Monitoring

All Yellowstone wolf packs remain localized within their normal home ranges and are maintaining dens. The Thorofare pair finally localized enough to suggest a den site. The Yellowstone recovery area has 9 breeding pairs (packs) and up to 13 litters in 1997 (including the litter that died, the litter in captivity, and the suspected litter of the Dubios pair). Surprisingly, only one den (Dubios) is outside the Park. Five Sawtooth yearlings are still hanging around Hebgen Lake with two 2-year olds. A yearling female that had been travelling with that group but had not been located with them for several days was found dead near Alder, MT. The incident is under investigation by Service LE.

Female wolf #27, her daughter from 1995 (the 4 new pup's mother), and 2 male Sawtooth pups are being held in the Nez Perce pen. A yearling female apparently escaped the pen by crawling over a tree that fell against the fence. The 8 wolves will probably be released right from the pen in late June.

The Nez Perce Tribe continues to monitor the movements of 27 gray wolves distributed throughout central Idaho. Four wolves have died and 2 others have been missing for over 10 months. Two wolves are being held in captivity and will be released in June. Nine radio-collared pairs remain north of theSalmon River. Three potential breeding pairs are in this area including a pair that produced 2 pups in 1996. Twenty-two radio-collared wolves are south of the Salmon River, including 9 potential breeding pairs. Two of those produced pups in 1996.

Monitoring in NW Montana should pick up shortly. The Service's seasonal field crew finished preparing equipment and ordering supplies. A wolf handling season is being planned for later this month. The crew should be looking for wolves in NW Montana by the 14th and trapping shortly thereafter.

Please help them locate wolf packs by being aware of wolf reports in your area and forwarding those reports to us quickly.

The crew will be staying at the Murphy Lake Ranger Station. You can contact them through the Service's Helena Office (ask for Joe Fontaine) or at the Forest Service bunk house at Murphy Lake.

Livestock Depredations & Management (control)

Nothing new to report. Still no official word on test results regarding the wolf-like canid shot south of Cody, WY or the one roped near Boulder/BigSandy, WY.

Research

Daily monitoring of dens used by the Leopold, Rose Creek, and Druid packs continues.

Information, Education & Law Enforcement

Bangs and Mack (NPT) gave presentations at the Native American Fish andWildlife Society annual meeting in Bozeman on May 7. About 75 people attended the session.

The weekly wolf report can now be viewed at the Service's Region 6 web site at www.r6.fws.gov/wolf.

Contact: Ed Bangs (406)449-5225 or Internet - ED_BANGS@FWS.GOV

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