wolves in the Blues

[denali]

Wolf sightings in the Blue Mountains are becoming more frequent this summer, but wildlife officials for the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife have yet to document firm evidence of a pack forming in the southeastern corner of the state.

Paul Wik, district biologist for the department at Clarkston, said the canyons and timbered ridges southeast of Dayton have been a hot spot for wolf reports this year. Some hunters have even captured images of wolves with trail cameras, he said.

"It's definitely no secret they are here," Wik said. "The only question to us is what their status is."

Wik and others at the department have been expecting wolves from Idaho or Oregon to locate in the Washington portion of the Blue Mountains for the past few years. Last year, a female wolf, wearing a radio collar from Oregon's Imnaha Pack, was detected in the Washington portion of Wenaha-Tucannon Wilderness Area. It spent about a week there and then returned to Oregon.

Last winter, another radio-collared female from Oregon was detected in the Tucannon River drainage. The signal from the radio collar she was wearing disappeared in March and biologists don't know if she left, died or the collar failed.

The department has received reports of wolves from the public and recently began hearing of two wolves running together. Wik said the animals won't be considered a pack until evidence of denning or reproducing is uncovered. If biologists were able to document an adult male and female with pups it would mark the sixth wolf pack in the state.

"It's a matter of time before we are fully involved in wolf management," Wik said.

Two additional packs are living on the Oregon side of the Blues and likely move into Washington on a regular basis, Wik said. The Wenaha Pack dens in the Oregon portion of the Wenaha-Tucannon Wilderness Area, and the Walla Walla Pack dens in the Mill Creek Drainage.

The Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission continues to work on a wolf management plan for the state. A recommendation from the department and a 17-member wolf working group would set a population goal at 15 breeding pairs distributed across three recovery zones. A minority report from the wolf working group wants the goal set closer to 10 and also wants a ceiling set on the population. The commission is expected to approve a final version of the plan by the end of the year.

It is believed there are five wolf packs in Washington. Wolves in all of Washington are protected by the Washington Endangered Species Act and those in the western two-thirds of the state are protected by the federal Endangered Species Act.

http://www.standard.net/stories/2011/09/03/wolf-sightings-more-common-northwest

[firefighter4607]

My dad and sister are going riding up there in a few weeks. I will tell them to keep there eyes out for them. I might join them for an evening. I will tell you what they find.

[high country]

"it is believed there are 5 wolf packs in Washington"

Exactly how many make a pack?

[Miles]

"it is believed there are 5 wolf packs in Washington"

Exactly how many make a pack?

Good luck finding the answer to that question.
 
It's either a lone wolf*, a wolf that wandered in from another state*, a pack that only resides in Wa half the year*, a group that dens just over the border in Canada*, a breeding pair, or a pack*.
 
Basically, if you add up all the different wolf groups/classifications the WDFW is using, it equals a *censored*-load.
 
 
Oh and the * means that it isn't counted towards Washingtons wolf population. 

[windygorge]

if your goal is to document wolves while your out, why the hell doesn't someone carry a damn video camera to document it.  i don't get it.  people just talk about seeing them and getting them on tail cams, but no one shows the proof.  where are the pictures?  location? etc, etc, etc..........

[Miles]

if your goal is to document wolves while your out, why the hell doesn't someone carry a damn video camera to document it.  i don't get it.  people just talk about seeing them and getting them on tail cams, but no one shows the proof.  where are the pictures?  location? etc, etc, etc..........

How many times have you seen a trophy animal (deer/bear/elk) and not had an opportunity to take a picture of it?  I'm betting quite a few.  Does that mean that you didn't really see them?

[windygorge]

if your goal is to document wolves while your out, why the hell doesn't someone carry a damn video camera to document it.  i don't get it.  people just talk about seeing them and getting them on tail cams, but no one shows the proof.  where are the pictures?  location? etc, etc, etc..........

How many times have you seen a trophy animal (deer/bear/elk) and not had an opportunity to take a picture of it?  I'm betting quite a few.  Does that mean that you didn't really see them?

im not trying to offend anyone.  sorry if i did.  im just tired of all the hear say.  and not that we don't have wolves, i HEARD we have them.    how come........and i mean HOW COME there are never any pics or video of wolves and the exact locations of where they were taken.  instead, we hear of people getting them on trail cams or whatever and still never see pics of them.  its like someone saying they saw a flying saucer or santa claus flying over head and really thought they saw it.  but never any proof.
im sure there are some wolf enthusiasts on this forum.  those who go out and try to document locations and where abouts of them.  show us, thats all im sayin.

[jackelope]

"it is believed there are 5 wolf packs in Washington"

Exactly how many make a pack?

Proof of breeding wolves make a pack.

The guys down in the Blues are working hard to confirm a pack. They know where the wolves are. It is no secret. If you ask the right people, you will find that they make no attempt to keep it a secret.

[Woodchuck]

Believe me, when I get one on my cam it will be on here Johny on the spot and it is just a matter of time before I do. 

