Post by: denali on August 07, 2012, 04:48:04 PM
A calf injured in a wolf attack in northern Stevens County – the fourth wounded or killed in one cattle herd in four weeks – has left the Washington Fish and Wildlife Department contemplating a response, including killing one or more wolves in the Wedge Pack.
“All options are on the table,” Madonna Luers, the agency’s spokeswoman in Spokane, said Monday.
The incident, which apparently happened Thursday, is the latest of several confirmed wolf attacks on the Diamond M Ranch herd near Laurier. The ranch has a Colville National Forest grazing lease in the “wedge” of land just south of Canada between the Columbia and Kettle Rivers.
In mid-July, officials confirmed that wolves had injured a cow and calf and killed another calf from the northern Stevens County ranch.
The Diamond M Ranch is owned by the McIrvin family. In 2007, the ranch also suffered Washington’s first documented wolf livestock depredation in roughly 70 years.
Last year, state officials adopted a wolf management plan to deal with expanding wolf packs, which remain protected by state endangered species laws.
“This latest attack is a continuation of a pattern of wolf-livestock problems in the wedge,” Luers said. “The wolf plan allows several possible responses, including lethal removal, in cases of repeated depredation after other methods have been tried.”
The response may be decided today, she said.
A Fish and Wildlife Department trapper caught an adult male wolf, attached a radio-transmitter collar, and released it following earlier wolf attacks on the ranch.
A pup also was caught and released, confirming the pack produced a litter this year.
Post by: Elk329 on August 07, 2012, 05:23:07 PM
WDFW NEWS RELEASE
Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife
600 Capitol Way North, Olympia, WA 98501-1091
http://wdfw.wa.gov/ (http://wdfw.wa.gov/)
August 7, 2012
Contacts: Nate Pamplin, (360) 902-2693
Dave Ware, (360) 902-2509
WDFW removes wolf from NE Washington pack
in response to repeated attacks on livestock
OLYMPIA - State wildlife managers today killed a wolf from a pack that has repeatedly preyed on livestock in a remote area of northeast Washington for the past five years.
Acting under the terms of the state's 2011 Wolf Conservation and Management Plan, the Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) took lethal action after a series of wolf attacks on the Diamond M herd, whose owners graze about 400 head of cattle in an area known as the Wedge near the Canadian border. The attacks left one calf dead, five cows or calves injured and at least two missing since mid-July.
The wolf removed today was identified as a non-breeding female member of the Wedge pack. It was shot this morning by department staff in the area where an attack on livestock had occurred in July. Department staff planned to remain in the area through Wednesday afternoon in an attempt to remove a second wolf.
WDFW Director Phil Anderson said the decision to take lethal action was made only after the department determined that the action would not adversely affect wolf recovery objectives.
He also said the department had tried a variety of non-lethal efforts to protect livestock from attacks by the Wedge pack. Efforts included using specialized electric fencing to protect calves this spring; attaching a radio collar to the pack's alpha male; and maintaining a regular human presence in the area.
In addition, the livestock operator employs five cowboys to frequently check on the herd, which consists of 210 cow-calf pairs.
"These ranchers live and work in an area with the highest concentration of wolves in the state," said Anderson, who had visited the Diamond M ranch following wolf attacks on livestock in July. "The wolf plan is designed to support the recovery of wolves, but it also outlines specific strategies to minimize livestock losses."
The plan, approved last December by the Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission after five years of public involvement, specifically authorizes WDFW to take lethal measures to address repeated attacks on livestock. The plan states that when lethal removal is necessary, one or two wolves may be removed initially.
Several wolf-related incidents have been documented in the range of the Wedge pack, including:
In 2007, wolves killed two calves from the Diamond M herd.
Since then, livestock operators have reported wolf presence in the area and higher-than-normal calf losses.
Earlier this year, WDFW documented wolf activity around a calving operation.
