Comprehensive update on the wolves of West Central Idaho

Ed Bangs just announced that according to Idaho Fish and Game, USFWS, Wildlife Services, and the Nez Perce tribe the preliminary population estimate for all of Idaho is 513-621 wolves, 36 breeding pairs, and 61 verified packs of wolves within the Idaho borders for 2005. This is NOT the final tally, but it is expected to be close.

This figure is higher yet again this year, indicating wolf population growth in Idaho has probably not stopped like it has in Wyoming and Montana. The mean estimate for Idaho in 2004 was 422 wolves. The amount of variation in the estimate is obviously increasing.

There is a discussion going on as to whether new wolves in Idaho are previously unknown packs now being identified for the first time (meaning they were in existence in 2004 or earlier), or in fact new packs. No one would argue one position entirely. It obvious that both are factors are present, but it is my impression from going over the west central Idaho data that more of it is discovery rather than new wolves. Some of the discovered packs are in fact being added to the 2004 figures as adjustments.

About 60%, maybe 2/3 of the wolves in the three state area live in Idaho. Idaho wolf recovery has been a tremendous success. Moreover, wolf depredations in Idaho are usually in the same range as the other states despite the higher numbers. There are many reasons for this, but the cabability of the wolf managers at the federal, tribal, and despite a short track record, probably the state level are one reason. A lot of people are retiring now, and let's hope their replacements are just as good, and that they don't run into political interference, the biggest danger.

West Central Idaho-

Under an agreement with the State of Idaho the Nez Perce Tribal Wolf team is still monitoring almost half the packs in the state, if not half the area of the state. The tribal team, who formerly managed all the wolves in Idaho in conjunction with the USFWS, now monitors them in the McCall area of West Idaho and the Clearwater River drainages. This is a large area. Ten new packs have been discovered this year, and two old packs terminated due to conflicts with sheep, leaving an estimate of 30 packs as year's end approaches. About 30 more packs live in other parts of Idaho

My desciption that follows is fairly compete, but I have missed a few and will be updating and correcting this report.

Let's begin near the head of the Lochsa River where the streams from the Bitterroot Divide on the Montana border cascade down into this major tributary of the Middle Fork of the Clearwater River.

The reader will notice that a lot of summaries say "at least two pups." This is because that was the number seen or clearly heard howling. In a number of past instances the "2+ pups" has turned out to be 3 to 8 pups. Of course, many pups do not survive into the next year, so the precise number for some packs will always have been an estimate.

The Big Hole Pack, one of Idaho's oldest, and also spends time Montana, lives south of Lolo Pass (US 12) in a very brushy area. Early this year Nez Perce biologists noted that wolves B7M and B11F (both collars expired) were still with the pack. They are pack's founders! They were introduced from Alberta in 199.! Their first litter was in 1997. Jim Holyan of the Nez Perce tribal wolf team reports that B151 is the only wolf in the pack with a transmitting radio collar. From field work, Isaac Babcock and Tyler Hollow reported that the estimated pack size is 8 wolves. They also saw one uncollared black subadult and 2 uncollared gray subadults. In addition, 2+ pups were recorded based on howling (1 black pup was seen).

At least one more, and maybe more groups of wolves, use this rugged border area, but they are north of Highway 12, which crosses into Idaho on Lolo Pass. The Big Hole Pack is south.

The Lochsa Pack lives along the Lochsa River, especially it's north side and back into the Post Office Creek Drainage. They had suspected wolves in the area for several years, and this year Carter Niemeyer finally trapped one, B232F. Three pups were documented and the estimated pack size is six. This pack was retroactively classified as a breeding pair for 2004, because in the 2005 capture, they found a sub-adult wolf.