[gaddy]

Windy, not everyone is camera ready or camera savy. in my case i usually dont have a camera on me & if i do its a cheepo used for harvest picts & in my pack. most times the elusive creatures(wolves, bigfoot ect..) dont give a fella time to get out the camera & get a shot.

AND DUDE if you dont believe in santa you wont believe anything

[bearpaw]

if your goal is to document wolves while your out, why the hell doesn't someone carry a damn video camera to document it.  i don't get it.  people just talk about seeing them and getting them on tail cams, but no one shows the proof.  where are the pictures?  location? etc, etc, etc..........

Maybe I am misunderstanding, but if you are trying to say hunters are not reliable sources or not doing their part, I will remind you that for two years I have been reporting the smackout pack existed and exactly where to find them, finally WDFW confirmed them this summer after too many reportings and a trailcam photo existed to deny it any longer. Other hunters on this forum have documented a great many other sightings in multiple GMU's of undocumented wolves in WA with stories, pictures, etc.

Last I saw the WDFW was asking for wolf sightings. The info has been provided by the residents of Washington. WDFW claims they can manage the wolves in Washington, lets see some proof, if they want to put some of us hunters on the payroll with gas and other expenses paid, I am sure we can provide plenty of video, until then, perhaps the additional burden should belong to WDFW. 

Sorry, I am a bit cranky over this wolf *censored* in WA.

[huntinguy]

"it is believed there are 5 wolf packs in Washington"

Exactly how many make a pack?

IF it is the same as breeding pairs. It can be upward of 12 to 15 animals. It is the breeding pair, their pups and any wolves that have been kicked out by the breeding pair that have not paired up into a breeding pair to form another pack.

or something kinda close to that explaination.

So the goal of 17 packs in washington could be 17 * 12 = 204 wolves. But they also are counted by zones as well. so, it can be a bunch.

[high country]

And you will never see them all in one pic....so they must not be to pack status.

[windygorge]

if your goal is to document wolves while your out, why the hell doesn't someone carry a damn video camera to document it.  i don't get it.  people just talk about seeing them and getting them on tail cams, but no one shows the proof.  where are the pictures?  location? etc, etc, etc..........

Maybe I am misunderstanding, but if you are trying to say hunters are not reliable sources or not doing their part, I will remind you that for two years I have been reporting the smackout pack existed and exactly where to find them, finally WDFW confirmed them this summer after too many reportings and a trailcam photo existed to deny it any longer. Other hunters on this forum have documented a great many other sightings in multiple GMU's of undocumented wolves in WA with stories, pictures, etc.

Last I saw the WDFW was asking for wolf sightings. The info has been provided by the residents of Washington. WDFW claims they can manage the wolves in Washington, lets see some proof, if they want to put some of us hunters on the payroll with gas and other expenses paid, I am sure we can provide plenty of video, until then, perhaps the additional burden should belong to WDFW. 

Sorry, I am a bit cranky over this wolf *censored* in WA.

ok ok truce.  i think hunters are the most reliable source.  i am being simple about this and not trying to make it into something that it is not.  please.  don't take it any other way than me wanting to see pictures and video of them.   just tired of hearing about them.  that is it.  being from the west side, i don't experience first hand what you guys are going through over there.
i will look further into the forum to see some pics.  thanks

[JimmyHoffa]

From DFW
Pack of wolves – a group of wolves, usually consisting of a male, female, and their offspring from one or more generations. For purposes of monitoring, a pack is defined as a group of two or more wolves traveling together in winter.

For windygorge, in my case I don't own a video camera and the digital camera I do have is about 8 years old and really not worth taking in the field.  I don't even take a GPS anymore.  My pack is heavy enough without needing to take all kinds of gizmos.

[BLUEBULLS]

There were at least 2 wolves in the area I was hunting last weekend. Another was heard 15 miles south of there and 2 more ten miles west. The tracks I saw were huge and all wolves spotted were black. the elk were quiet and the domestic cattle were extremely wary and spooked.

The blues are not a big area and I can't see the elk population up there being able to handle more than 1 pack of wolves. I hope they kill some cattle this winter if you know what I mean.

[gaddy]

BLUEBULLS, general location?

[Woodchuck]

I am not speaking for BLUEBULLS but I promise you they were below Godman on the Dayton side between Middle point and Spangler cr. 

[KillBilly]

Keep in mind that WDFW defines a pack as 2 wolves that travel together.

[MichaelD]

Found this just south of eckler mountain on road 030...

[Knocker of rocks]

That wolf dropped his gun. 

That's cause they don't have pockets

[MichaelD]

Looks like that wolf needs to clean his gun too.....lazy dang thing!   

[Special T]

WDFW has to have DNA evidence that it is a wolf and more pics and video than a model photo shoot!

[DeerThug]

Well wdfw and Wic has not spent much time around grouse flats or talking to any of the residents north of Troy Ore.  If a pack is 2 animals there are multiple packs in the blues.

I know by first hand experience.