In July, wolves killed one calf and injured a cow and another calf. Later, two other injured calves were found and confirmed to have been attacked by wolves. The rancher also observed two additional injured calves but was not able to capture them.
Last week, a calf was found with a laceration and bite mark that wildlife managers determined were the result of a wolf attack.
"Our goal in taking today's action was to reduce the size of the pack and break the pattern of predation," said Nate Pamplin, assistant WDFW wildlife director. "We can't guarantee that today's action will prevent future attacks by this pack, but we have clear indications that non-lethal actions alone are unlikely to reduce predation on livestock."
Pamplin said the WDFW staff would remain in the area through Wednesday morning in an attempt to remove a second wolf. He said the department would re-evaluate its options later this week.
Gray wolves are classified as "endangered" under Washington state law, but are no longer protected in the eastern third of the state under the federal Endangered Species Act. The state's wolf plan sets population recovery objectives and outlines methods for minimizing wolf-livestock conflicts.
As of July, wildlife biologists had confirmed eight wolf packs within the state and suspect there are four additional packs based on public reports and observed tracks. The number of confirmed packs represents an increase from two in 2010, indicating that the wolf population is rebounding, which also increases the potential for wolf-livestock conflict.
"Parts of northeast Washington are extremely rugged and remote, and the region borders areas of Idaho and Canada that already support large numbers of wolves, so it's not surprising that wolves have re-established themselves more quickly here than in other parts of the state," Anderson said. "But our wolf recovery strategy is a statewide plan that also permits us to minimize wolf-livestock conflict that could undermine public support for the long-term recovery effort."
# # #
Note to editors and reporters: For public safety and security reasons, WDFW is not facilitating on-site coverage of this wolf management activity. To arrange interviews with WDFW Director Phil Anderson, please contact Bruce Botka, public affairs and outreach manager, at 360-902-2262.
Post by: rasbo on August 07, 2012, 05:25:50 PM
Post by: Huntbear on August 07, 2012, 05:26:50 PM
Post by: saylean on August 07, 2012, 05:28:11 PM
Post by: CAMPMEAT on August 07, 2012, 05:31:01 PM
Post by: Kola16 on August 07, 2012, 05:40:47 PM
"Our goal in taking today's action was to reduce the size of the pack and break the pattern of predation," said Nate Pamplin, assistant WDFW wildlife director. "We can't guarantee that today's action will prevent future attacks by this pack, but we have clear indications that non-lethal actions alone are unlikely to reduce predation on livestock."
You can't break the habit of predation. It's a wolf :bash:
I really feel bad for those ranchers.
Post by: bearpaw on August 07, 2012, 05:58:17 PM
I think WDFW should be given some credit for killing a couple of these wolves. :tup:
It will be interesting to see if the attacks continue, often times a whole pack has to be removed once they become livestock killers.
Another thing I noticed in the reports is that they are now admitting that there might be 4 more wolf packs in addition to the 8 packs already confirmed. I will give WDFW more credit, they are getting closer to the number of wolves in Washington, but they are still running behind. This fall it will be important for members to post wolf sightings here on the forum and report to the WDFW.
Hunter and local resident reports suggest there are about 15 packs in Region 1, enough to delist the whole state. If we could get a different biologist in the Okanogan who would allow some of those packs to be confirmed, then we only need the lower cascades and olympics to confirm wolves for complete state delisting.
The problem I see is getting wolves documented in the other two wolf management zones. It's going to be dependent on us hunters collecting sightings in these more remote areas so that WDFW knows where to look. Remember, the state only has two wolf trappers. :twocents:
As soon as possible we need to pressure the legislature to increase the number of wolf trappers in this state. With sightings to support our claims, I think legislators will act, but we need those sightings reported so we can apply pressure on legislators.
