Here are the latest Idaho wolf locations from tracking flights. The raw data was furnished by Curt Mack, head of the the Nez Perce Tribal Wolf Team. The tracking flights were made April 16-20.

The Idaho report is followed by some miscellaneous information about Yellowstone wolves and two wolf incidents in Montana, including an accidental death of one uncollared wolf.

I have rewritten the report slightly and added some data (mostly geographic data), comments, and speculation.

The latest information gives no denning information although undoubtedly there are numerous denned wolves. I have made some guesses.

Here are the locations from the April 16-20 tracking flights.

North of the Salmon River

"Up to ten radio-collared wolves remain north of the Salmon River. Two wolf packs and 2-3 wolf pairs occur in this area. One litter of 5 pups was produced last year north of the Salmon River -- the Kelly Creek Pack."

Bitterroot National Forest

The female Boulder Pack pup (now a yearling) released at the Hornocker Wildlife Institute facility in the Selway/Bitterroot Wilderness at Running Creek on March 20 remains near the facility after she explored up the Selway River and up Running Creek. On April 18, she was one mile east of the facility.

Idaho Panhandle, Clearwater and Lolo National Forests

The Kelly Creek pack was located in Granite Creek near the Idaho/Montana border a little way north of Lolo Pass (this is where highway 12 crosses). Den?

The pair B20F and B31M moved about 30 miles from their location in early April on Jungle Point in the North Fork of the Clearwater River. They were located on the Idaho Panhandle National Forest in the upper reaches of the St. Joe River. They are the most northerly of the reintroduced wolves.

Long time pair wolf B11F ("Blackfire) and Wolf B7M were located in the same general vicinity they have frequented for the last month. This time there were in the South Fork of Lolo Creek inside Montana at the north end of the Bitterroot Range. This pair has been together for 2 1/2 years. Will they whelp pups for the first time?

Lone wolf B12M was located for the first time since November 1997. He was in the upper reaches of Fish Creek. This is north of U.S. Highway 12, in the general territory of the Kelly Creek Pack. Last November, no. 12 was located on Morgan Creek Summit, far to the south on the Salmon/Challis National Forest. That was in the territory of the Moyer Creek and also the Jureano Mountain Packs.

Nez Perce National Forest-

The Selway pack wolves including adults B5M and B10F and their 2-year old offspring were located on the western extreme of their territory near Red River Hot Springs.

Wolf B33M was not located this tracking flight.

South of the Salmon River

"Up to 23 radio-collared wolves remain south of the Salmon River. Nine wolf pairs occur in this area including five pairs that have produced 25-27 wolf pups last year; two of these pairs also produced pups in 1996 -- the Landmark Pack and the Chamberlain Basin Pack."

Payette National Forest-

The Chamberlain Basin pack including adult wolf B16F, Wolf B9M ("Hinton"), and offspring were located on McCalla Ridge in Chamberlain Basin, deep in the Frank Church Wilderness.

As usual wolf B22F and her associate (the "Monumental Creek pair" as I call them) were located in the headwaters of the West Fork of Monumental Creek. I think this is a probable den.

Boise National Forest-

The Bear Valley Pack, wolves B30F, B28M and wolf B19M were located in new territory. There were in Indian Creek near the Middle Fork of the Salmon River in the middle of the Frank Church Wilderness. They have always been south of the Landmark Pack before. This location is north of that pack.

Landmark pack wolves B6F, Wolf B8M, and offspring (both yearlings and also adult wolves) were again located in Pistol Creek as they have been so much recently. Denned? Probably. This is near the southwest part of the Frank Church Wilderness.

Salmon-Challis National Forest-

The Jureano Mountain pack including wolves B25F and B32M were again located up Pine Creek, a tributary to the main Salmon River. Pine Creek is a few miles east of the mouth of Panther Creek, a major tributary to the Salmon. I think this is another den.

Once again wolf B24M was not located.

The Moyer Basin pack including wolves B29M and B37F and the yearling members of the pack were located in the headwaters of Silver Creek. Another den I suspect.

Long time pair wolf B35F and Wolf B18M still remained in the Warm Spring Creek drainage in the southeast corner of the Frank Church Wilderness. Probably another den, I think.

Wolf B2M ("Chat-Chaaht") was not located due to bad flight weather.
 

Sawtooth National Forest and Sawtooth National Recreation Area-

The Stanley Pack, wolf B23F, B27M, and yearlings were not located last time, but this time they were on the east side of Stanley Basin in Little Casino Creek, the first time they have been in this area. They also recently visited Boundary Creek, which is nearby.  Note: I visited these areas on 5-31-98, but found no wolf sign.

Wolf B36F was again located along a tributary of the East Fork of the Salmon River, just to the east of the White Cloud Mountains. She has often been seen with another wolf for almost a year. The report made no mention of this uncollared wolf, but this is another possible den.

Predation on livestock-

As usual the Idaho wolves stayed away from livestock. The Lemhi County Sheriff Office reported a possible wolf-killed calf near the town of Leadore (pronounced Lead Ore, like the mineral). Investigated determined it was not a wolf kill.

Yellowstone News-

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has now reported that the Chief Joseph Pack, no. 33F and 34M, have denned in Daly (a.k.a. Dailey) Creek at the NW corner of the Park. This pair has four yearlings, the product of the union last year between 34M and the late 17F.

USF&WS also reports that the Soda Butte pack has denned in the remote Thorofare Country (SE corner of Yellowstone).

Wolftracker http://www.wolftracker.com reports that the Crystal Creek Pack has made a probable kill of their third bison, the only pack to have taken live bison. The pack was observed on the kill. Signs in the snow indicated that they had made the kill.

Northwest Montana News-

This is from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service:

"A yearling female wolf was caught by Wildlife Services in the Ninemile Valley near where a new-born calf disappeared last week. Wolf scat containing calf hair was also found near the site.  The wolf was released on site and will be monitored to see if any other depredations occur.

A young unmarked black female wolf accidentally pulled a M-44 device south of Alder, MT on about the 15th [of April].  Law enforcement was contacted and her DNA will be examined to determine her origin.  This is the second wolf accidentally killed by an M-44 that was set for coyotes in that area in the past 2 years."

Note: the previous wolf killed in this area by an M-44 cyanide gun was no. R71F, a Sawtooth yearling. I understand that BLM has warned ADC even then, but it did no good and apparently nothing was learned.