Monthly Wolf Report- September 2023

This update provides an overview of gray wolf conservation and management activities in Washington during September 2023. 

Program updates and coordination 

• WDFW is currently accepting limited applications for contracted range riders for the 2023 season in areas outside of northeast Washington. Applications and contract updates can be found on the Contracted Range Rider RFQ page.  
  Questions about applying or need assistance with the application? Reach out to WildlifeConflict@dfw.wa.gov. 
• Currently in northeast Washington, due to a directive from the budget proviso, WDFW is working to transition contracted range riders to WSDA grant funded local non-profits providing non-lethal deterrent services. WDFW will continue to offer Damage Prevention Cooperative Agreements for Livestock (DPCA-Ls) in areas where these services are not provided and as funding allows.  
• The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) Police continue to investigate six wolf mortalities within the Wedge pack territory in Stevens County. WDFW Police began the investigation in February 2022, and it is ongoing. Toxicology results revealed all six wolves died from ingesting poison. 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. Rewards totaling $53,900 are available for information that leads to a conviction in the case of the poisoning of Stevens County wolves. 

Outreach and education  

A WDFW biologist gave a virtual presentation to the Sierra Club this past month. WDFW staff also presented an in-person presentation to the Thorp School Career Day in the Teanaway Community Forest, as well as a wolf biologist giving a talk about the history of wolves in the Teanaway to a group from Conservation Northwest.   

Current population status and proactive conflict mitigation 

The year-end minimum population count for 2022 was at least 216 known wolves in 37 known packs including at least 26 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 2023 will be released in April 2024. 

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 (learn how to differentiate between wolves and coyotes; use some way to measure the size of a track) and upload them to the Report wolf observations page.

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 territory 
No activity to report. 

Big Muddy pack 
No activity to report. 

Butte Creek pack 
No activity to report. 

Carpenter Ridge pack 
Cattle have come off the Colville National Forest (CNF) grazing allotment for the season.  

Chewuch pack 
No activity to report. 

Chopaka pack 
No activity to report. 

Columbia pack 
On Sept. 9, a livestock producer notified WDFW staff of two injured calves. As a precaution, the producer gathered and transported cow/calf pairs to their home place, outside of known wolf territory. WDFW staff investigated the injured calves the following day. Staff determined both calves sustained injuries from a confirmed wolf depredation event, based on the severity, type and location of injuries, swelling, and characteristics consistent with a depredation by wolves. Due to the proximity of calf #1 to calf #2, the age of both injuries, and telemetry data from two collared Columbia pack wolves in the vicinity of the injured calves, the two documented injuries were determined to be from a single event.       

Diobsud Creek territory 
WDFW biologists conducted monitoring activities in this pack territory.  

Dirty Shirt pack 
WDFW biologists conducted monitoring activities in this pack territory. Cattle were scheduled to come off the CNF grazing allotment for the season as of September 30. 

Dominion pack 
No activity to report. 

Five Sisters pack 
WDFW biologists conducted monitoring activities in this pack territory. 

Goodman Meadows pack 
Cattle are scheduled to come off the CNF grazing allotment for the season on October 15. 

Grouse Flats pack 
WDFW biologists conducted monitoring activities in this pack territory.  A mortality of a calf in the Grouse Flats pack territory was determined to be a probable depredation by wolves.  

Huckleberry pack 
No activity to report. 

Leadpoint pack 
A collared female wolf was killed by a cougar in this pack in September.  

Lookout pack 
No activity to report. 

Loup Loup pack 
No activity to report. 

Maverick pack 
No activity to report. 
 
Mt. Spokane pack 
No activity to report. 

Napeequa pack 
No activity to report. 

Navarre pack 
No activity to report. 

Onion Creek pack 
No activity to report. 

Salmo pack 
No activity to report. 

Scatter pack – new documented area of wolf activity  
On October 7, WDFW staff investigated a dead calf on private property in Okanogan County within the Scatter Pack territory. The investigation revealed wolf sign, signs of struggle in the area of the carcass, and evidence on the carcass consistent with a confirmed wolf depredation.  

Since April 8, 2023, WDFW has documented two probable and three confirmed wolf depredation events in this pack territory, impacting two livestock producers, resulting in two-dead miniature donkeys (confirmed), one injured alpaca that later died (probable), one injured colt (probable), and one dead calf (confirmed). The Scatter pack is a new pack that was first documented when the depredations occurred this past Spring. The pack is located south and west of Republic and borders the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation boundary and was named by the tribe.   

The Scatter pack is responsible for five depredation events in the past 10 months and with guidance from the Wolf Livestock Interaction Protocol, this prompted the Department to consider lethal removal. WDFW staff discussed the depredations and the use of proactive and reactive non-lethal measures in this pack territory and WDFW staff did not recommend lethal removal at this time. 

Producer 2 responded to the most recent depredation by moving their livestock off the private grazing lease to property near their residence to increase the ability to monitor the livestock.  

The Department will continue to:   

• Coordinate with the impacted livestock producers to encourage daily monitoring of the livestock.  
• Reach out to other producers, particularly those with fall calving operations or over wintering livestock within the Scatter pack territory to provide guidance on non-lethal tools that could be used to help protect their livestock.   
• Reach out to non-governmental range rider groups to see if they have resources to provide within this pack territory.  

A summary of all documented depredation activity within the past 10 months is included in the gray wolf updates.  

Shady Pass pack 
No activity to report. 

Sherman pack 
No activity to report. 

Smackout pack 
A WDFW biologist captured and collared a pup in this pack. An adult cow was confirmed to be injured by wolves in the Smackout pack territory in September. Cattle are scheduled to be off the CNF grazing allotment for the season by Oct 15. 
 
Sprague Lake territory 
No activity to report. 

Stranger pack 
No activity to report. 

Sullivan Creek pack 
No activity to report. 

Teanaway territory 
WDFW biologists conducted monitoring activities in this pack territory. 

Togo pack 
No activity to report. 

Touchet pack 
A WDFW wolf biologist captured and collared an adult male wolf in this pack.  

Tucannon pack 
WDFW biologists conducted monitoring activities in this pack territory. 

Vulcan pack 
No activity to report. 

Wedge pack 
Cattle are scheduled to be off the CNF grazing allotment for the season by Oct. 31. 

Miscellaneous/lone wolves 

• WDFW biologists conducted monitoring activities in the former Naneum pack territory. The Naneum pack was confirmed in this area in 2018 but by the winter of 2022/23 no longer met the criteria to be considered a pack. 
• A calf was confirmed injured by wolves in a location where multiple packs overlap the same pasture.  It is unknown which pack was associated with the injury at this time.   
• There have been no documented interactions between members of the WA139 group of wolves in Asotin County since August. 
• Note: The Frosty, Nason, Nc’icn, Keller Ridge, Strawberry, Whitestone, and Wilmont 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 

• One collared wolf was killed by a cougar in September in the Leadpoint Pack territory.   
• As of September, WDFW has documented 10 wolf mortalities in 2023. 

Depredation activity 

In 2022, 81% of known wolf packs were not involved in any documented livestock depredation. 

WDFW documented four wolf depredation events in Sept, slightly lower than the average (4.8) from 2018-2022. 

Please report any suspected livestock depredations or the death or harassment of wolves to the WDFW Enforcement Hotline at 1-877-933-9847. 

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)).