This update provides an overview of gray wolf conservation and management activities in Washington during September 2024.
Program updates and coordination
- WDFW is accepting limited applications for statewide contracted range riders. Applications and contract updates can be found in WDFW’s website.
- Due to a directive from the fiscal years 2024-2025 budget provisos, WDFW is working to transition a majority of contracted range riding (CRR) in northeast Washington to Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA) grant funded local non-profits providing those non-lethal deterrent services. WDFW will continue to offer Damage Prevention Cooperative Agreements for Livestock (DPCA-L) in areas where these services are not provided and as funding allows. WDFW-contracted range riders (CRR) will only be employed when a clearly identified gap exists that cannot be covered by one of the non-government groups providing range riding, or under a cost-sharing DPCA-L.
- Due to a directive from the fiscal years 2024-2025 budget provisos, WDFW is working to transition a majority of contracted range riding (CRR) in northeast Washington to Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA) grant funded local non-profits providing those non-lethal deterrent services. WDFW will continue to offer Damage Prevention Cooperative Agreements for Livestock (DPCA-L) in areas where these services are not provided and as funding allows. WDFW-contracted range riders (CRR) will only be employed when a clearly identified gap exists that cannot be covered by one of the non-government groups providing range riding, or under a cost-sharing DPCA-L.
- WDFW encourages anyone who might have relevant information on poaching to report it confidentially by calling WDFW's poaching hotline, 877-933-9847, or by texting a tip to 847411.
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 Working lands Conservation Innovation Grant (CoW-CIG) research team’s evaluation of the effectiveness of range riding at reducing conflicts between livestock and carnivores. The Conservation on Working Lands Conservation Innovation Grant (CoW-CIG) is a collaborative team consisting of livestock producers, Western Landowners Alliance, Heart of the Rockies, Defenders of Wildlife, Wildlife Services, and other state and federal wildlife agencies, and Utah, Colorado, and Montana state universities. The team is tasked with evaluating the effectiveness of several nonlethal tools at reducing conflict between livestock, wolves, and grizzly bears.
Outreach and education
A wolf biologist gave a presentation to the Elk group in North Bend Washington. A biologist also gave a talk at the Wolf Haven sponsored Immobilization Training course with Dr. Mark Johnson.
In response to a wolf-rulemaking petition granted in a January 2024 letter from the Governor, WDFW staff provided an update to the Wildlife Committee of the Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission. The update detailed the factors that staff consider, and the process that WDFW follows before recommending the incremental lethal removal of wolves from packs involved in recurrent livestock depredations in an effort to minimize livestock losses, while continuing to progress toward statewide wolf recovery. The recorded Wildlife Committee meeting can be found on the TVW website.
Current population status and proactive conflict mitigation
The year-end minimum population count for 2023 was at least 260 known wolves in 42 known packs including at least 25 successful 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. A link to the 2023 Annual Wolf report can be found in WDFW’s website. The year-end minimum population count for 2024 will be released in April 2025.
As part of a Periodic Status Review (PSR) of the species, the Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission decided on July 19, 2024, to retain the state status of gray wolves as endangered. WDFW will continue to work closely with partners, stakeholders, and communities, just as over the past decade, on the recovery, conservation, and management of wolves in Washington, with a focus on reducing conflict between wolves and livestock, emphasizing proactive nonlethal conflict deterrence, achieving statewide recovery objectives, and supporting wolf expansion into all suitable habitat statewide.
WDFW will revisit the state status of wolves as part of a future periodic status review process or sooner if the recovery objectives of the state’s Wolf Conservation and Management Plan are met within five years. The recorded Wildlife Committee meeting can be found on the TVW website.
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 wolf observation reporting 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 pack
WDFW biologists conducted monitoring activities in this pack territory.
Big Muddy territory
WDFW biologists conducted monitoring activities in this territory.
Butte Creek pack
No activity to report.
Carpenter Ridge pack
No activity to report.
Chewuch pack
No activity to report.
Chopaka pack
No activity to report.
Columbia pack
WDFW biologists confirmed the mortality of a calf and a probable injury to a calf in this pack territory in September 2024.
