Idaho Wolf News. June 2003

Idaho Wolf News. June 2003

July 6, 2003

New wolf pups and packs continue to be discovered in Idaho, and some old packs have disappeared.
Since the last update, the Buffalo Ridge Pack has became well discovered, but radio collared sub-adult is dead (B143M). His carcass was recovered and his death is under investigation. Referral of inquiries to USFWS Law Enforcement indicates that this is thought to be an illegal kill. Since then the Buffalo Ridge Pack and their six pups have left the den area, to a rendezvous site higher in the Salmon River Mountains. Note added in Jan. 2004. B143M was poisoned by illegally using 1080 . . . awful stuff.
The first new wolf pack (B107F's Pack) on the SNRA has been named the "Galena Pack." B107M is a disperser from the old Moyer Basin Pack. Controversy brews over Judge Winmill's new order for the government not to kill any SNRA wolves again this year even if they kill livestock. In the past every pack that formed in the SNRA was eventually killed, or killed and dispersed by the government, due to livestock conflicts. Many folks contend the "depredations" were avoidable and were, at any rate, minor stuff. Sheep, which have been the main problem, were imported into the SNRA in mid-June. Now it is early July and sheep and cattle are all over the place in the Sawtooth Valley below the wolf den. Judge Winmill has also clarified his ruling, indicating it does not mean USFWS and Wildlife Service can't intervene to use proactive and non-lethal techniques to keep the wolves and livestock apart.
In early July, it as been confirmed that old B2M, at least 13 years old, is the father of a litter of five pups in the White Cloud Mountains of the Sawtooth National Recreation Area. The pack will be named "The Castle Peak Pack" after that magnificent mountain, lord (or lady) of the White Clouds. This is the second documented pack in the SRNA this year, and the government can't kill any of them this time even if they do get a lamb or calf, or so. They too are protected by Judge Winmill's restraining order.
Efforts to find the 10 or 11 member uncollared wolf pack that showed up in Morgan Creek, NW of Challis, last summer, fall, and winter have been completely unsuccessful. Interestingly there are good indications that the old Twin Peak Pack den site (not too far to the west) has been reinhabited and with pups. Perhaps the demise of the Twin Peaks Pack was incorrect. Although there is no certainly, the 10-11 wolves in Morgan Creek are not thought to be the Twin Peaks Pack.
Isaac Babcock and Anastacia Kampe did, however, confirm at least one pup in the reconstituted Moyer Basin Pack in the headwaters of Panther Creek which is on the north side of Morgan Creek Summit.
It looked like the long-standing Jureano Mountain Pack on Salmon River Mountain, above and west of the town of Salmon probably, didn't den this year, but It turns out they did den and have pups, but in a very new location, probably the outcome of the many changes in the composition of the pack over the last year.
A new pack has formed near the headwaters of the Middle Fork of the Boise River. It is named the "Steel Mountain Pack." Interestingly, it includes one wolf (R241M) that migrated to the Central Idaho area from Montana just north of Yellowstone Park -- a very long dispersal. Six or seven pups have been observed along with at least 2 adults.
There are continuing reports of wolves near Idaho City, in the mountains about 25 miles NE of Boise, but tribal wolf team workers have not found hard evidence of wolves there after searching.
Several years ago, the Big Smoky Pack in the Soldier Mountains north of Fairfield was illegally poisoned and shot out, but a new Soldier Mountain Pack has been located in the area this year. There have been reports of wolves for well over a year, so the pack might not be brand new. The likely alpha pair has been trapped and radio-collared by the Nez Perce wolf crew. Just one pup has been confirmed
It appears that a new pack has also formed during the winter near Warm Springs Creek, just west of the Sawtooth Mountains. Four to six wolves including one radio collared wolf were located in the area. Now these wolves are now more in the Bruce Meadows, upper Bear Valley area, as one would expect as summer arrives. One radio collared wolf was been identified, B109, dispersing from the Wolf Fang Pack. It is not clear if this wolf is traveling with the others observed.
A likely new pack has formed near busy U.S. Highway 95 south of Riggins in extreme Western Idaho. Several weeks ago they were implicated in the death of several sheep and the pack might be controlled. The alpha male seems to be B105M of the old Stanley Pack, which was shot out of the SNRA and 105M in particular so scared by a RAG box at the Challis dump that it prompted 105's very quick flight completely across central Idaho! If these Riggins wolves follow the elk and deer up the mountain to the east of US 95, they would have miles and miles of rugged backcountry where they would get in less trouble. This pack has been named the "Hazard Lake Pack."
There is a new wolf pack north and west of Elk City, Idaho. It will be called the "Ohara Point pack" It is composed of dispersing wolf B111 (Jureano Mountain pack) and 1-3 other adult wolves. This is in North Central Idaho.
Yet another new wolf pack is the Hemlock Ridge Pack, also in north central Idaho near Piece. Nez Perce Tribal crews were able to radio collar a wolf and confirm a litter of pups.
These appear to the be the packs with pups identified so far: Selway, Galena (new), Buffalo Ridge, Jureano Mountain, Soldier Mountain (new), Hemlock Ridge (new), Steel Mountain (new), Landmark, Hazard Lakes (new), Big Hole, Moyer (the pack's 2nd year, but not the original Moyer Pack), Chamberlain, Orphan, Scott Mountain, and Kelly Creek (added July 18). Jim and Holly Akenson, University of Idaho researchers and caretakers at Taylor Ranch assisted the Tribe in documenting the litter for the Chamberlain Pack, one of Idaho's 3 oldest wolf packs. Akensons have been studying the interactions of wolves, cougar, bobcats, elk, deer and moose in the Big Creek area of the Frank Church Wilderness for a number of years now and have given a number of important presentations.
The Landmark and Selway packs, like the Chamberlain Basin pack, formed naturally in 1996, the second year of the Idaho wolf reintroduction program.
In May a flight was made of SE Idaho to try to locate any "missing" wolves with radio collars. None were found. There was a wolf killed on the Idaho/Utah border near Weston in Cache Valley last winter, and there were many reports of wolves south of Pocatello and east of Soda Springs, Idaho late last winter.

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Ralph Maughan PO Box 8264, Pocatello, ID 83209