Wolves are in Jackson Hole
12-3-98
Three wolves in Grand Teton National Park-
"They've seen the neighborhood, now they might make it home," so began the article in the Jackson Hole Guide, about the first appearance of wolves in Grand Teton National Park.
After several year's speculation when they would appear, there is a good chance the wolves now in Grand Teton National Park will stay in or near the Park in the broad mountain valley called Jackson Hole.
The wolves were first seen by a hunter from Teton Point Overlook north of Moose, Wyoming, Grand Teton National Park headquarters. The hunter told Park rangers, and rangers soon spotted three wolves southeast of Jenny Lake near Timbered Island. This is right in front of the Grand Teton, for those who wonder about the location.
It has been determined that the three wolves consist of male no. 29M, the famous "escape artist" wolf that was until recently the alpha male of the Nez Perce Pack. He is accompanied by radio-collared female yearling 129F of the former Thorofare Pack and most likely, her yearling sister. Both of the Thorofare wolves are now 18 months old and one or both could whelp pups in Jackson Hole next spring. Number 29 was born in British Columbia in 1994. He has fathered one litter of pups with his late sister 37F, and perhaps a second litter last spring with his younger sister 48F.
The Thorofare Pack was a naturally formed pack in the remote SE corner of Yellowstone, but it was destroyed last winter by the rival Soda Butte Pack and by an avalanche. The surviving pups somehow made it through the winter alone, and now two of them are in Jackson Hole.
The three wolves spotted are not the only wolves near Jackson Hole. The long-awaited dispersal of the Soda Butte Pack's beta female, 24F has happened. She has paired with Washakie yearling 133M, and Doug Smith radio located these two black wolves November 29 in the Buffalo Valley, a broad stream valley just to the northeast of Jackson Hole.
The Tetons from the Buffalo Valley
Copyright © Ralph Maughan
Ed Bangs, head of Northern Rockies Wolf Recovery was quoted in the Jackson Hole News that there was a good chance the wolves would remain in the area and have pups. He said, "These wolves know there's wolves north of them. They found a great place with a lot of food. I wouldn't be surprised if they find a south-facing slope and wander around there for the winter." Bangs speculated that one of the two females may establish dominance by late winter and have pups. I speculate that both could have pups because we have seen multiple litters in the Yellowstone packs in situations of great food abundance.
Jackson Hole has a huge winter prey base, consisting of from 10,000 to 15,000 wintering elk, hundreds of moose and deer and a growing bison herd. In the summertime the elk mostly migrate into the mountains around Jackson Hole, mountains with which the wolves are already somewhat familiar. So the pack(s), if they form, may leave Jackson Hole in the summer. They may follow the elk northward or they may explore new country to the south or even in adjacent eastern Idaho.
Grand Teton National Park is one of the few national parks that allows cattle grazing. Because much of the Park was created from private land and public land with pre-existing grazing leases, some livestock grazing was grandfathered. However, the bulk of the grazing is in the summertime. The southern end of the valley has undergone amazing development in recent years, making the town of Jackson really a small city.
There has been other interesting wolf news in the Yellowstone area.
The Rose Creek Pack makes an incursion into Leopold Territory-
Recently the Rose Creek Pack, 22-strong, moved south of the Mammoth-to-Tower-Jct. road into the territory of the 10 or 11-member Leopold Pack. According to the Yellowstone wolf team, the packs circled at a distance as close as 1/2 mile for an hour and 10 minutes while doing lots of howling. Rose Creek finally left the area and Leopold moved a bit to the south. A few days later Rose Creek made an incursion into Druid Peak Pack territory on Specimen Ridge, but at the time the Druids were up in Cache Creek.
Most recently the Rose Creek Pack was observed back in its typical territory, in Slough Creek.
Seven Druids spotted. One is missing.
The most recent observations of the frequently observed Druid Peak Pack revealed just seven wolves. The best indication is that the missing wolf is no. 107F. She may have dispersed. She showed some signs of dispersal behavior when her brother 104M dispersed earlier this fall to become alpha male of the Crystal Creek Pack.
Chief Joseph Pack no. 1-
The Chief Joseph Pack was tracked in the core of its territory. Last Friday they were in Specimen Creek in the NW corner of Yellowstone Park.
Chief Joseph Pack no. 2 (no. 16F and her pups)-
No. 16 was located as usual just north of the Park. Six pups were observed. I find it surprising that this lone female brought all of her pups through the summer without assistance. The pack is typically found north of Gardiner and eastward in Eagle Creek, Bear Creek, Crevice Creek. This is an area with a substantial mule deer population, probably explaining her success feeding her litter.
Crystal Creek Pack-
The 16-member Crystal Creek pack has moved out of the Pelican Valley and into the Hayden Valley in the center of the Park. Number 104M remains the new alpha male.
Sunlight Pair-
As usual, no. 41F and 52M were last located near Sunlight Basin, east of Yellowstone Park. However, they were not located on the latest tracking flight. This pair seems to make a circuit between Sunlight Basin on the south and the Clark's Fork of the Yellowstone/Crandall Creek area on the north.
Nez Perce Pack-
There has finally been a good visual observation of all current members the Nez Perce Pack. Seven wolves were seen on a kill in Nez Perce Creek. This may indicate that three pups survived the summer. Are they 67's, 48's, or a mixture? This pack's range is the geyser basin area from Madison Junction o0n the north to West Thumb on the south inside Yellowstone National Park.
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Copyright ©1998 Ralph Maughan
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