Post your sightings here: http://hunting-washington.com/smf/index.php?topic=79244.0 (http://hunting-washington.com/smf/index.php?topic=79244.0)
Post by: Kola16 on August 07, 2012, 06:07:24 PM
Post by: CAMPMEAT on August 07, 2012, 06:12:33 PM
IDEA...We all line up (and I mean all of us hunters) at the south end of the state and we all march north, and scare all the wolves back into Canada :IBCOOL: But then we wouldn't have any deer, or elk left :chuckle:
Then we'd be considered " Domestic Terrorists " :chuckle:
Post by: KFhunter on August 07, 2012, 06:19:26 PM
It's sad that this family has had to endure losing more than two dozen cattle just last year plus all the other cattle they have lost. Sooner or later people in this state will understand what wolves are all about.
I think WDFW should be given some credit for killing a couple of these wolves. :tup:
It will be interesting to see if the attacks continue, often times a whole pack has to be removed once they become livestock killers.
Another thing I noticed in the reports is that they are now admitting that there might be 4 more wolf packs in addition to the 8 packs already confirmed. I will give WDFW more credit, they are getting closer to the number of wolves in Washington, but they are still running behind. This fall it will be important for members to post wolf sightings here on the forum and report to the WDFW.
Hunter and local resident reports suggest there are about 15 packs in Region 1, enough to delist the whole state. If we could get a different biologist in the Okanogan who would allow some of those packs to be confirmed, then we only need the lower cascades and olympics to confirm wolves for complete state delisting.
The problem I see is getting wolves documented in the other two wolf management zones. It's going to be dependent on us hunters collecting sightings in these more remote areas so that WDFW knows where to look. Remember, the state only has two wolf trappers. :twocents:
As soon as possible we need to pressure the legislature to increase the number of wolf trappers in this state. With sightings to support our claims, I think legislators will act, but we need those sightings reported so we can apply pressure on legislators.
Post your sightings here: http://hunting-washington.com/smf/index.php?topic=79244.0 (http://hunting-washington.com/smf/index.php?topic=79244.0)
two dozen cattle is the tip of the ice berg
up to seven bulls
cows that did not get preggers
under weight cattle
injured cattle - not directly bitten but ran through downfalls and injured
gas - increased checking of cows on range
hired help man hours increased or diverted from typical summer projects
The cows are bunching up in the bottoms with poor forage and not spread out grazing the good stuff, the whole herd is affected.
all at a time when cattle prices are through the roof, they should be reaping rewards from large $ sell offs but it is tempered with these losses.
Post by: denali on August 07, 2012, 08:46:43 PM
Capital Press
The group Conservation Northwest on Tuesday questioned whether enough non-lethal efforts were made to protect livestock from wolves.
Not shocked , no amount of time and money spent by producers will ever be enough for wolf advocates
Post by: Northway on August 08, 2012, 09:32:07 AM
thanks for the update Elk329
Capital Press
The group Conservation Northwest on Tuesday questioned whether enough non-lethal efforts were made to protect livestock from wolves.
Not shocked , no amount of time and money spent by producers will ever be enough for wolf advocates
I don't think that's necessarily true. There are a number of "wolf advocates" out there who realize that prevention tools like fladry, turbo fladry, range riders, good husbandry, and guard dogs have their limits. In some cases of chronic depredation, like what appears to be going on with the Wedge Pack, the whole pack should be candidates for removal. Another pack that probably should have been removed entirely is the Imnaha Pack. That's a tough one for wolf advocates, since the Imnaha pack has been kind of the cornerstone of wolf recovery in Oregon, but their behavior warranted that type of control.
Post by: villageidiot on August 08, 2012, 12:04:24 PM
Post by: denali on August 08, 2012, 12:18:59 PM
Capital Press
The decision of Washington wildlife officials to kill a wolf near the Canadian border is too little, too late, says the rancher who's been suffering livestock losses there since 2007.
The state Department of Fish and Wildlife killed a wolf from a northeastern Washington pack that has repeatedly attacked livestock during the past five years.
According to the department, the wolf was a non-breeding female member of the Wedge wolf pack. They planned to remain in the area through the afternoon of Aug. 8 to attempt to kill a second wolf.