Major rivers and their major tributaries in north central and central Idaho:

St. Joe River
Clearwater River

North Fork Clearwater

Kelly Creek
Weitas Creek

Middle Fork Clearwater

Lochsa River

Fish Creek
White Sand Creek

Selway River

Meadow Creek
Moose Creek

South Fork Clearwater

Salmon River

South Fork Salmon

Johnson Creek
Secesh River

Middle Fork Salmon

Marsh Creek and Bear Valley Creek (its headwaters)
Big Creek
Loon Creek
Indian Creek
Camas Creek
Pistol Creek
Sulfur Creek

North Fork Salmon

The Eagle Mountain Pack is on the other side of the Lochsa (south side), especially back in the Boulder Creek and Old Man Creek Country in the rugged Selway Crags down to the Lochsa River. This pack was discovered in 2004, and seems to have formed in 2003. There is one collared wolf B136M, and by shear luck the researchers ran into the pups while in this tough country. There are 4 pups and the pack is thought to total six wolves. Counting tributaries of the Lochsa, they range from about Boulder Creek on the east to Old Man Creek on the west (downstream).

The Bimerick Meadows Pack is a new one on the north side of the Lochsa downstream from the Lochsa Pack in the Bimerick Creek/Bimerick Meadows area. They also use the large nearby Fish Creek drainage, which runs into the Lochsa from the north. There are at least 2 adults and 2 pups. A male pack member was trapped by Carter Niemeyer and collared as 247M.

The Coolwater Ridge Pack.
Standing astride the confluence of the Lochsa and Selway Rivers, where they blend their waters, to become the Middle Fork of the Clearwater, is Coolwater Mountain, the beginning of a long ridge that runs east into the Selway Crags.

In 2004, wolf B163F dispersed from the O'Hara Point Pack, found a mate and the Coolwater Ridge Pack had a minimum of three pups. Jackie Johnson Maughan, who staffed the Coolwater Mountain Lookout in 1990, and myself are most pleased by the appearance of this pack. In 2004 four more pups (black) were seen and recently hunters said the pack contained eleven wolves -- 10 black wolves and one gray-white. They range mostly on the Selway River side of Coolwater Mountain, using the Lochsa side less. They move between Coolwater Lookout on the west all the way east to Gedney Creek and the Selway Crags.

Looking west along Coolwater Ridge from above Gedney Creek
Copyright © Ralph Maughan

The O'Hara Point Pack begin in 2003 by B111F and an uncollared female and a radio-collared then-yearling B162M. Four pups were born in 2004, although the body of one was found at their rendezvous site north of Elk City. Presently there are no functioning collars, but six black pups-of-the-year have been seen. The number of wolves may be large, a likely minimum of eight. According to a relative in Elk Creek, talk about the abundance of wolves nearby is a big topic (see more regarding Selway Pack below).
B162M dispersed. However, he has just been relocated near the breaks of the Salmon River (north side) near the eastern edge of the Gospel Hump Wilderness. Maybe he will lead researchers to the shadowy Gospel Hump Pack (see further information below on them), start a new pack, or move on and out of the area, probably to lose contact with him again.

The Selway Pack.
O'Hara Creek runs northward into the Selway River. Further upstream on the Selway is Meadow Creek, a Idaho backcountry treasure.

In recent years the Selway Pack, which was one of the first three in Idaho, had moved out of the upper reaches of Selway, more and more west toward Meadow Creek. The pack was hard to track. The only radio collared pack member was its founder B5M, who finally died in 2004 at a estimated age of 12 1/2 years. B5, named "Moonstar Shadow" by school children, was the first reintroduced wolf to hit the ground in Idaho. The pack was not believed to have a breeding pair in 2004, but this is now seen as possibly wrong. Late this summer a Forest Service fire crew flew over Meadow Creek and spotted six black wolves, and recently hunters in the Running Creek are reported to Idaho Fish and Game a pack of 18 wolves -- 17 black, and one grey white. As the crow flies, Meadow Creek is about ten miles east of Elk City.

Running Creek is further east in the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness. Both are old haunts of the Selway Pack. The Selway Pack was always black wolves, and who is to say the grey-white wolf is not wolf B10F "Libre," the original alpha female. Her radio collar eventually died and her fate was never known . . . most likely not but it makes you wonder. A wolf this color in a pack of blacks is often the old wolf.