Couse pack
WDFW biologists confirmed the mortality of a calf and conducted monitoring in this pack territory in September 2024. Updates for the Couse pack were provided on Sept. 20, Sept. 24, and Oct. 1.
Diobsud Creek territory
No activity to report.
Dirty Shirt pack
No activity to report.
Dominion pack
No activity to report.
Five Sisters pack
No activity to report.
Goodman Meadows pack
No activity to report.
Grouse Flats pack
WDFW biologists confirmed the mortality of a calf in this pack territory in September 2024.
Huckleberry pack
WDFW biologists conducted monitoring activities in this pack territory.
Leadpoint pack
WDFW biologists conducted monitoring activities in this pack territory.
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.
Naneum territory
No activity to report.
Napeequa pack
WDFW biologists conducted monitoring activities in this pack territory.
Navarre pack
No activity to report.
Onion Creek pack
WDFW biologists confirmed the mortalities of two calves in this pack territory in September 2024 and conducted monitoring activities in this pack territory. Updates for the Onion Creek pack were provided on Sept. 11, Sept. 12, Sept. 20, Sept. 30, and Oct. 2.
Ruby pack
No activity to report
Salmo pack
No activity to report.
Scatter pack
No activity to report.
Shady Pass pack
No activity to report.
Sherman pack
No activity to report.
Sprague Lake territory
No activity to report.
Stranger Pack
No activity to report.
Sullivan Creek 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
No activity to report.
Wedge pack
No activity to report.
Other Monitoring Activities Statewide:
WDFW Biologists investigated two reports of wolf depredations on newborn calves in the South Cascades where there has been consistent wolf activity, where a dispersing, radio-collared wolf has been residing since April of 2024. WDFW Biologists confirmed that coyotes were responsible for both depredations.
WDFW biologists continued to monitor wolf activity west of Curlew Lake in an area not believed to be used by any previously confirmed packs. WDFW biologists investigated an injured calf in this area but determined that the injuries were not consistent with a wolf depredation.
WDFW biologists also conducted monitoring activities in the former Teanaway pack territory.
Note: The Dollar Mountain, 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
Two wolf mortalities were documented on Sept. 19, and one on Oct. 2, 2024. These included WDFW’s lethal removal of one adult male, a yearling female, and an adult female wolf from Onion Creek pack territory in response to repeated depredations of cattle.
- Since the beginning of the year, WDFW has documented 13 wolf mortalities in 2024.
Depredation activity
In general, about 80% of known wolf packs in Washington have not been involved in any documented livestock depredation in any given year. WDFW staff documented six depredation events by wolves on a total of six livestock in September 2024. The average number of depredation events for the month of July is 2.8 based on depredation records from 2019-2023.
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)).
| Pack | Depredation date | Depredation type | Proactive non-lethals | Ten-month window | Agency lethal removal actions |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Columbia | 8/6/24 | Confirmed injury of 1 calf | Yes | 6/6/25 | |
| 9/11/24 | Probable injury of 1 calf | Yes | 7/11/25 | ||
| 9/16/24 | Confirmed mortality of 1 calf | Yes | 7/16/25 | ||
| Couse | 6/27/24 | Confirmed injury of 1 calf | No | 4/27/25 | |
| 7/06/24 | Confirmed mortality of 1 calf | Yes | 5/06/25 | ||
