.
Teanaway pack
No activity to report.
Togo pack
No activity to report.
Touchet pack
No activity to report.
Tucannon pack
No activity to report.
Vulcan pack
A wolf was found dead in the Vulcan pack territory in northeast Washington during the month of September. Because this incident is under active investigation by law enforcement, no further information is being provided at this time.
Wedge pack
No activity to report.
Miscellaneous/lone wolves
WDFW staff continued to monitor a collared dispersing male wolf (originally from the Naneum pack) and an uncollared wolf (unknown age and sex) traveling in Yakima and Klickitat counties.
Note: The Frosty, Nason, Nc’icn, Keller Ridge, Strawberry, 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
- As noted above, a yearling female wolf from the Dominion pack was killed by a cougar in September.
- As noted above, two Smackout wolves (an adult female and a pup) were found dead in September.
- As reported on Sept. 8, WDFW staff lethally removed a juvenile male wolf now suspected of being from the Dirty Shirt pack, but near a Smackout collared wolf on the periphery of the Smackout pack territory when removed.
- As reported on Sept. 29, WDFW lethally removed an adult male wolf on Sept. 27 and an adult female wolf on Sept. 28 from the Leadpoint pack territory.
- A wolf was found dead in the Vulcan pack territory in northeast Washington during the month of September. Because this incident is under active investigation by law enforcement, no further information is being provided at this time.
- As of this update, WDFW has documented 20 wolf mortalities in 2022.
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 2021, 76% of known wolf packs were not involved in any documented livestock depredation.
WDFW documented six wolf depredation events in September, slightly higher than the average (four) from 2017-2021.
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 |
|
Columbia |
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 |
|
Grouse Flats |
8/12/22 |
Confirmed mortality of steer |
Yes |
6/12/23 |
|
|
|
8/30/22 |
Confirmed mortality of steer |
Yes |
6/30/23 |
|
|
Leadpoint |
8/22/22 |
Confirmed mortality of calf |
Yes |
6/22/23 |
|
|
|
9/1/22 |
Confirmed mortality of calf |
Yes |
7/1/23 |
|
|
|
9/16/22 |
Confirmed mortality of cow |
Yes |
7/16/23 |
|
|
|
9/19/22 |
Confirmed injury of calf |
Yes |
7/19/23 |
|
|
|
9/19/22 |
Confirmed injury of calf |
Yes |
7/19/23 |
Adult male removed 9/27/22; adult female removed 9/28/22 |
|
|
9/30/22 |
Confirmed injury of cow and calf (calf died from injuries) |
Yes |
7/30/23 |
|
|
|
10/7/22 |
Confirmed mortality of cow |
Yes |
8/7/23 |
|
|
Lookout |
5/20/22 |
Confirmed mortality of two lambs |
Yes |
3/20/23 |
|
|
Smackout |
8/17/22 |
Confirmed mortality of calf |
Yes |
6/17/23 |
|
|
|
8/20/22 |
Confirmed injury of calf |
Yes |
6/20/23 |
|
|
|
8/27/22 |
Probable injury of calf |
Yes |
6/27/23 |
|
|
|
8/28/22 |
Confirmed mortality of calf |
Yes |
6/28/23 |
|
|
|
8/31/22 |
Confirmed mortality of two calves |
Yes |
6/30/23 |
Juvenile male lethally removed 9/8/22 |
|
|
9/26/22 |
Probable mortality of calf |
Yes |
7/26/23 |
|
|
|
10/3/22 |
Confirmed injury of calf |
Yes |
8/3/23 |
|
|
|
10/6/22 |
Confirmed injury of calf |
Yes |
8/6/23 |
|
|
|
10/8/22 |
Confirmed injury of calf |
Yes |
8/8/23 |
|
|
Stranger |
7/28/22 |
Probable injury of calf |
No |
5/28/23 |
|
|
Teanaway |
11/8/21 |
Confirmed injury of calf |
Yes |
9/8/22 |
|
|
Togo |
5/17/22 |
Confirmed mortality of calf |
Yes |
3/17/23 |
|
|
|
5/18/22 |
Confirmed injury of calf |
Yes |
3/18/23 |
|
|
|
6/8/22 |
Confirmed mortality of calf |
Yes |
4/8/23 |
|
|
|
6/12/22 |
Confirmed injury of calf |
Yes |
4/11/23 |
Yearling female lethally removed 6/14/22; adult male lethally removed 6/17/22 |
|
Vulcan |
4/30/22 |
Confirmed mortality of calf |
Yes |
2/28/23 |
|