New packs in the interior of the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness-
Nez Perce tribal wolf team always suspected there were wolf packs in the vast Selway Bitterroot Wilderness which lies mostly in Idaho between the Lochsa and Selway Rivers (there is a Montana portion too, composed of the rugged Bitterroot Range). Wolf packs formed around the edge of it, but during the days past when they were translocating wolves that got into livestock trouble, a number of lone wolves or pairs were released inside the wilderness, but they didn't stay. A suspicion was they were pushed out. Although they haven't been checked on the ground yet (no easy task), two new packs in the interior of the Wilderness were identified in 2004 -- Indian Creek, with at least 5 wolves, and Pettitbone with at least six (in 2004).

A recent report from the US Fish and Wildlife on a wolf/dog fatality in the Selway. This report was made, but not confirmed. "A houndsman from Kooskia, Idaho, called [Wildlife Services] on [Dec. 7]. He reported one of his hounds was killed by wolves last Friday (Dec 2), and that one of the wolves had approached to within 10 yards of him and was acting very aggressive (growling) as it advanced toward him. He said this occurred up in the Selway area. He was encouraged to provide all the relevant details of the incident by filling out one of the on-line wolf sighting reports via the IDFG website. He wanted to talk to an actual person rather than just sending something in electronicaly. He was assured that every report was reviewed by several agency biologists. Understandably, he was very upset."

Moving back down south, now to the Salmon River country and the North Fork of the Payette River Country, there are a lot of wolf packs.

The Florence Pack lives in the breaks on the north side of Salmon River, upstream from the town of Riggins. Fifteen gray wolves were seen in this pack in a flight in Nov. 2004, and I believe 15 were seen again this year. This year there were 6 to 9 new pups born. They live in the Allison Creek-Little Slate Creek area, ranging east to the edge of the Gospel Hump Wilderness. This is densely forested, mostly rolling country with just a few roads after you climb out of the deep Salmon River Canyon, where the pack goes in the winter to hunt the wintering deer and elk.

Salmon River canyon upstream from Riggins (photo
at Spring Bar). The Florence Pack lives in the top of mountain
in the distance. Copyright © Ralph Maughan

The Gospel Hump Pack lives or lived to the east of the Florence Pack in the Gospel Hump Wilderness on the north side of the Salmon River and beyond. The pack may have dispersed in 2004. There has been no sign of them in 2005. Contact with its two radio collared wolves was lost in 2004.

Partridge Pack and the Hazard Lake packs both lived upstream from Riggins on the south side of the Salmon River and points south. While there are many elk and deer in the area, there are also about 18,000 domestic sheep in the summer. Both packs were terminated this summer after killing numerous sheep. Last year the nearby Cook Pack (9 wolves) was killed after the largest sheep kills since the wolves were reintroduced. As a result there is a large block of backcountry from Riggins, many miles to the SE, that is now devoid of wolves. No doubt new packs will soon claim this country, but the sheep will still be there.

Jungle Creek pack. This is a newly discovered pack with a large territory to the south of the former packs listed above. It basically lives in the Lick Creek Mountains from Secesh Summit south for many miles. While the pack was discovered in 2005 it must have been around in 2004 because it contains a number of subadult wolves. There were at least 2 pups this year (multiple pups were heard howling; it's hard to count the number when there are more than two). One wolf B157 was caught, collared and released in 2003. B157 eventually led to the rest of the pack. The pack size is 8 to 12 wolves. Sheep are a problem in this country too.

Pond at Secesh Summit. Much of this country burned between 1989
and 2001 in a series of forest fires, large and small. Copyright ©
Ralph Maughan

Carey Dome pack is a new pack, at least a newly discovered pack, but its existence has been suspected for some time. Marshall Mountain and Carey Dome is a scenic high elevation area with sub-alpine lakes and lots of old mines that drops off steeply into the Salmon River to its north. This pack in fact inhabits part of the territory the terminated Cook Pack held. Famous wolf B45F uses the same territory as this pack, and it may be her pack, or she may be at least part of it.

