Almost a month ago several cattle were killed by a wolf or wolves in the Big Hole Valley of SW Montana. It was in the general area between Jackson and Wisdom, Montana. The Fish and Wildlife Service determined quickly that these wolves would be killed (the one strike rule being generally in effect for Idaho wolves due to their large population growth in 1998). A number of newspapers did stories on these couple lost cows with some hostile quotes from the ranchers. I understand the ranchers had not learned about the government decision when they commented to the media.
I didn't do a story on it at the time because no radio signals from wolf collars were received and tracking the wolves on the ground proved futile. For the time being the operation was put on hold.
Suddenly the other day, two wolves with functioning radio collars showed up right near the area of the depredations and their physical description matched that given by the ranchers. It is hard to know why these radio signals were not received previously because it appears that at least 5 flights were made and the collars were functioning.
The two wolves were B34M, a long time loner who was reintroduced from British Columbia in 1996, and B54F of the Moyer Basin Pack. B54F was captured and relocated last summer when she was trapped atop a dead cow. It turns out the cow wasn't killed by wolves, but her pack did later kill some cows last summer.
Unfortunately B54F was carrying six pups -- 3 male and 3 female. This is not the setback it may appear because the Idaho wolf population is thriving. Yellowstone wolves are migrating to Idaho and probably the reverse will soon occur if it hasn't already. There are numerous reports of lone wolves in the SW Montana area. Many sub-adults are most likely out there, dispersed from their packs. The lone Washakie wolf 132M, orginally born SE of Yellowstone, and who was recently located near Dillon, Montana, more recently moved to near Leadore, Idaho where he killed five sheep and then over the tall Lemhi Mountains (the edge of central Idaho) to May, Idaho. He was trapped and released in north central Idaho, and the first known wolf to migrate from the Yellowstone ecosystem to central Idaho.
Notes: Don't confuse Jackson, Montana with Jackson, Wyoming. The town of Leadore is pronounced Lead (as in the element) Ore (as in the mineral that is mined). The country around Leadore and May is my favorite in Idaho and I hope there will soon be wolves there permanently
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Copyright © 1999 Ralph Maughan
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