US Fish and
Wildlife Service explains the termination (killing) of
the Castle Rock and Halfway wolf packs of southwest central Montana
3-5-2003
These two wolf packs were recently eliminated by order of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Joe Fontaine, writing for the Service gives the government's explanation.
These two packs were quite exceptional in their propensity to kill livestock, including large cattle. RM
By Joe Fontaine, US Fish and Wildlife Service
March 5, 2003
To Interested Parties,
The Castle Rock(CR), (formerly Boulder), pack and the Halfway packs are in
the Northwest Montana recovery area and have full protection of the
Endangered Species Act. The 1999 Interim Control Plan allows the Service to
control problem wolves in this recovery area. (The Plan is available at FWS
website,
http://mountain-prairie.fws.gov/wolf/interim_plan999/wolfcnt.htm) The
Service believes that a practical and responsive control program to remove
problem wolves is essential to wolf recovery by promoting public acceptance
of wolves and thereby enhancing the survival of the species. Such a control
program removes a few individuals from the wild to protect larger,
non-depredating wolf populations through improved community acceptance.
Wolves that have become problem wolves will be removed, reducing
depredations and the resulting conflicts between humans and wolves. The
Service believes that illegal killing of wolves will be reduced if there is
a way to control problem wolves.
The CR pack has been in the Avon area since 1994 and has had a continuous
history of killing livestock (see below). The CR pack's territory is
primarily on private land but also encompasses several sections of Forest
Service and State land that have public grazing allotments. The pack travels
over land belonging to 3-8 different ranches depending on their movements
due to the time of the year or the size of the pack In addition there are
several sections of Plumb Creek Timber land. All the landowners have been
easy to deal with and understand that the wolves are here to stay. At the
same time they would like the wolves to not prey on their livestock, but if
they do, something is done to resolve the conflict.
The largest landowner in the area has been the most affected by the wolves
as indicated by the number of calves they have been short during a few of
the years (58 in 1996, 54 in 2002, See below) versus a normal year when they
are short about 20. They realize that not all of the losses can be
contributed to the wolves but the number of calves lost are far greater than
they have experienced in the past.
The CR pack has sporadically killed livestock since their establishment in
the area in 1994 despite our best efforts. It was evident in the latest
depredation that the two members of the CR pack that had joined with the
pups in the Halfway pack were teaching them to actively hunt and kill
livestock because they killed a pregnant adult cow. Within several days the
CR pack killed an adult bull, the first documented case in the recovery
areas. We have only documented about 4-5 cases where wolves have killed
adult cattle. Because the packs killed adults and not yearlings or calves we
believe they were actively pursuing cattle as a prey base.
Due to the sporadic confirmed depredations, large numbers of missing calves,
and the latest killing of adult cattle, it was necessary to eliminate the
Halfway pack and try and eliminate the Castle Rock pack. If the members of
these packs were not removed, they would continue to teach other wolves to
kill livestock. It would be possible that dispersers from these packs would
then establish a territory in a new area and begin to kill livestock.
Is this the end of the Castle Rock and Halfway packs? Probably not. We have
eliminated other packs in years past in other areas due to livestock
depredations and have had wolves reestablish in those areas within 2-5 years
at population levels lower than at present in NW Montana. Wolves will be
back in these pack territories given time and hopefully they will not be
prone to killing livestock.
Castle Rock 2002-2003
Wildlife Services(WS) confirmed that a wolf had killed 2 calves and possibly
a third near Avon, Montana on March 16th. Traps were set and an adult male
wolf was caught, radio collared and released on site. This was an area
adjacent to the CR pack territory. There were no known male wolves in the
pack at the time Subsequent aerial locations found the male laying near the
CR den. In late November 2000, the radio collared alpha male could no longer
be located. There was no reproduction in 2001 and only the adult female and
her 3 pups were seen from the air. During one of the flights, 3 pups were
seen at the den.
August 4th, WS investigated a possible wolf kill and confirmed on the 5th
that 3 calves had been killed by wolves and another calf killed was
confirmed on the 8th. Two adult male wolves were radio collared and released
on site. On August 19th, two adult male wolves were lethally removed in
response to cattle depredations. An effort to capture and radio collar other
pack members was unsuccessful.
On September 3rd, the CR pack was located from the air and 2 wolves were
observed harassing a domestic cow/calf pair. The owner was notified and a
radio receiver was provided to help monitor the wolves. The producer had
extra riders checking the herd and he occasionally checked them from the
air.
A male pup was darted and radio collared on September 9th to help mark the
CR pack.