Nate Pamplin, assistant director with the department, said there are at least four adults and an undetermined number of pups in the Wedge Wolf Pack.
An adjacent ranch had wolf problems with its calving operation this spring, Pamplin said.
The department said it took action after a series of wolf attacks on the Diamond M herd, including two calves killed in 2007, higher-than-normal calf losses and documented wolf activity around the calving operation.
Diamond M ranch owner Len McIrvin, in Laurier, Wash., said he would say the department had killed the wolf when he saw a dead wolf.
"They distort facts so much, they've lied to us continually on this thing," he said. "First they said there was no wolves in the area, we showed them that there was. Then they said there might be wolves, but they'll never eat a cow. We showed them that they did."
McIrvin said wolf activity has been escalating since the confirmed kill in 2007. Last year 11 calves and five bulls were killed, he said, and he expects to lose more this year. He will determine how many have been killed this year in the fall.
"We know we've had two kills, we know we've had four other calves attacked and severely wounded," he said.
McIrvin said there's no way to protect against wolves on the rough, big timber country range, where he runs roughly 300 pairs of cattle.
McIrvin owns a lot of the area and has state Department of Natural Resources leases and U.S. Forest Service grazing permits in the area.
McIrvin said he's seen wolves in the area. Cowboys coming in after dark with horses will have wolves following within several hundred yards, howling.
"You can't see them, but you can hear them all the time," McIrvin said. He has a kill permit for depredation if wolves are caught in the act, but said there's little chance of meeting that requirement.
The environmental organization Conservation Northwest released a statement questioning whether McIrvin made a "good faith effort" to reduce the risk of conflict between wolves and his livestock.
"It's unclear in this case whether the right livestock stewardship steps have first been tried to reduce conflict potential," Mitch Friedman, Conservation Northwest executive director, said in the statement. "If we expect wolves to behave, ranchers need to meet them halfway."
According to the department, state efforts include specialized electric fencing, attaching a radio collar to the pack's alpha male and maintaining a regular human presence in the area. The ranch has employed five cowboys to check frequently on the herd.
Pamplin advised ranchers to contact the department as it makes a concerted effort to determine wolf population numbers within the state. A sighting in an area where wolves haven't previously been detected is helpful to affix radio collars to the wolves, understand the pack location and who to communicate with about wolf presence.
Livestock operators who believe they have lost livestock to any wild animal should call 1-877-933-9847. The state is interested in any wolf sighting information and has an online reporting form.
Under the state's wolf plan, ranchers receive compensation for two animals for a confirmed wolf kill and compensation for one cow for a probable wolf kill, Pamplin said.
McIrvin said his losses are so heavy, including loss of weight gain and lowered conception rate, the only compensation he's interested in would be a dead wolf for every dead calf.
"This isn't a wolf problem, we always could take care of our own problems," he said. "It's an agency regulatory problem (with) threats of imprisonment and fines. If the agencies and their regulations were out of our way, we could take care of the wolf problem."
McIrvin said he is interested in controlling the wolves to make a living. At one point, he said, it might have been possible to maintain control if ranchers could have shot on sight, but that would no longer be feasible. He expects the wolf populations to spread, and plans to continue his operation as long as possible.
"This is our problem today, but in three years it's going to be every cattleman's problem," he said.
so according to Friedman, 100,000 years of behavioral evolution is meaningless, wolves will "behave" if ranchers meet them half way ???
:bash:
Post by: Dave Workman on August 08, 2012, 02:33:12 PM
The Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife announced Tuesday that it had killed a wolf in the “Wedge” region of upper Stevens County, and indicated that by Wednesday afternoon, another of the predators would be killed.
http://www.examiner.com/article/washington-wolf-debate-enters-new-lethal-arena?cid=db_articles (http://www.examiner.com/article/washington-wolf-debate-enters-new-lethal-arena?cid=db_articles)
Post by: bearpaw on August 08, 2012, 09:38:19 PM
This last wolf season in Idaho's Region 1, half the wolves taken were killed from packs in areas F&G did not know wolves even existed. That is a quote from the Region 1 IDFG manager, Jim Hagedorn. In spite of ongoing year around wolf control by locals, the wolf population still expands in many areas.
