Wolves in granite

[KFhunter]

I would love for a WDFW person to explain how call ins work.   I strongly think that due to the volume of frivolous calls and the inability to distinguish legit calls from frivolous ones that the calls never make it past the front desk.  I think the that person,a phone clerk, would fill out the equivalent of the online reporting tool they have.  Time/Date/Location and suspected species. 

They probably have the same map of the wolves that they have online, and anything reported outside of known packs on that map all get the same answer "there are no wolves in that area"

I just can't imagine it going any different than that.  Now if you called WDFW and there was a cougar/bear/wolf eating your prized mini stallion stud horse they'd refer it to WDFW police immediately,  but for possible sightings and nothing is getting eaten... I just can't see much weight put on each call, there has to be a LOT of calls and most of them frivolous. 

[HighlandLofts]

One of these days some will shoot one of these coyoyes or what ever they say they are and they can get their stool samples, hair samples and DNA all in one package.

If I shoot a coyote I'll leave it where it hits the ground, I dont eat dog meat and the hide isn't worth a wooden nickle.

[jmscon]

Every wolf will show domestic dog dna, all domestic dog breeds were bred from wild wolves.
I also don’t know why wolves couldn’t migrate from eastern Washington or BC, there are moose in the skagit, where did they come from. Wolves there too.
In 2006 and 2009 black bears were chased around in Seattle.
I also seem to remember a collared wolf traveling from northeastern Washington into B.C. and over into Montana.
Animals migrate

[jackelope]

I know this will come as a shock to some of you, and I hope you will recover, but there is a wdfw employee quoted in this article as saying it is “possible” there are wolves out there in Granite Falls.

http://nwsportsmanmag.com/cluster-of-wolf-reports-in-central-snohomish-county/

[Dan-o]

P-man wrote: I'll be happy to concede the point and will be on the front lines confronting the WDFW. Until that time, these are wild and unproven conspiracy theories that would've taken the cooperation of several agencies and scores of government employees willing to break the law. If it doesn't make sense it didn't happen."

How you feeling P-man? I see you have some of your color back..

Here's a little more info. for you about the agencies involved in so called "conspiracy theories".


https://montanapioneer.com/non-native-wolves-illegally-introduced-says-whistleblower-2/

Non Native Wolves Illegally  Introduced, Says Whistleblower

Former USFWS Official Speaks of Malfeasance, Misappropriated Funds, and Transplanting Wrong Subspecies to Yellowstone



IDFG Continues to Deny It Violated Idaho Law

http://idahoforwildlife.com/files/pdf/georgeDovel/The%20Outdoorsman%20No%2039%20May%202010-IDFG%20Continues%20to%20Deny.pdf


Idaho F&G Director Warns F&G Commission Not to Show Controversial Wolf Documents to Public

http://idahoforwildlife.com/files/George%20Dovel/The%20Outdoorsman%20No%20%2038%20Feb-April%202010%20IDFG%20Director%20Warns%20%20Commission%20.pdf


New Revelations about Reintroduced Wolves
http://idahoforwildlife.com/files/pdf/georgeDovel/The%20Outdoorsman%20No%20%2034%20April-May%202009.pdf

I think P-Man's point was that you've posted no evidence of wolves being re-introduced into Washington.

Do you have ANY evidence of wolf relocations into Washington?

I don't give the Government enough credit to think they could do it without evidence leaking out.

[O. hemionus]

I would love for a WDFW person to explain how call ins work.

Generally speaking, this is how reports work:

1)   Preferred method: Reporting party (RP) goes online to the WDFW website and uses the online wolf observation reporting tool to submit the observation. (https://wdfw.wa.gov/conservation/gray_wolf/). Regional District Biologists (of which there is usually 1 Bio and 1 assistant Bio per district in the state) and/or Conflict staff (again, of which there is usually 1 per district) regularly monitor the reports that come in and follow up on the reports that appear credible and those that are feasible to follow up on. The statewide wolf biologist also monitors the reports that comes in and coordinates with local staff to investigate if necessary. This may entail a phone call/email for more info and may lead to further action depending on the nature of the report. The public can also see the reports that come in on map at the above website, though they are only pinpointed to the closest township/range intersection. The report mentioned by the OP in this thread appears to have already been submitted via the reporting tool by the RP.

Alternate reporting methods:
2)   RP can contact the customer service desk at their local regional office (all regional office numbers are listed online). These reports get forwarded to local WDFW Enforcement, Bio, and/or Conflict staff for further review and/or follow-up.
3)   RP can submit a wolf observation report via email or phone to WDFW WILDCOMM dispatch at 1-877-933-9847, though this avenue is generally more for actual incidents such as livestock depredations or dangerous wildlife encounters. Reports get forwarded to local WDFW Enforcement, Bio, and/or Conflict staff.
4)   Reports are occasionally submitted to local WDFW staff through personal communication. These reports are shared among staff, and most are logged on the online reporting tool, depending on the nature of the report. Additional follow up may occur, again depending on the nature of the report.