Nine wolves have been seen. Folks will recall the B45 was born on Salmon River Mountain on the other side of central Idaho, and she migrated all the way to Oregon and captured there, well into the state and returned to near the Idaho/Montana border. She then headed west again, but stopped short of Oregon in the Secesh Summit area. For years it wasn't clear if she was alone, part of a pair, part of a pack, or what. Story from way back: Blue Mountain Wolf Captured and Returned to Idaho. March 1999.

Stolle Meadows Pack is to the southeast of Marshall Mountain well into the interior of the central Idaho mountains on the South Fork of the Salmon River, near its headwater. An outfitter heard wolves in the area last year and this year one gray pup, 248M, one black lactating female, 249F (probably the alpha), and the probable alpha male, a nearly white wolf (259M) were caught and collared. A recent flight saw four wolves in what counts as a new pack.

Wolves have used this broad meadows and mountains and streams nearby off and on since the reintroduction. It was first used by the old Bear Valley Trio (B30F, B28M, and B19M) back in 1997-8. Wolves' famility with this area probably led to the colonization and formation of both the nearby (to the west) Gold Fork and Orphan Packs.

Thunder Mountain Pack is northeastward over two mountain ridges from Stolle Meadows. Abundant wolf sign was seen this year (but not wolves) in the Riordan Lake area. This relatively large lake (for this country, about a mile long) drains into Johnson Creek, which is the major tributary of the South Fork of the Salmon River. This pack is one of the oldest in the state, but has not had radio collars for a long time — since B22F died in 2002 and B72F dispersed in the spring of 2003. Due to lack of direct observations this pack was not considered a breeding pair in 2003 or 2004 as well as this year, but wolves have been consistently in the general area.

Mouumental Creek Pack is largely inside, but near the western boundary of the Frank Church Wilderness. In 2004 it used an old den site of the Thunder Mountain Pack. The pack was listed as having at least six wolves.

This year Isaac Babcock documented 2 new pups and collared one pup. It was numbered as B250F. However, a recent flight gave a better picture of this growing pack — 14 wolves were seen, including the two pups!

Golden Creek Pack. Monumental Creek is a major upstream tributary of Big Creek, which flows eastward a long way to join the Middle Fork of the Salmon River. This pack has dominated the big, Big Creek drainage in recent years. The pack contained a breeding pair in 2003 and 2004. Last year two pack members were collared, 203F amd 204M, but 203F was shot (the shooter has been idenfied and investigation underway) and 204M ended up poisoned near the mouth of distant Clear Creek (he must have been dispersing).

This year Jim and Holly Akenson collared two more wolves from the pack -- 229F, and adult and 230M, a sub-adult. However, hunters recently found 230M dead. An investigation of this illegal shooting is on-going. His body was retrieved in early October.

There was one visual of the pack. It showed 7 wolves, including 2-3 pups.

Chamberlain Basin Pack. This was one of the first three wolf packs to form in Idaho, way back in Chamberlain Basin, the vast rolling plateau north of Big Creek and south of where the main Salmon River cuts across Idaho. It's deep in the Frank Church Wilderness.

Wolves B9M and B16F formed this pack in 1996. School children named B9, the gray alpha male, Hinton due to his capture near Hinton, Alberta. B16F, the female, received no name. She was gray, and in 1996, a 5-year old wolf. While the numbers were not certain, it appeared that the Chamberlain Pack consisted of 6 wolves at the end of the winter of 1996-7. B16F denned again in 1997 and had a litter of at least four pups. At of the beginning of the winter of 1997-8, the Chamberlain Pack may have been the largest in Idaho -- ten wolves. They had additional litters in 1999, 2000, and 2001. As radio collars died, they were gradually lost track of. By 2002 they were no longer located.

