Author Topic: Two Smackout Wolves Trapped & Collared (Read 6148 times)

bearpaw · « **on:** June 10, 2012, 03:31:38 AM »

Washington Wolf News (Early June 2012)

By Andy Walgamott, on June 4th, 2012
Full story here: http://nwsportsmanmag.com/2012/06/04/washington-wolf-news-early-june-2012/

WDFW captured a pair of black wolves from the Smackout Pack of Northeast Washington last week while one from the Teanaway Pack of Central Washington put on its walking boots this past March and in two months traveled 350 air miles to the northeast into Canada.

That from the Fish & Wildlife Commission's briefing last weekend on implementation of the state's management plan for Canis lupus and other things wolfish.

Pictures in the 22-page document that's available online (download item 14 here) show the two wolves wearing ear tags, one of which is visibly marked in red and white "WDFW."

Both are male and described as adults; one weighed 97 pounds, the other 90 pounds.

It's unclear, however, which is the pack's alpha male, so GPS collars were strapped on both and that data should show which is hanging around the den site more, according to WDFW wolf policy coordinator Steve Pozzanghera in Spokane.

The significance of determining which is the alpha is that "breeding pairs" are the "currency of recovery objectives," he points out.

As of the end of 2011, Washington had three breeding pairs and five confirmed packs, numbers which should rise this year if even some of the five suspected packs elsewhere in the state have at least two pups that survive to the end of this year. The goal is at least 15 breeding pairs for three straight years spread around in certain numbers across at least the eastern two-thirds of the state, or 18 pairs in any single year in certain numbers in the same area.

The Smackout Pack runs between Colville and Ione.

Additionally, collar data will give managers and a local rancher who runs cows on a Forest Service grazing allotment at Smackout Meadows locational information on the pair.

TWO MEMBERS OF THE SMACKOUT WOLF PACK OF STEVENS AND PEND OREILLE COUNTIES AWAKE AFTER BEING DRUGGED, EAR TAGGED, WEIGHED AND GPS COLLARS ATTACHED IN LATE MAY. (WDFW)

bearpaw · « **Reply #1 on:** June 10, 2012, 03:38:27 AM »

WE MUST REPORT ALL TYPES OF SIGHTINGS
I cannot stress how important it is that all hunters who see wolves, tracks, scat, or hear howling, report your sightings here on the forum and to the WDFW so that we can continue to get the other wolf packs documented. (many of us know there are far more packs than they have identified)

Please Note:
Last year the WDFW acknowledged 5 packs in Washington, this year they are up to 10 packs now. Their resources are stretched and I know they are relying on reports from hunters and other residents to drive their search for new packs. They will search areas where reports have been made, I know they have been reviewing wolf reports from the H-W forum to help locate likely new packs.

The new wolf reporting page the Dept has implemented is much better than their previous unreliable system. With their new system, you can easuily pinpoint your sighting on an interactive map that gives them GPS waypoints for your sighting. I will give the Dept credit for moving in the right direction with this system.

I would advise after reporting to the WDFW, that you also post your report here on the forum, this will help encourage accountability of wolf reports.

Report To WDFW Here: http://wdfw.wa.gov/conservation/gray_wolf/reporting/

Report on The Forum Here: http://hunting-washington.com/smf/index.php/topic,79244.0.html

Here are likely photos of the two GMU-111 Smackout Pack male wolves (note: meadow Lake is nearby). Notice there is at least one other wolf of a different color in the area and very likely more than that. The Rogers Mtn. photo was taken a few miles away in the neighboring GMU. The Dominion Mtn. wolf track photo was taken about 10 miles south of the other wolf photos but at about the same time. I had three seperate reports of 5 gray colored wolves sighted at different times in 2011 south of Dominion Mtn. I've also had numerous reports of wolves as far north a Frisco-Standard and Metaline Falls. Many local people are convinced their are at least two and possible three or four small group or packs of wolves in GMU 111.

(photos taken by a local trapper last winter, reported here on the forum and reported to WDFW)