Our Wolf population has doubled

[jackelope]

State's wolf population nearly doubled last year,
according to annual survey

OLYMPIA - The number of confirmed gray wolves and wolf packs in the state nearly doubled during the past year, according to an annual survey released today by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW).

Based on field reports and aerial monitoring, the 2012 survey confirms the presence of at least 51 wolves in nine wolf packs with a total of five successful breeding pairs. The previous year's survey documented 27 wolves, five wolf packs and three breeding pairs.

A wolf pack is defined as two or more wolves traveling together. A successful breeding pair is defined as an adult male and female with at least two pups that survive until the end of the calendar year.

"The survey shows that our state's wolf population is growing quickly," said Nate Pamplin, WDFW wildlife program director. "That growth appears to be the result of both natural reproduction and the continuing in-migration of wolves from Canada and neighboring states."

Pamplin said the actual number of wolves in Washington state is likely much higher than the number confirmed by the survey, noting that field biologists currently suspect the existence of two additional packs. In addition, lone wolves often go uncounted and those that range into Washington but den in other states are not included in WDFW's survey, he said.

Considering those factors, and applying an estimate of the average pack size in other western states, there could easily be as many as 100 wolves in Washington, Pamplin said.

"The survey is the baseline we use to monitor wolves' progress toward recovery," he said. "While we've stepped up our monitoring efforts significantly over the past year, we recognize that it does not account for every wolf within our state's borders."

One of the nine packs represented in the survey is the Wedge pack, which now has two confirmed members in northeastern Washington. Last summer, WDFW eliminated seven members of the pack to end a series of attacks on an area rancher's cattle that left six calves dead and 10 other animals injured.

Pamplin said wildlife biologists do not know whether the two wolves living near the Canadian border in Stevens County are members of the original Wedge pack or whether they are new arrivals from inside or outside the state.

"Either way, we were confident that wolves would repopulate that area," he said. "We really hope to prevent the kind of situation we faced with the Wedge pack last summer by working with ranchers to use non-lethal methods to protect their livestock."

The gray wolf is currently listed by the state as an endangered species throughout Washington and is federally listed as endangered in the western two-thirds of the state. Once common, wolves were essentially eliminated in most western states during the past century because they preyed on livestock.

Under the state's Wolf Conservation and Management Plan, wolves can be removed from the state's endangered species list once 15 successful breeding pairs are documented for three consecutive years among three designated wolf-recovery regions. Four pairs are required in Eastern Washington, four pairs in the North Cascades, four pairs in South Cascades/Northwest Coast and three pairs in any recovery region.

More information on the state's wolf packs and the 2012 survey is available at http://wdfw.wa.gov/conservation/gray_wolf/packs/ .

Reports of possible wolf sightings can be made to WDFW's wildlife reporting line by calling (877) 933-9847.

[LeeMajors]

Documented wolves nearly doubled, with estimates of ~100 total wolves in the state.

[Dhoey07]

Documented wolves nearly doubled, with estimates of ~100 total wolves in the state.

That's what i think the title should be

[luvmystang67]

http://www.komonews.com/news/local/State-wolf-population-nearly-doubles-in-1-year-191455051.html

[jackmaster]

i got a feeling it is really going to go up, from the looks of it we are going to have a dry warm spring which is great for pups

[cougarbart]

yep 200 next year and 400 then year after, even allowing wolf hunting the herds of deer and elk will be at risk and then we will see what wdfw does?

[rfhd69]

i got a feeling it is really going to go up, from the looks of it we are going to have a dry warm spring which is great for pups

 

[Ridgeratt]

Well I have been actively following the wolf topics in this state since the late 80's and I have learned a few things.

1: Most of the folks have no interest unless they are in the back yard, and as long as they don't really effect my hunting. I'm still ok with sending you some!!

2: I have made every wolf meeting on this side of the state either in Spokane or Colville. I can almost repeat the WDFW speech verbatim

3: The Region 1 Bio has a better grasp of the whats going on than anyone gives him credit for but his hands are tied by bureaucracy!