WS confirmed that CR wolves killed and fed on an adult bull west of Avon, MT
on January 27, 2003. This was the first documented case of a bull in the
northern Rockies being killed by wolves. A wolf was shot the next day after
the rancher moved the bull to an adjacent pasture to attract coyotes so they
could be shot. He immediately called law enforcement after shooting the
wolf. The case is under investigation. WS shot an uncollared yearling male
in the vicinity of the carcass that evening. A telemetry flight on the 29th
indicated that the Castle Rock pack was still near the bull carcass and
responsible for killing it. Killing of adult cattle is an indication that
the wolves are actively hunting cattle.
On February 6th, 3 uncollared members of the CR pack were killed and later
in the afternoon WS killed the two former members of the CR pack in the
Halfway pack territory.
Halfway Pack 2002-2003
The Halfway pack, located about 4 miles north of Avon and the CR pack,
killed a calf in early September. This was a newly formed pack that was
discovered September 3, 2002. The alpha female #281 of the Halfway pack had
been relocated in 2000 as a yearling, along with 4 other wolves from the CR
pack, to the Yaak in NWMT as a preemptive measure to prevent livestock
depredations. Wolf #281 traveled approximately 198 airline miles from the
relocation site to near Avon. The alpha female was recaptured on September
15th, fitted with a new collar and released on site.
The pack killed 2-3 sheep shortly after she was radio collared. An attempt
was made to capture and radio collar another member of the pack and kill the
alpha male if possible. On the 19th the alpha male was found dead in one of
the traps, apparently having died of exposure. There were no additional
depredations.
The alpha female could not be located about a month after her last location
and is thought to have been illegally killed.
A pup from the Halfway pack was found dead along highway 141 as a result of
being struck by a vehicle.
WS confirmed that the Halfway pack was responsible for killing a pregnant
adult cow. The pack was located because two radio collared former members of
the CR pack had joined with the Halfway pack. Because of chronic cattle
harassment, active hunting of adult cattle, and previous depredations,
lethal control of the entire pack was authorized along with removal of the
CR pack.
WS killed 3 members of the Halfway pack on February 3rd. Two additional
wolves were seen. The Halfway pack was eliminated and there are 3-4 members
of the Castle Rock pack that still need to be removed.
Castle Rock Pack Depredation Chronology
1994
1 cattle killed, no control
After wolves killed livestock in Boulder in 1995, the livestock producer
presented photographs of a calf he had found injured in 1994. Based upon the
photographic evidence and location of the calf, it was determined that it
had been wounded and subsequently died from injuries caused by wolves in
summer
1994.
1995
3 cattle killed, 3 wolves captured and released on site, 2 wolves relocated.
1996
58 calves missing, possibly killed by wolves versus normal 20 head missing
in fall, no control.
1997
1/2/97 7 yearling cattle confirmed killed
1/3/97 4 pups lethally controlled, possibly a 5th (reports of a wolf carcass
in area later)
6/1/97 1 calf confirmed killed
6/2/97 1 calf confirmed killed
6/8/97 1 calf confirmed killed
7/17/97 3 pups caught and placed in captivity in Idaho (all three killed by
other wolves in pen)
8/5/97 1 more pup caught and placed in pen in Idaho, later released
2 wolves lethally controlled
1998
2/28/98 Alpha female lethally controlled
1999
No depredation activity reported
2000
3/20/00 1 calf confirmed injured and died later
10/20/00 2 calves confirmed killed, 3 other calves unconfirmed
2001
1/16/01 5 wolves captured in a preventative relocation effort to reduce pack
size, held in acclimation pen, then translocated 3/28/01 to NW Montana
(preemptive action)
11/7/01 1 calf confirmed injured
2002
4/11/02 2 calves probable kills
4/16/02 1 adult male wolf captured, radio collared, released on site
8/5/02 4 calves confirmed killed
8/08/02 1 calf probable kill
8/10/02 1 wolves captured, radio collared, released on site
8/12/02 1 wolves captured, radio collared, released on site
8/19/02 2 wolves lethally controlled
54 calves missing possibly killed by wolves, normally 20 calves missing,
producer provided with receiver, extra riders checking cattle.
2003
1/27/03 1 adult bull confirmed killed. Rancher shoots 1 wolf next to carcass
west of Avon
1/28/03 1 wolf lethally controlled on same carcass at night
2/6/03 3 wolves lethally controlled including suspected alpha male
2/6/03 2 wolves that dispersed to the Halfway pack were lethally controlled