In 2003, however, 7 adults were observed and 2-3 pups were detected based upon howling. None were captured, but the pack was regarded as containing a breeding pair. In 2004, however, the pack didn't use its traditional den site, indicating that B16F was gone. She may well have disappeared earlier, because many packs have great fidelity to their traditional den, her disappearnce may not have been obvious. The next generation(s) often use the same denning area. The 2004 pack could not be located although there was sign a pack was still in the area. The same was true for most of 2005. A journey deep into the Wilderness yielded wolf sign and howling, estimated to be six wolves.

Hunting season yielded a surprise. A Forest Service plane was landed at the Chamberlian (grass) airstrip in the pack's traditional territory. Four wolves were nearby, two subadults, and two adults, including a large nearly white wolf with a non-functioning radio collar. Is old Hinton still around?"

Moving west now, over to the McCall, Cascade, Long Valley area, there are a number of wolf packs-

The Blue Bunch Pack is a new pack formed in part by a long range disperser from the Monumental Pack. Most of its range is on Red Ridge and Blue Bunch Ridge, south of New Meadows and west of McCall. It consists of 2 adults and 4 pups (a pretty typical structure for a new pack).

Orphan Pack was given its name when one of the survivors of the old Bear Valley Trio befriended a pup from the old Stanley Basin Pack which had been left behind as its pack moved on. This lucky Orphan (B61F) became his mate, and while they only had one pup per year, slowly the pack's momentum increased. This year a 2-3 year old member of the pack was trapped in Scott Valley, B246M (possibly the alpha male, although B217M of the Gold Fork Pack [formerly] may instead be the alpha male). B244F was also trapped in Scott Valley. She may be the alpha female. At least 2 pups were present.

The pack ranges around the southern end of the Lick Creek Mountains due east of the town of Cascade northward into Scott Valley and vicinity.

While the original wolves are now gone and the pack has suffered from illegal killing, the pack has maybe 6 members. They seem have a close associated with the neaby . . .

Gold Fork (of the Payette River) Pack-
This pack is just north of the Orphan Pack's territory. It also uses Scott Valley as well as Long Valley and the Lick Creek Mountains between the two. The ancesters of both of these packs were probably familiar the the Warm Lake, Stolle Meadows area, discussed above under the Stolle Meadows Pack. The pack has a fairly long history in the area. It was first confirmed to me by Carter Niemeyer in 2001. They probably formed in 2000, about the time the Orphan Pack moved into the area south.

Misc. packs
(I couldn't fit these into my by-the-river-drainage scheme).

It is on the west side of the Salmon River in the general vicinity of Riggins. Note that the Salmon River runs from east to west across central Idaho, but at Riggins it turns to the northwest, so the Salmon River has a west side here. Much of this pack's territory includes Rapid River, a beatiful clear water stream that rises in the Seven Devil Mountains near the Idaho/Oregon border. I think the water of Rapid River may be the most pleasing I have ever seen.

B206F, the alpha female had a radio collar, but she was found dead this year. The pack had six members last year, included 2-4 pups. It hasn't been sighted this year.

Magruder-
This was a large pack on the Magruder Corridor between the Selway-Bitteroot and Frank Church Wilderness, but there is no sign of it this year. The relationship between it, the Selway Pack, and the newly discovered packs in the Selway-Bittterrot Wilderness complicate the picture.

Avery (listed in capture reports, but this not near Avery on the St. Joe River).
Two wolves were caught and collared this year about 15 miles NE of Deary, five miles west of Boville -- B 233F and B234M. This is way up north, east of Moscow. This would make them Idaho's northernmost wolf pack.
12-19. More recent news is that this pack is thought to have 2 pups and 2 subadult members as well as the adults. It ranges north almost to the Silver Valley (Wallace, Idaho). It goes east to Lookout Pass (where I-90) crosses from Montana to Idaho and west to the Chain Lakes.

I want to thank Curt Mack and Jim Holyan of the Nez Perce Tribal wolf team for this information. They spent about 2 hours with me. Any errors are mine, and there are some present, so this page will be updated. Opinions are also mine.

West Central Idaho-

Misc. packs (I couldn't fit these into my by-the-river-drainage scheme).

Misc. packs
(I couldn't fit these into my by-the-river-drainage scheme).