Idaho 2008 Wolf Conservation and Management Progress Report Released

Comments

2 responses to “Idaho 2008 Wolf Conservation and Management Progress Report Released”

1. 

   Devin

   March 18, 2009

   I love it when you post these links. They always make me want to go out and see wolves in an area outside of the YNP. Ralph, do you know anything else about the Henry’s Lake pack besides what’s listed? Given the enormous amount of summer homes up there, I could forsee some altercations happening…

   “Henrys Lake Reports during 2008 indicated the likely presence of a new pack of 7 wolves in the Henrys Lake area. While tracks of these wolves have been verified by agency personnel, reproductive status has not. There was one herding/guard dog confirmed killed in November. Additional field effort will be required to determine whether this is a confirmed Idaho resident pack.”

   1. 

      Ken Cole

      March 18, 2009

      Unfortunately IDFG’s weekly wolf reports have been pretty sparse in information and this report is the first I’ve heard of this pack.

      One very interesting item to me was the news that there still may be a Buffalo Ridge Pack near Clayton.

      Buffalo Ridge
      After being involved in multiple depredations in December of 2007, this pack was slated for removal when depredations continued through early winter of 2007/2008, and where incremental removal of wolves proved ineffective. The following control actions resulted in the lethal control of 6 wolves (5 in Salmon and 1 in Southern Mountains DAUs). Continued wolf activity within traditional areas used by this pack indicated multiple wolves remained following control (in August, a radiocollared wolf was shot in defense of livestock, and multiple wolves were heard howling, within an area commonly used by this pack; see B283). While not considered a breeding pair, the presence of multiple wolves within this pack territory warranted their retention as a documented pack for 2008.

      Also, B93M, the former alpha male of the Buffalo Ridge Pack and a wolf that I came to know pretty well over the course of a few years, is still alive and may have his own pack.

      Hyndman
      No wolves were being monitored by radio-telemetry at the onset of 2008. Male B93 had last been located in 2006 as a Buffalo Ridge disperser and was not then considered a member of the Hyndman Pack. In late 2008 a report of a gray collared wolf associating with uncollared black wolves initiated a search for missing wolves in GMU49. B93 was found and later seen with 1 uncollared black. This pack was not implicated in any livestock depredations. This third year pack had a minimum of 2 wolves in December 2008, was not reproductive, and was not counted as a breeding pair for 2008.