So I have nothing in input and will just sit with my tin foil hat on.

[h2ofowlr]

Big game is really going to start to change! 

[mkcj]

I tried to think how many we would have in 10 years but I stopped when the number got so big, I just started crying.

[nwwanderer]

Reality and the WDFW count should not be confused. 

[mazama]

Does this number include the the pack from the NE corner that was shot,or 100 plus them.

[bigbeamhunter]

Lead poison

[bigbeamhunter]

How much of our hunting license purchases go to fund the wolf re introduction and to game dept to monitor it
I think the only to make the state take notice would to be everyone to just not hunt for a year and keep the millions of dollars out of their pockets it would really suck but I'd do for a year to be able to hunt for the rest of my life.

[jackelope]

How much of our hunting license purchases go to fund the wolf re introduction and to game dept to monitor it
I think the only to make the state take notice would to be everyone to just not hunt for a year and keep the millions of dollars out of their pockets it would really suck but I'd do for a year to be able to hunt for the rest of my life.

There has been no re-introduction.
Your taking a year off would have little to no effect on how many wolves walk into our state from Idaho, Canada and Oregon as there is no charge for them to cross the borders.


That ought to light things up a bit.

[Curly]

Bigbeamhunter does bring up a good question, though (if he would have worded it without the "re-introduction" word and just simply said ~ How much of our hunting license purchases go to fund the wolf management? it would have been a more valid question.

I don't mind some of my license fee money going to fund trapping and collaring of wolves, but when WDFW comes-up with a ludicrous wolf plan instead of allowing shooting of wolves on-sight in the Federally delisted portion of the state, I have to question if my money is being spent wisely (and I think it is obviously not being spent wisely).

It is sad to think that deer/elk tag money might be spent on wolf management (or mismanagement depending on one's perspective).

[Dan-o]

This is going to get bad.   With a solid foothold now, packs will be splitting and new packs forming in new ground, and it's a down hill spiral form here........   

[Curly]

I should add though, that I was impressed with WDFW's decision to kill a bunch of wolves out of the Wedge Pack.  Though, I do think they screwed up by killing the one with the collar.  They should have left the collared one to try to locate more wolves.  But it is hard to complain about a dead wolf........so I will have to say they did okay.

[Ridgeratt]

2 weeks after they shot "all" of the wolves in the wedge there was fresh wolf crap. I guess it was the ghost of the ones they shot leaving sign.

I should add though, that I was impressed with WDFW's decision to kill a bunch of wolves out of the Wedge Pack.  Though, I do think they screwed up by killing the one with the collar.  They should have left the collared one to try to locate more wolves.  But it is hard to complain about a dead wolf........so I will have to say they did okay.

[Curly]

Do they really expect anyone to believe that the entire pack was killed? 

[waterdoctor]

Talking to the bio in Colville they were dancing around the question by saying that the "pack, a breeding pair, was killed"  I think that they know that they did not kill all the wolves in the pack but by their definition of a pack they removed it.  Once they killed the alfa with the collar it was all over, they could not find the rest.  Also I still think that there was two packs in the wedge.  One on the east side and the Wedge pack.  The two packs ranges merged at our place.  If you look at the map of the
Wedge pack range that they got with the tracking collar they stayed west of Hungry Hill.  Also there was no reported cow kills down by us.  I asked the question of the bio's why was there location specific behavior of the Wedge Pack?  They could not give me an answer. 

Do not get me wrong, I like the bio's in Colville and think that are doing the best they can.  Once the snow cleans up a little I am going to do my best to locate and document the second wedge pack. 

[mulehunter]

 

[Hermannr]

I would bet there are more wolves than they want to admit,  I had a solitary wolf go through my back woods this winter...Did not see it, but no dog makes prints that large, and space that far apart.

[Ridgeratt]

Local Drums say!!

A set of wolves in a calving pen last week!!

Must be "Obake"