| 7/08/24 | Confirmed injury of 1 cow | Yes | 5/08/25 | ||
| 7/08/24 | Probable injury of 1 cow | Yes | 5/08/25 | Agency Removal not authorized; One wolf was killed (Investigation ongoing) | |
| 9/19/24 | Confirmed injury of 1 calf | Yes | 7/19/25 | Agency Removal authorized with an expiration date of Oct. 8 – no removal as of Oct. 7, 2024 | |
| Dominion | 7/19/24 | Confirmed mortality of 1 cow | Yes | 5/19/25 | |
| 7/27/24 | Confirmed mortality of 1 calf and injury of 4 calves | Yes | 5/27/25 | ||
| 7/28/24 | Confirmed mortality of 1 calf | Yes | 5/28/25 | ||
| 7/30/24 | Confirmed injury of 2 calves | Yes | 5/30/25 | ||
| 8/1/24 | Confirmed mortality of 1 calf and injury of 2 calves | Yes | 6/1/25 | ||
| 8/2/24 | Confirmed injury of 2 calves | Yes | 6/2/25 | ||
| 8/4/24 | Confirmed mortality of 1 calf | Yes | 6/4/25 | ||
| 8/6/24 | Confirmed injury of 3 calves | Yes | 6/6/25 | On 08/13, WDFW lethally removed an adult male wolf from the Dominion pack territory. With the removal of this wolf, the lethal removal authorization is expired. | |
| Grouse Flats | 7/19/24 | Confirmed mortality of 1 adult cow | Yes | 5/19/25 | |
| 9/11/24 | Confirmed mortality of 1 calf | Yes | 7/11/25 | ||
| Leadpoint | 6/28/24 | Confirmed injury of 1 calf – died later | Yes | 4/28/25 | One wolf was killed on 07/26 (Investigation ongoing) On 08/12, WDFW Director authorized lethal removal of up to two adult wolves from this pack. As of 08/19, WDFW has not removed a wolf despite daily and continued efforts utilizing multiple different methods and the authorization expired on that day. |
| 7/25/24 | Confirmed mortality of 1 calf | Yes | 5/25/25 | ||
| 7/28/24 | Confirmed injury of 1 calf | Yes | 5/28/25 | ||
| 8/2/24 | Probable injury of 1 cow | Yes | 6/2/25 | ||
| Onion Creek | 8/10/24 | Confirmed mortality of 1 calf | Yes | 6/10/25 | |
| 8/15/24 | Confirmed mortality of 1 calf | Yes | 6/15/25 | ||
| 9/9/24 | Confirmed mortality of 1 calf | Yes | 7/9/25 | WDFW Director authorized lethal removal of up to two adult wolves from this pack. As on 09/19, WDFW has removed two wolves (an adult male and a yearling female). | |
| 9/30/24 | Confirmed mortality of 1 calf | Yes | 7/30/25 | On 10/2, WDFW Director re-authorized lethal removal of one adult wolf from this pack and later on that day, WDFW lethally removed one adult female and the re-authorization expired. | |
| Sullivan Creek | 12/14/23 | Confirmed injury of 1 adult cow | Yes | 10/14/24 | |
| 5/16/24 | Probable mortality of 1 calf | Yes | 3/16/25 | ||
| 7/26/24 | Confirmed injury of 1 calf | Yes | 5/26/25 | ||
| 8/10/24 | Confirmed mortality of 1 calf | Yes | 6/10/25 | ||
| 8/12/24 | Confirmed injury of 3 calves | Yes | 6/12/25 | ||
| Togo | 6/28/24 | Probable mortality of 1 calf | Yes | 4/28/25 | |
| Unknown | 8/22/24 | Confirmed mortality of 1 calf | No | 6/22/25 |
Packs referenced in this update
- Beaver Creek ,
- Big Muddy ,
- Butte Creek ,
- Carpenter Ridge ,
- Chewuch ,
- Chopaka ,
- Columbia ,
- Couse ,
- Diamond ,
- Diobsud Creek ,
- Dirty Shirt ,
- Dollar Mountain ,
- Dominion ,
- Five Sisters ,
- Frosty ,
- Goodman Meadows ,
- Grouse Flats ,
- Huckleberry ,
- Keller Ridge ,
- Kettle ,
- Leadpoint ,
- Lookout ,
- Loup Loup ,
- Maverick ,
- Mt. Spokane ,
- Naneum ,
- Napeequa ,
- Nason ,
- Navarre ,
- Nc'icn ,
- Onion Creek ,
- OPT ,
- Profanity Peak ,
- Ruby ,
- Salmo ,
- Scatter ,
- Shady Pass ,
- Sherman ,
- Skagit ,
- Skookum ,
- Sprague Lake ,
- Stranger ,
- Strawberry ,
- Sullivan Creek ,
- Teanaway ,
- Togo ,
- Touchet ,
- Tucannon ,
- Vulcan ,
- Wedge ,
- Wenatchee ,
- Whitestone ,
- Wilmont