They probably have the same map of the wolves that they have online, and anything reported outside of known packs on that map all get the same answer "there are no wolves in that area" 

Similar to cougars, lots of calls (though not as many) come in to dispatch and regional customer service offices concerning wolf sightings. Those staff members do their best to record the general information (similar to the reporting tool). However, the reports are then passed on to Enforcement, District Biologists, and Conflict Staff to sort through.

It is highly likely, and even expected, for wolves to be observed outside of known pack territories. That is how wolves move across the landscape. If a wolf never left its home territory, then no new wolf packs would ever form and wolves would still be relegated to Idaho and Yellowstone in the lower 48. Last year, a wolf collared by WDFW in NE WA dispersed and actually made its way into the Yellowstone area. Several other long-distance dispersal movements by other collared wolves were also documented (see the 2017 annual report for known dispersal activities of collared wolves). Wolves, especially dispersing individuals, are known to travel substantial distances. WDFW does not discredit wolf sightings just because they are outside of known pack territories. Take the Skagit wolf as a good example of an individual that dispersed from somewhere and ended up creating a home range outside of any other previously known pack territories. At any given time, the likelihood is high that there are multiple individual wolves around the state dispersing and travelling outside of known pack territories. WDFW is also very clear in their annual wolf reports indicating that the wolf counts and wolf pack territories are minimum estimates, meaning that it is extremely likely that individual wolves and even possibly entire packs are undetected at the time of annual wolf surveys. At this point in time, with the number of wolves and their current known distribution across the state, a sighting pretty much anywhere in the state is not outside of the realm of possibility (with a few obvious exceptions).

I just can't imagine it going any different than that.  Now if you called WDFW and there was a cougar/bear/wolf eating your prized mini stallion stud horse they'd refer it to WDFW police immediately,  but for possible sightings and nothing is getting eaten... I just can't see much weight put on each call, there has to be a LOT of calls and most of them frivolous. 

Again, it is WDFW’s job to sort through each report to determine which may be credible and which are not. In looking at the public wolf observation map online, most people could take a stab at which reports might be credible and which are likely coyotes, domestic dogs, etc. Sometimes pictures are referenced. Most of the time, there aren’t photos associated with reports, making it more difficult to determine potential sightings versus misidentified sightings.

Hope this helps.

[bearpaw]

In defense of WDFW I must say they have to deal with all sorts of crazy reports. For example several years ago a Colville resident had spotted a cougar behind his house on the edge of town and took a shot at it, the cougar ran away, then he reported the incident. It's not unusual for cougar to come into Colville, it happens pretty often and there were other recent cougar sightings so people were on the lookout for cougar. A couple days later another nearby resident found one of his horses had been shot. The rifle involved in the cougar incident and the bullet from the horse were tested, it was a match, the guy who shot at the cougar actually shot a horse and firmly believed he had shot a cougar. 

[Bob33]

In defense of WDFW I must say they have to deal with all sorts of crazy reports. For example several years ago a Colville resident had spotted a cougar behind his house on the edge of town and took a shot at it, the cougar ran away, then he reported the incident. It's not unusual for cougar to come into Colville, it happens pretty often and there were other recent cougar sightings so people were on the lookout for cougar. A couple days later another nearby resident found one of his horses had been shot. The rifle involved in the cougar incident and the bullet from the horse were tested, it was a match, the guy who shot at the cougar actually shot a horse and firmly believed he had shot a cougar. 

Trying to get the horse's pelt sealed in 72 hours must have been interesting.

[jackelope]

I would love for a WDFW person to explain how call ins work.

Generally speaking, this is how reports work:

1)Preferred method: Reporting party (RP) goes online to the WDFW website and uses the online wolf observation reporting tool to submit the observation. (https://wdfw.wa.gov/conservation/gray_wolf/). Regional District Biologists (of which there is usually 1 Bio and 1 assistant Bio per district in the state) and/or Conflict staff (again, of which there is usually 1 per district) regularly monitor the reports that come in and follow up on the reports that appear credible and those that are feasible to follow up on. The statewide wolf biologist also monitors the reports that comes in and coordinates with local staff to investigate if necessary. This may entail a phone call/email for more info and may lead to further action depending on the nature of the report. The public can also see the reports that come in on map at the above website, though they are only pinpointed to the closest township/range intersection. The report mentioned by the OP in this thread appears to have already been submitted via the reporting tool by the RP.

Alternate reporting methods:
2)RP can contact the customer service desk at their local regional office (all regional office numbers are listed online). These reports get forwarded to local WDFW Enforcement, Bio, and/or Conflict staff for further review and/or follow-up.
3)RP can submit a wolf observation report via email or phone to WDFW WILDCOMM dispatch at 1-877-933-9847, though this avenue is generally more for actual incidents such as livestock depredations or dangerous wildlife encounters. Reports get forwarded to local WDFW Enforcement, Bio, and/or Conflict staff.
4)Reports are occasionally submitted to local WDFW staff through personal communication. These reports are shared among staff, and most are logged on the online reporting tool, depending on the nature of the report. Additional follow up may occur, again depending on the nature of the report.

