Eastern Wa Rancher given permit to shoot wolf.

[Special T]

http://wdfw.wa.gov/news/jul1312c/



July 13, 2012
Contact: Steve Pozzanghera, WDFW, 509-892-7852
Kendle Allen, Stevens County Sheriff, 509-684-5296

Wolf, cougar attacks on rancher’s livestock prompt
response by WDFW, sheriff’s office in Stevens County

The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) and the Stevens County Sheriff’s office jointly responded this week to wolf and cougar attacks on a rancher’s livestock in northern Stevens County.

The owner of the Diamond M Ranch contacted the Stevens County Sheriff’s office July 11 after discovering an injured calf and cow on his ranch in Laurier, just east of the Kettle River near the Canadian border. The following day, he found two more calves that had been dead for several days.

After receiving the rancher’s initial report, Stevens County Sheriff Kendle Allen and Chief Deputy Colin Webb contacted WDFW enforcement officers, who joined them on the ranch to investigate the cause of the livestock injuries. WDFW officers and wildlife biologists, in collaboration with the Stevens County Sheriff, confirmed that injuries to the first two animals were caused by a wolf.

After the second report, investigators returned to the ranch and confirmed – based on distinctive marks left on the carcasses – that one calf was killed by a cougar and the other was killed by a wolf. Another calf remains missing from the rancher’s herd.

WDFW Director Phil Anderson has issued a permit to the rancher authorizing him to shoot a wolf if it is caught attacking his livestock again. The department is also working to determine the amount of compensation the rancher is eligible to recover for his losses.

“The permit is critical for the rancher to protect his livestock from further attack,” said Steve Pozzanghera, director of WDFW’s eastern region office in Spokane. “We’ve also offered to help him protect his animals using other measures.”

Pozzanghera explained that WDFW staff are monitoring the area and are prepared to use rubber bullets, floodlights and other strategies to keep wolves away from the rancher’s livestock. A department biologist is also setting up traps to capture and radio-collar a wolf. Radio collars can be used not only to track an animal’s movements, but also trigger alarms near livestock.

The Diamond M Ranch was also the scene a wolf-livestock depredation in 2007 – the first documented in Washington state in recent times . A wolf pack has long been suspected to range through the area known as The Wedge, a triangular section of northern Stevens County between the Kettle and Columbia rivers.

WDFW staff have had ongoing discussions with ranchers about livestock lost in the wedge, and have set up remote cameras in the area to detect wolf activity and confirm the pack’s existence.

“With the attacks at the Diamond M Ranch this week, the wedge area is now WDFW’s top wolf-trapping priority,” Pozzanghera said. He also expressed appreciation for the Stevens County Sheriff’s office cooperation in this week’s investigation.

“Staff from the sheriff’s office attended the wolf-depredation training course we held for our staff last spring,” he said. “I think this kind of joint effort is needed to successfully address problems with wolves and other wild predators.”

Pozzanghera urges ranchers who believe they have lost livestock to predation by any kind of wild animal to contact WDFW immediately at 1-877-933-9847.

“The sooner we can investigate the situation, the better our chances are of determining why the animal died, if a wolf was the predator and if compensation is warranted,” he said. “We also ask that landowners protect the site from disturbances and keep scavengers away by covering the carcass with a tarp.”

The wolf attack on the Diamond M Ranch livestock is the third incident investigated in Washington since the state adopted a Wolf Conservation and Management Plan in December 2011. The other two wolf attacks – in Okanogan and southern Stevens County – resulted in the loss of a calf and a sheep.

The plan (available at http://wdfw.wa.gov/conservation/gray_wolf/) addresses both recovery of the gray wolf, which is a state endangered species, and conflicts with livestock producers.

[mkcj]

And it begins! Well it has been happening but now will come to light once the state has to start writing checks.

[shoot-em-dead]

  Really- they got a permit. WTF happened to protecting property. If I had cattle and if I watched a wolf or cougar attacking I would be shooting permit or not. On the bright side at least the wdfw is doing something to help the ranchers and that is a big step in a positive direction.

[KFhunter]

Wondered why there was a whole convoy of WDFW and who all knows what else going up there.
I was impressed there were even that many around, must have come from all over the state.
 
Don't think I'll be hunting anywhere near that area for a year or two 
not that I don't do it 100% legal, but sheesh why try to hunt in the middle of a hornets nest eh?

[KFhunter]

Really- they got a permit. WTF happened to protecting property. If I had cattle and if I watched a wolf or cougar attacking I would be shooting permit or not. On the bright side at least the wdfw is doing something to help the ranchers and that is a big step in a positive direction.

 
This ain't the 1st permit given out, just the 1st made public.  We are heading in the right direction imo, this being such a hot button thing the WDFW are treading on eggshells with concrete boots. 
 
