Report Wolf Sightings Here - Hunting-Washington Wolf Count 158+

[bearpaw]

Bearpaw, thank you for the correction, I have been out of the state for two years, and one year in Afghanistan has fried my brain temporarily.  You are correct though it was west of of river making it 111, it was one of the old roads off the powerline, followed till it was kelly humped and hiked a good 4-5 miles back towards hooknose...

That's near where I found the dead moose.

Also thanks for your service in Aphganistan... 

[Lowedog]

Hirshey, It will be interesting what the bio has to say.  I don't think it will be anything they don't already know though.

http://www.wenatcheeworld.com/news/2010/feb/27/is-there-a-new-pack-of-wolves-near-lake-chelan/

[bearpaw]

Thanks for the link Lowedog, I had not seen that story before.

Looks like they have photos and den location of the Chelan Pack now.... 

[bearpaw]

http://hunting-washington.com/smf/index.php/topic,83161.0.html

collared female and three pups north of ellensburg

i am related to a large sheep ranching family based out of Moxee, Wa. We will just call them M-livestock for now... during the summer months they lease land which they send large bands of sheep onto accompanied by sheep herders. just recently one of their herders and his sheep dogs had an experience with a collared female and 3 pups north of Ellensburg around bluet pass. i dont want to say to much, but my uncle just spent 4 hours this weekend filming with king5 news. i believe it is suppose to air Wednesday.... the wolfs only got a hold of one of the sheep dogs and i saw it last week. its doing okay just some stitches and a cone around its head, but it will be fine. all you westsiders tune in!

i think you ment blewett pass(on US 97)   bluet pass is by mt baker.

your right sir! my bad... 

http://sportsyakima.com/2011/09/close-encounter-with-teanaway-wolves/

YAKIMA, Wash. — It seems that the Martinez family sheep-herding operation has already encountered the Teanaway wolfpack, and a sheep was killed. But here’s the interesting kicker:  The wolves apparently weren’t the ones who killed the ewe.
A cougar did.
The wolves did, however, very nearly kill a border collie that was trying to keep them away from the sheep’s carcass.
According to Mark Martinez, who oversees the northernmost grazing allotments of the Moxee-based Martinez sheep operation, this incident happened on Tuesday, Aug. 23, on a piece of private land that Martinez sheep have been grazing off and on since the 1940s.
The sheep were grazing in an area west of State Highway 97 just off Forest Road 9738, near a rise known as Red Top.  The night before had been windy, apparently enough so that when the ewe was killed, the herder overseeing that band of sheep didn’t hear it and didn’t see the attack. Neither, apparently, did the Pyrenees guard dogs that are trained to protect the sheep from predators.
On that Tuesday, though, one of the herder’s Pyrenees guard dogs was watching over the carcass when four wolves — probably attracted by the scent of the kill — showed up and forced the dog away from its post. The noise of the confrontation brought one or more of the border collies, which then tried to chase the wolves away. The ruckus also brought the herder.
“The herder saw four wolves. One had a collar,” Martinez said.
(A note: State wildlife officers had captured and radio-collared the pack’s dominant female a month earlier.)
“(The herder) was pretty shook up,” Martinez said. “Even after the warning shot (the wolves) didn’t just disappear into the woods. They were kind of hesitant.”
The wolves were finally chased away, but not before badly injuring one of the border collies — badly enough, Martinez said, that the veterinarian told him if one of the bite wounds had been even a 16th-inch to one direction, the dog would have suffered excessive hemorrhaging and died.
State wildlife agents came to the site the next day and determined the ewe had been killed by a cougar, and Martinez said the state also offered to pick up the tab for the vet bill. But while the grazing season is almost over, Martinez is concerned his family’s sheep operation is in for a lot more troubles down the line.
“I’m hoping we don’t lose any stock,” Martinez said. “But that’s never the case when you’re out in the woods and there’s all sorts of wildlife that, once they acquire a taste for lamb or sheep, they’ve found a food source.
“And they’re going to continue to utilize that food source.”
– Scott Sandsberry

Previously the Teanaway pack was counted as 1 wolf (lactating female) this proves there are at least 4 wolves in the area, which brings the statewide count up to 107 wolves.

[mulehunter]

we all are impressive with u hirshey.  thank u for photo...  I wish i have more time in wood.

mulehunter.   

[jstone]

Yep very impressive. Thanks for the pics and story. Be safe out there.

