The recent deaths of the alpha pair of Idaho's Landmark Pack, no. B6F and B8M, has caused the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to delay for at least a year the rule that would allow livestock owners in Idaho to shoot wolves that attack their livestock on public lands.
From the beginning ranchers whose livestock is attacked on private lands have been allowed to shoot the wolves while they are in the act of attacking. After six breeding pairs are confirmed, the rule allowing them to shoot on public lands go into effect.
The more flexible rules went into effect in the Yellowstone country last year. Idaho did have six officially-recognized breeding pairs, but now that is pushed to five, although in my opinion newly formed pairs will probably push them number well past five. These new pairs with pups don't count, however, until and unless the pups are successfully raised through December 31, 1998.
The cause of the deaths of the Landmark alphas is still not known. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife service said that the autopsy of Bee Yeh, or B6F, had so far not shown signs of foul play. Her body was found near the trail along the Middle Fork of the Salmon River. The body of the male is underwater in the river, and has not been recovered.
In the event that someone did kill the Landmark pair, the lesson should be obvious -- kill the wolves and the result is continuation of tougher restrictions. In my view, that's called "justice."
The fate of the rest of the pack, none of which has radio collars, remains unknown, although a Forest Service person at the Indian Creek Guard Station inside the huge Frank Church/River of No Return Wilderness reported he heard howling in the general area, indicating that some or all of the rest of the pack is alive.
Last week I tried to get into the area. I thought I could pack into Pistol Creek from the Middle Fork and look for wolves. Unfortunately, my rig was stopped by snowdrifts at the summit on the road that descends to Dagger Falls on the Middle Fork (the point of road access).
In other Idaho wolf news, I have learned the wolf B14, who migrated to Montana and stepped to become the alpha male of Boulder Pack just prior to planned killing of Opal, the pack's alpha female, has bound tightly with the two pups (now yearlings). Since Opal's death, the pack has not been in trouble. Opal was killed for repeatedly killing livestock. However, great pains were taken to salvage the pups. One of the pups is presently in Idaho's Selway-Bitterroot wilderness after being released from a holding facility where she was raised for about six months.
Idaho wolves which have migrated to Montana are generally not monitored by the Nez Perce Tribal wolf recovery team which manages the Idaho wolves.
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