Two wolves killed near Clayton, Idaho after attacking cattle.
One wolf suffered from a grievous pre-existing injury.

May 22, 2001

I received a news release from U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today, and interviewed Carter Niemeyer in Stanley last weekend. The story follows.

Two gray wolves, involved in the depredation of a mature cow and her calf near Clayton, Idaho, have been shot and killed by Federal wildlife specialists. A subadult male, B-104M, from the Moyer Basin Pack, and two other uncollared wolves, were observed and videotaped in the act of depredation on May 11, 2001. USDA Wildlife Services confirmed that the cow had been killed by wolves, and initiated the lethal control action on recommendations of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Nez Perce Tribe.

An uncollared female gray wolf was located with B-104 and shot on May 12, 2001 by Wildlife Services. The helicopter used in the control action was then used to haze two other wolves from the area.

Since B-104 was the only depredating wolf with a radio collar, he was not lethally removed at that time. Subsequent behavior and harassment of livestock by B-104 led to the decision on May 16, 2001, to kill him. He was killed on the afternoon of May 16, 2001. Examination of B-104 revealed a serious foreleg injury that hampered the animal's ability to travel and probably caused him to remain near livestock operations.

Carter Niemeyer noted that the wolf behaved in an unusual manner when harassed. He would not leave the flat land and flee into the adjacent hills, and that was due to the injury, apparently from a wire which had rendered the wolf's foreleg useless.  The wound was infected and smelled at a distance.

According the Challis Messenger, the incidents took place once again on Curt Hurless' livestock operations. The continuing presence of wolves in the area has not been explained. They have been nearby all winter, but I think it might be due to the topography of the area, with his ranch near the confluence of the East Fork and main fork of the Salmon River being a natural migration corridor. In the last year Hurless has become quite well acquainted with wolves. They are frequently on or near his property. He has been licensed to engage in injurious harassment with cracker shells and beanbag shots. He gave an interesting presentation at the Inter-agency wolf conference at Chico, Montana this April.

Several yearling and subadult wolves from the Stanley and Moyer Basin packs have been in the Clayton-Challis area for the past several weeks. The bulk of the Moyer Basin pack remains far to the northwest in the range near the head of Panther Creek. 

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Wolf Recovery Coordinator Carter Niemeyer noted that, "Radio-activated guards units ("RAG boxes") have been successfully used to discourage wolves from the Challis landfill and private ranches near Clayton and the East Fork of the Salmon River. Fortunately, Niemeyer said most of the wolves are now moving to higher elevations to follow the elk to summer range. 

Despite this successful discouragement of the wolves from the landfill KIFI TV News (channel 8) carried an inflammatory report on May 21 saying there were seventeen!! wolves at the dump, and that a wolf had been at a school bus stop.

In fact, one of the 3 or 4 wolves that sometimes visited the dump was so scared by the RAG box that she immediately moved over 50 miles away.

Update: After complaints KIFI did a second more balanced story on the wolves.

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