[Knocker of rocks]

I'm having difficulty winding down after this one... so here's the photos:


The dead-head that started it all:


Wolf photo #1 (note the deadhead's position and how it is now gone in photo #2... this is when I got back up the hill)


Wolf photo #2


Looking down from the ridge after the fact... I was there since 8 AM and never saw them until I dropped in elevation.. their den is on the side of that large rock:

Amazing story and photographs

[runniNgunnin]

http://www.king5.com/news/Wolves-Visit-Blewett-Pass-Sheep-Bite-Herd-Dog-129767188.html

[Cougeyes]

It will be interesting to see if they continue using that den or if they seek a new den because of your presence.  When disturbed like that they may feel threatened (although it sounded like you were the one threatened) and move dens.  Hopefully this isn't the case so the appropriate people needed to confirm this can key in on this location and observe from a distance.  Good job on taking the photos and GPS locations!

[Feanix]

September 2nd, unit 215 about a mile south of blue lake in the sinlahekin wla, heard at least 4 howl at first light, could have been as many as 6. i've heard alot of coyotes howling/yipping and it didnt sound anything lime this. No barks or yips, just a long single howl and atleast 3 answers and then silence.

[bearpaw]

I heard through the grapevine that WDFW moved their trapper to GMU 105 Kelly Hill has been trying to trap the wolves there. Glad to hear they are finally trying to document these wolves. We have seen the tracks in this unit, many other people have seen the wolves, including pups over the last two years. With so much emphasis on the wolf plan and the fact that so many wolves are still undocumented, we need more wolf trappers working for WDFW to get these packs documented. 

[Ridgeratt]

Well I was up doing my best to get lost this weekend. Ran into a Border control officer who was up cleaning his truck and we stopped and talked to him. He has been here for about 3 months and has seen wolves on 2 differant occasions. Seeing as how he was raised in Colville and is here while he is getting some things straightened out at home. I call him a reliable source.

 Then last night on the way back to the house on the other road . In the lead-in while you were on Private ground in your video with Michelle during her bear hunt. Between the cattle guard and the old trappers cabin I had "one" standing in the road.

[bearpaw]

I know where you mean, what color was it?

I haven't heard if they caught any up there yet, and I'm not sure where they are trapping.

[croix]

Just returned from 2 weeks in unit 111 and saw wolves on multiple occasions.

Year and date - 8-12 Sept. 2011
GMU - 111
Local Area - Lower Smackout Meadow
How many - normally 3, but 4 on one occasion
Adults/Pups - 2 were clearly larger than the third, but the fourth was difficult to tell
Photos - none, only had cell phone and they were about 400 yds out
Why do I think wolves - "Holy s#@t. Those are wolves"

First sighting was the evening of 8 September when a couple from our group saw three black wolves feeding on a dead cow in the lower Smackout Meadow

Second sighting was the morning of 9 September (about 7 a.m.) when three of us (myself included) saw three black wolves running along the far edge of the lower Smackout Meadow. We watched them for a couple of minutes before the disappeared into the far trees.

Third sighting was the morning of 11 September (about 8 a.m.) when two members of our group saw 4 black wolves feeding on the dead cow.

There was a fourth sighting on 12 September but I don't remember the details. By then wolf sightings were becoming old hat 

Starting on 7 September and running through the morning of the 13th, we could hear them howling late into the evening and during the mornings. It is interesting (to me anyways) that these were the days leading up the full moon on the 12th, and after the morning of the 13th we didn't see them again and only heard them howling once in a while. The howling that we heard in those five days was crazy to listen to. We could hear the changes that seemed to go from locating to hunting, and even though we couldn't see them at that point we got a sense of what was going on. We could also hear the cattle mooing during a lot of this, and you could hear the change in their panic level as well. Pretty creepy. There was a certain comfort in the morning though, because when I was sitting in the dark it was nice to hear the howling and barking just to know that they weren't in my immediate vicinity.

Also, on the morning of the 13th as we drove past the lower meadow we saw 5 deer (3 does and two young ones) pause at the far edge of the meadow as we drove by, and then sprinted across the meadow directly at us. Although we never actually saw anything chasing them, it seemed strange that they would sprint toward a moving vehicle rather thatn stay near the tree line that was almost 600 yds from us.

So that's my report. I have to admit - they are beautiful creatures to see in the wild.

[bearpaw]

Great report Croix.... thanks by