Baby steps - public notice of permits is a few steps past documentation 

[stuckalot]

What are the odds that the rancher will catch a wolf "in the act"?  Slim to none I'd say... and if he just shoots one because he knows it's going to be "in the act" at some time, he'll have his butt in a sling!  Nothing more than appeasement.

[CAMPMEAT]

I know the ranch hand that works at the ranch. He's an avid outdoorsman, so I know the wolf will be shot while attacking livestock.

[buckfvr]

For sure the permit is no " free pass ".......if they kill one, it will be heavily scrutinized.   

[CAMPMEAT]

For sure the permit is no " free pass ".......if they kill one, it will be heavily scrutinized.   

...........and make world headlines too boot !!

[bearpaw]

Baby steps

Unfortunately that is correct, this state will have to go through all the baby steps that the other states went through. If enough attacks occur by the same pack eventually the pack will be removed, but only after the damage has already occurred repeatedly. 

I doubt there will be meaningful wolf control until the westside has the same problems in their backyards.

[Special T]

and that will be delayed more than other places because of all the brush.

[woodswalker]

DAve, Link 404s out.

[pianoman9701]

I'm cautiously optimistic about this report. I hope that it indicates they're going to be aggressive on problem animals. Too bad they allowed them in the first place, but since they have, I'm glad they'll take some action.

[stihlpro]

It does help alot that this happened in the eastern 1/3 of the state....Federal laws give more freedom on the eastern 1/3 and the states hands arent tied as bad with Fed regulations.

[Dave Workman]

DAve, Link 404s out.

Yeah, I pulled the column and updated it with information about what they're doing in Montana:  Wolf TRAPPING will be allowed.  I think this is going to really heat things up!

Update: Wolf ‘war’ will heat up in Washington and Montana
 
Washington State’s wolf debate has taken on a new dimension with the announcement by the Department of Fish and Wildlife that a rancher in Stevens County has received a permit to kill a wolf if the animal is caught attacking livestock.
 
http://www.examiner.com/article/update-wolf-war-will-heat-up-washington-and-montana?cid=db_articles
 

[Elkaholic daWg]

 Another story on the Montana issue


http://www.kbzk.com/news/schweitzer-reacts-to-montana-wolf-hunt-decision/?fb_comment_id=fbc_10150919991596960_22315272_10150924574411960

[bearpaw]

Good write Dave, I agree, even though I have disagreed with the WDFW on their unworkable wolf plan, they did respond quickly to the rancher's loss. Now if wolf groups and the WDFW follow through with with some compensation as promised it will ease the latest financial pain for this family.

This same family was short over 2 dozen cattle at fall roundup last fall, many of which were likely killed by predators, most likely wolves. I also have to wonder that since cattle are out on range now, how many dead cattle have not been found yet. This is not wide open range land like there is in other parts of the west.

[Northway]

"Capture confirms presence of a new Washington wolf pack"

http://www.king5.com/news/environment/Capture-confirms-presence-of-a-new-Washington-wolf-pack-162636576.html

They captured the alpha male and a pup from the "Wedge Pack".

[bearpaw]

There are actually two wedge packs, sounds like they caught wolves from the pack on the westside near Laurier/Orient. Probably caught them coming back into the cattle kills that occurred a few days ago.

Here are the photos again of wolves belonging to the 2nd eastside wedge pack near Northport. This pack had pups 2 years ago. I don't know if they had pups last year or not, but they are there, here's the proof.

[NWBREW]

Dale, Do you know if those wolves close to northport are up sheep creek or out towards Mitchell and Muraski?

[bearpaw]

Dale, Do you know if those wolves close to northport are up sheep creek or out towards Mitchell and Muraski?

They are mostly hanging directly west of Northport, but have heard of them or others up towards Mitchell and Moraski too.

[CAMPMEAT]

I think it's really funny. I showed the game dept wolf tracks 3 years ago I took. They could of careless about them. Now they are showing pictures of wolf tracks as a big deal. I wonder why they didn't care about mine ?

[Special T]

Because they can no longer hide them in the NE corner so they will make a big deal in the NE and ignore everywhere else. We have to have wolves in all 3 regions in order to delist. Have you never seen a slight of hand trick? They grab your attention with movement from one hand and do the trick with the other. 

[bearpaw]

Because they can no longer hide them in the NE corner so they will make a big deal in the NE and ignore everywhere else. We have to have wolves in all 3 regions in order to delist. Have you never seen a slight of hand trick? They grab your attention with movement from one hand and do the trick with the other. 

I made this post in another wolf topic, there is an 18 pack limit, then management can begin regardless.