They probably have the same map of the wolves that they have online, and anything reported outside of known packs on that map all get the same answer "there are no wolves in that area" 

Similar to cougars, lots of calls (though not as many) come in to dispatch and regional customer service offices concerning wolf sightings. Those staff members do their best to record the general information (similar to the reporting tool). However, the reports are then passed on to Enforcement, District Biologists, and Conflict Staff to sort through.

It is highly likely, and even expected, for wolves to be observed outside of known pack territories. That is how wolves move across the landscape. If a wolf never left its home territory, then no new wolf packs would ever form and wolves would still be relegated to Idaho and Yellowstone in the lower 48. Last year, a wolf collared by WDFW in NE WA dispersed and actually made its way into the Yellowstone area. Several other long-distance dispersal movements by other collared wolves were also documented (see the 2017 annual report for known dispersal activities of collared wolves). Wolves, especially dispersing individuals, are known to travel substantial distances. WDFW does not discredit wolf sightings just because they are outside of known pack territories. Take the Skagit wolf as a good example of an individual that dispersed from somewhere and ended up creating a home range outside of any other previously known pack territories. At any given time, the likelihood is high that there are multiple individual wolves around the state dispersing and travelling outside of known pack territories. WDFW is also very clear in their annual wolf reports indicating that the wolf counts and wolf pack territories are minimum estimates, meaning that it is extremely likely that individual wolves and even possibly entire packs are undetected at the time of annual wolf surveys. At this point in time, with the number of wolves and their current known distribution across the state, a sighting pretty much anywhere in the state is not outside of the realm of possibility (with a few obvious exceptions).

I just can't imagine it going any different than that.  Now if you called WDFW and there was a cougar/bear/wolf eating your prized mini stallion stud horse they'd refer it to WDFW police immediately,  but for possible sightings and nothing is getting eaten... I just can't see much weight put on each call, there has to be a LOT of calls and most of them frivolous. 

Again, it is WDFW’s job to sort through each report to determine which may be credible and which are not. In looking at the public wolf observation map online, most people could take a stab at which reports might be credible and which are likely coyotes, domestic dogs, etc. Sometimes pictures are referenced. Most of the time, there aren’t photos associated with reports, making it more difficult to determine potential sightings versus misidentified sightings.

Hope this helps.

Great info. Thanks for sharing.

[bearpaw]

In defense of WDFW I must say they have to deal with all sorts of crazy reports. For example several years ago a Colville resident had spotted a cougar behind his house on the edge of town and took a shot at it, the cougar ran away, then he reported the incident. It's not unusual for cougar to come into Colville, it happens pretty often and there were other recent cougar sightings so people were on the lookout for cougar. A couple days later another nearby resident found one of his horses had been shot. The rifle involved in the cougar incident and the bullet from the horse were tested, it was a match, the guy who shot at the cougar actually shot a horse and firmly believed he had shot a cougar. 

Trying to get the horse's pelt sealed in 72 hours must have been interesting.

   If I remember correctly the horse lived. Apparently the guy wasn't a very good shot either!

[nwwanderer]

Would be interesting to study the site of the cougar/horse incident.  From what I have seen of Kretz's cougar damaged horses, the guy may have saved the horses life and punctured it.  Always check your background.

[Southpole]

I know this will come as a shock to some of you, and I hope you will recover, but there is a wdfw employee quoted in this article as saying it is “possible” there are wolves out there in Granite Falls.

http://nwsportsmanmag.com/cluster-of-wolf-reports-in-central-snohomish-county/

“It’s possible”! Whoa, that’s a pretty bold statement there! I hope she doesn’t loose her job by stating that 

[Rainier10]

I live in Normandy Park/Burien, we have a ton of coyotes.  Neighbors report them as wolves all the time.  I feel sorry for the WDFW and other agencies that have to deal with false reports, it makes it even tougher when a report is actually true.

[Special T]

I live in Normandy Park/Burien, we have a ton of coyotes.  Neighbors report them as wolves all the time.  I feel sorry for the WDFW and other agencies that have to deal with false reports, it makes it even tougher when a report is actually true.

Big difference between normandy park, Granit falls or rural areas of Skagit and Whatcom counties...

I would say that the biggest gripe is being blown off when reporting in a rural area. Makes some one whom is actually trying to help wonder why they put for the effort of the WDFW asks. 

[Rainier10]

I live in Normandy Park/Burien, we have a ton of coyotes.  Neighbors report them as wolves all the time.  I feel sorry for the WDFW and other agencies that have to deal with false reports, it makes it even tougher when a report is actually true.

Big difference between normandy park, Granit falls or rural areas of Skagit and Whatcom counties...

I would say that the biggest gripe is being blown off when reporting in a rural area. Makes some one whom is actually trying to help wonder why they put for the effort of the WDFW asks. 

We have our own  wildlife here in Burien.  Won't be long until we have some wolves looking for this tender little morsel.

http://b-townblog.com/2016/11/15/photos-confused-deer-spotted-on-10th-ave-sw-in-burien-tuesday-morning/

Or this guy from a few years before.

https://www.facebook.com/KOMONews/posts/take-a-look-at-what-police-in-burien-spent-last-night-chasing-around-a-deer-wand/771756322892702/