Conservation Northwest made big claims in WA just as they did in ID/MT that they would pay for any cattle losses. :chuckle:
Ask the McIrvins how many of the two dozen cattle lost last year they recieved a check for? Ask them how many checks they have recieved since 2007? Ask their neighbors how many checks they have recieved?
Mitch Friedman should put out or get out (of the way).
You can expect for this wolf issue to really explode in NE WA. These people are going to get tired of eating their losses. :twocents:
Post by: Northway on August 09, 2012, 09:58:18 AM
NE Washington is right on course to evolve on this wolf issue just as Idaho and Montana have evolved. Drive into any ID/MT small town and ask around, wolf season never ends there. These people have been pushed beyond the limit of self control by an agency that was not responsive for many years. Now IDFG is playing catchup, they deserve credit for that, but the fact is, wolf season never ends in ID/MT and that mentality is supported by most residents in many small communities.
This last wolf season in Idaho's Region 1, half the wolves taken were killed from packs in areas F&G did not know wolves even existed. That is a quote from the Region 1 IDFG manager, Jim Hagedorn. In spite of ongoing year around wolf control by locals, the wolf population still expands in many areas.
Conservation Northwest made big claims in WA just as they did in ID/MT that they would pay for any cattle losses. :chuckle:
Ask the McIrvins how many of the two dozen cattle lost last year they recieved a check for? Ask them how many checks they have recieved since 2007? Ask their neighbors how many checks they have recieved?
Mitch Friedman should put out or get out (of the way).
You can expect for this wolf issue to really explode in NE WA. These people are going to get tired of eating their losses. :twocents:
I believe it was DOW that agreed to compensate ranchers for depredations in the NRM, and they did up until recently. Their goal was to eventually achieve buy-in through collaboration on issues like that. I think they failed to realize how virulently anti-federal, anti-environmentalist a lot of folks in NRM rural communities actually were at that time - especially in Idaho & Wyoming. The final nail in the coffin for that program ever being a success was delisting lawsuit filed by DOW, CBD, HSUS, etc.
It's too early to make a judgment call on how effective Idaho's new wolf management tactics will be. They are putting a lot of pressure on their wolf population, and I would be surprised if their numbers continued to climb over the next couple of years. Wolves are much hardier than a lot of wolf advocates make them out to be, but they're not coyotes. Mark Gamblin over at IDFG claims that their goal is to manage the population at somewhere above 150 animals, which would avoid a relisting situation.
Compensation for depredations is a tricky issue. In a perfect world, we would know exactly how many calves were taken by wolves every year. The reality is that compensation programs create a moral hazard that is difficult to navigate through. It's obvious that there are more depredations occuring than are confirmed in areas occupied by wolves, but how many more? My guess is that it falls somewhere in between what's reported by ranchers through the USDA and what's confirmed by agents of MFWP, IDFG, & WGFD. I'd bet money you could talk to Wildlife Services agents other than Carter Niemeyer who would confirm his assertion that ranchers can get it wrong when it comes to whether or not an animal was killed by wolves. I personally would like to see ranchers compensated for all wolf kills occuring on private property at a ratio of 2:1, and probably 3:1 or 4:1 on more formidable terrain, but it's going to take some creative minds to figure out how to get the compensation program working correctly, and relatively free from fraud. I would also like to see some studies done on how wolves contribute to a reduction in the weight of cattle.
Mitch Friedman's moderate stance is actually not popular with some folks in the environmental community. If you think you have contempt for him, ask some of your ranching contacts in Idaho what they think of Jon Marvel and WWP.