2003-4 Winter Radio Collaring for Idaho Wolves

3-1-2004, additions 3-3

Twenty-six new radio collars were put on Idaho wolves this winter by use of aircraft, a good deal more than the previous winter. One wolf was re-collared. Twenty-one collars in total were deployed in 2003, including 14 from helicopter capture and 7 from the ground.

For last winter see: 2003 collaring story.

Here is the collared breakdown by pack. Cook Pack- 3 new collars on B174M, B175F, and B176M to go along with B168F; French/Partridge Ck. wolves- 2 new collars on B180F and B181M to go along with B172M; Scott Mountain Pack.- 3 new collars on B177M, B178F, and B179M to go along with B78F and B115M (the alpha pair); Hazard Lake Pack- 4 new collars on B182F, B183M, B184M, and B185F to go along with previously collared  B105; Steel Mtn. Pack - 4 new collars on B186F, B187M, B188F, and B189F to go along with R241M; (Pair, B109F and mate- replaced the collar on B109 and put a new collar on her "mate" B190M; Soldier Mtn. Pack- 2 new collars on B191F and B192F to go along with B149M and B150F (the alpha pair); Buffalo Ridge Pack- 2 new collars on B193M and B194F to go along with B93M and B95F (the alpha pair); Castle Peak Pack- One new collar in the pack. It went on B195 (a pup) to go along with B2M; and, finally, the Morgan Creek Pack- 3 new collars on B196, B197F, and B198F to go along with B160M.

Notes: Steel Mountain Pack wolf R241M is a wolf that migrated from the Sheep Mountain Pack north of Yellowstone Park hundreds of miles to SW Central Idaho to join with or help form the Steel Mountain Pack. This happened about a year ago.

The French Creek/Partridge Creek wolves are not regarded as a pack yet.

The Cook Pack was responsible last summer for killing more sheep than any other depredation in Idaho, over a hundred sheep. The pack was targeted for heavy control, but Wildlife Service control efforts ended when the presence of anti-wolf activists trying to video, put up police tape, and otherwise try to make political hay out of the situation in the area made efforts at control impossible. This pack also displaced B45F, the famous wolf that went to Oregon.  Her radio collar is dead, and it is not know where is she if or even if she is alive.

The relationship between the Cook Pack, the Hazard Lake Pack, and the French Cr/Partridge Cr. group of about 6 wolves has not been worked out yet. They do inhabit an area with a lot of domestic sheep in places, including some of Idaho's best sheep operators, mingled with some pretty bad ones.

I noted earlier that B2M is probably the oldest wild wolf ever recorded (14 years +).  His radio collar has been in mortality mode for about a month now, but it could be just a dropped collar. At any rate, the signal is in such a remote location that the matter may not be investigated on the ground for some time. B2's mate has escaped several collaring attempts.

Here is some data on the captured wolves' weights. These are estimates because scales were not taken on the flights. Cook pack- B176M=85lbs.; Scott Mtn. pack- B177M=85lbs. and B179M=90lbs.; Partridge group- B181M=85lbs.; Hazard Lake pack- B182F=70lbs. and B183M=65lbs.; and Morgan Ck. pack- B197F=90lbs. and B198F=100lbs. Pups are in bold.

These are hardly the 150 pound wolves that Idaho anti-wolf activists claim are the norm.

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