Don't forget, wildlife commissioner Douvia managed to get it in the wolf plan that once 18 packs are confirmed management can begin regardless of which regions the packs are in. 

There is no doubt enough packs in Washington to totally delist, it's important for us to keep the pressure on WDFW by posting every wolf sighting and especially pictures of tracks or wolves here on H-W and report it to the state.

The state will use the wolf reports to determine new areas to confirm wolves. By also posting on H-W we can keep the WDFW accountable for all the sightings and wolf pack locations.

I am certain we have twice as many packs as they have confirmed in the NE, so let them keep confirming packs, it gets us closer.

In the meantime it's important that members keep posting all their sighting (and especially any photos of tracks or wolves) here on the forum and to the WDFW, this way we can apply pressure.

[bearpaw]

I made this post in another wolf topic, there is an 18 pack limit, then management can begin regardless.

I said this wrong, after checking into this again, the way I understand it, if 18 packs are confirmed the process to delist can begin before 3 consecutive years. But I think we still must have 4 packs in each of the 3 wolf zones.

[KFhunter]

Dale, Do you know if those wolves close to northport are up sheep creek or out towards Mitchell and Muraski?

They are mostly hanging directly west of Northport, but have heard of them or others up towards Mitchell and Moraski too.

I think the Mitchell Muraski Flats wolves are part of a different pack.
I've never heard of any wolves crossing hwy 25.

[NWBREW]

Dale, Do you know if those wolves close to northport are up sheep creek or out towards Mitchell and Muraski?

They are mostly hanging directly west of Northport, but have heard of them or others up towards Mitchell and Moraski too.

I think the Mitchell Muraski Flats wolves are part of a different pack.
I've never heard of any wolves crossing hwy 25.

KF, I am confused. Mitchell and Muraski flats are just a stones throw away from sheep creek. What would stop a wolf from crossing a road? They are both on the west side of the big C river. Although I do agree that they are a different pack but why would they not cross a road? They had to at some point.

[KFhunter]

nothing would stop a wolf from crossing the road, however if both areas were the same range for one pack of wolves they'd cross the road a lot more.




hwy 25 runs up a pretty good valley all the way to Rossland BC then back to Trail BC then you hit the Columbia and back down to Northport.  Makes a nice big circle about the size of range a pack of wolves would need. 


Not that they couldn't cross the road, but I'd say that violin lake would be the center of their territory.  Be fun to hike in and see whats up.

[pianoman9701]

Why did the wolf cross the road? Hopefully because the hole made by the .243 made him go batchit crazy and run like a mofo! It's an age-old joke.

[NWBREW]

nothing would stop a wolf from crossing the road, however if both areas were the same range for one pack of wolves they'd cross the road a lot more.




hwy 25 runs up a pretty good valley all the way to Rossland BC then back to Trail BC then you hit the Columbia and back down to Northport.  Makes a nice big circle about the size of range a pack of wolves would need. 


Not that they couldn't cross the road, but I'd say that violin lake would be the center of their territory.  Be fun to hike in and see whats up.

I gotcha. I do know wolves travel far and wide but what I do not know is a packs range. So, if you take an area the size of the wedge..how many packs will tolerate each other within that area?

Wolves can reproduce at an extremely fast pace and I am in strong belief there are more wolves and packs in the NE corner then they admit. The "waiting for the rest of the state to catch up" in wolf allocation will be the downfall of Washingtons moose population. It is very sad to see our wildlife leaders stand by and watch that happen. 

[bearpaw]

Here's the sad reality, the WDFW only has 2 trappers, there is no way they can conform all the packs. We need at least a dozen trappers to get most of these packs confirmed.

[ironhead14]

Really- they got a permit. WTF happened to protecting property. If I had cattle and if I watched a wolf or cougar attacking I would be shooting permit or not. On the bright side at least the wdfw is doing something to help the ranchers and that is a big step in a positive direction.

My first thought was exactly the same as yours......WTF a permit to protect your property.  Note it did say if the farmer witnessed the attacks.  Slim chance of that happening!  Now if they gave him a shoot on sight permit I would think they are trying to help him.

[cem3434]

For sure the permit is no " free pass ".......if they kill one, it will be heavily scrutinized.   

Hopefully they catch the entire pack "in the process" of harming his cattle and the ranch hand mows them all down! 

[igotbigbulls]

For sure the permit is no " free pass ".......if they kill one, it will be heavily scrutinized.   

Hopefully they catch the entire pack "in the process" of harming his cattle and the ranch hand mows them all down! 

  But i dont think he cares much about being scrutinized.  I've talked with him not to long ago here in the Tri Cities before he headed up to the ranch up north and he didnt seem to worried when it came to protecting his herd.