Update on wolves to the north and northwest of Yellowstone Park

Update on wolves to the north and northwest of Yellowstone Park

Aug. 28, 2003, minor addition 9-6

I haven't done a report on the numerous wolf packs in Montana to the west, northwest and north of Yellowstone Pack since last December.

The information below on these wolf packs came primarily from award-winning biologist Val Asher of the Turner Endangered Species Fund (TESF). Thanks, Val!

There are from 7 to 9 packs in the Greater Yellowstone to the north of the Park, not counting Rose Creek II which recently moved north of the Park. Many are long-standing packs, such as the Chief Joseph Pack dating to wolves reintroduced in 1996. Others, like the Sentinel Pack are quite new.

Asher has focused most of her field work this summer to the northwest of the Park. Last year there were several "depredations" north of the Park in Paradise Valley, but not this spring or summer.

Here is a rundown on the packs.

First the oldest, the Chief Joseph Pack.

This pack formed in 1996, almost died out, but was regenerated with the dual pregnancies of former Rose Creek wolves 16F and 17F and the adoption of the late 17F's pups by 33F, the second Chief Joe alpha female. Both Rose Creek females had been bred by the original Chief Joe alpha male, 34M.

It seems like every year efforts have to made to prevent the pack from denning outside the Park on private land in Tom Miner or Cinnabar Basin. Again this year they were "encouraged" to den inside the Park, and they did in Daly Creek, their most common den area. However, all or part of the pups were soon moved across US 191 to the drainage behind Black Butte Ranch. They remained there in the security of the wildlife-friendly ranch for a while, but before biologists could check it out, the pack moved the pups again and the den was never found.

It appears the pack has at least 3 pups. Three pups have been seen on several occasions. A women in West Yellowstone emailed by about a month ago indicating she met 3 of the pups right on the Daly Creek Trail. Val Asher told me 3 pups had been seen at other places.

At one time this pack had many radio collars, although it has always been a pack that is hard to capture for collaring. Unfortunately for trackers, both collared 33F, and 34M were killed in 2001 and the other collared members of the pack dispersed. The pack itself was still strong with visual observations of an apparently healthy pack, but all attempts to re-collar them have failed. At the end of 2002 the pack's size was estimated to be 10 wolves.

Most recently, the pack killed a cow calf in Wapiti Creek, which is a bit west of the NW corner of the Park. It is a stream that flows north into the Taylor Fork of the Gallatin. Traps were set, but very quickly a grizzly bear got the bait and the traps were pulled.

For the time being efforts to relocate the pack in Daly Creek are on hold due to the sudden explosion of the Rathbone Fire which is burning quickly from its origin just west of the Park boundary, northeastward toward the Gallatin River and the Black Butte/Daly Creek area.

Addition 9-6 It has finally better determined the pack has 5 pups this year, and the total size of this uncollared pack appears to be 14 wolves, inc. pups. Some of the pack were almost trapped on Sept. 1. USFWS writes: "Trapping with #3 soft-catch, tranquilizer tabs, trap site transmitters, and double sets, was conducted in Daly Creek the night of the 1st. There were 3 pull-outs in a row and then 2 dug-up sets. All traps were pulled. Ground darting was attempted the next morning but the pack left the area that night."

Paradise Valley Packs- Lone Bear, Mill Creek, Sheep Mountain, others.

The Sheep Mountain pack was the first permanent wolf pack north of Yellowstone Park. It was founded by the late 16F, but Asher said there is little current information. The pack lives near Dome Mountain and to Dome Mountain's east in the Montana Absaroka Range. The pack localized this spring and so was thought to have denned. I called Doug Smith in Yellowstone. He said the pack has just one radio collar. The sole collar, however, is good at locating the pack; but it is hard to get visuals on the pack except during the winter. He said he thought they had pups, but the evidence was indirect and he said he would hardly stake his reputation on that.

The Mill Creek Pack. Last year this pack, thought to have been founded by Rose Creek disperser 78F, got into some domestic sheep trouble, raising the ire of Montana's unpopular governor Judy Martz. This year the pack has not gotten into livestock problems. The alpha female 271F is thought to have pups. It is estimated there are 3 adult wolves in the pack. The pack generally inhabits the Absaroka Range, but to the north of the range of the Sheep Mountain Pack.

The Lone Bear Pack was discovered late in 2002, but the presence of yearling members of the pack indicated it had been around since at least 2001. The pack is thought to have pups. There are 3 radio collars in the pack. It roams the Trail Creek, 8-mile Creek, and Strickland Creek areas in the Gallatin Range on the northwestern side of the Paradise Valley. To the south of it is the territory of the Chief Joseph Pack.

Mission Pack? Last year there were reports of wolves in and near Mission Creek on Livingston Peak at the north end of Montana's Absaroka Range. There have been few reports this year and forest fires have prevented looking for this possible pack.

Taylor Peaks Pack-

This was the first pack to form northwest of Yellowstone Park. It was named for the Taylor Fork of the Gallatin and the Taylor Peaks in which it usually dens. The Taylor Peaks Pack mostly stays on the vast and wildlife-friendly Sun Ranch in the Madison Valley and the Madison Range behind the ranch. The alpha female had 5 pups this spring. However, she was control killed this summer after attacks on a band of sheep that were being used to control noxious weeds along the Madison River. Here is the complete description of the events as reported by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service:

"At daybreak on the 18th [of July], 2 uncollared gray wolves killed three sheep [2 ewes and a lamb and wounded another ewe] in the Madison Valley. The herder saw the sheep being killed but did not have a rifle or shotgun with him but did finally run them off. Guard and herding dogs were with the band, which is being used for weed control. The guard dog watched the wolves but didn't even bark [but he is alive so we don't fault him]. The ewes kept knocking the night electric fence over and the lambs kept getting caught in it, so the herder had to shut it off. On the 23rd a lamb was killed and on the 24th the alpha female of the Taylor peak pack was located near sheep. For now we will attempt to continue nonlethal methods and trap, radio-collar, and release on-site, but if the attacks continue additional measures will be taken."

One week later USFWS reported:

"On the 27th, the alpha female of the Taylor peak pack was killed . . . after she repeatedly was located where sheep were killed last week, even after she was harassed from the area several times. We will continue nonlethal methods [RAG box, electric fencing, dog, herder, less-than-lethal munitions, telemetry assisted harassment were already being used] to protect the sheep, but if the attacks continue additional measures will be taken. The sheep owner had a new electric fence installed for night penning the sheep and it seems to be working fine so far."

At least 2 yearlings plus the alpha male remain with the 5 pups in the pack.

The Sentinel Pack-

This relatively new pack inhabits the area just north of the Taylor Fork of the Gallatin. It was discovered in 2002 and the alpha female 324F and alpha male 238M were radio collared. This year 3 pups were seen at the pack's rendezvous site. On July 22, 238M was found dead in a field next to the highway. Law enforcement is investigating.

The Freezeout Pack-

Amazingly this pack still persists in the cattle and sheep country of the Ruby River drainage and Gravelly and Snowcrest Ranges west of the Madison Valley. Still led by 161M and 115F, it is thought that they denned, but while they are located on tracking flights they have always been located in timber so far. There has not been a visual observation of the size of the pack.

115F was born to the Chief Joseph Pack in 1998. 161M is a Rose Creek wolf born the same year. The first alpha female of the pack 155F was also from the Rose Creek Pack. However, the pack was not result of a brother/sister mating. 155F had been bred by a Sheep Mountain Pack wolf. Her brother happened along just in time to help her with the resulting litter of pups that founded the pack. 155F was illegally shot late in 2001, but 115F, who had been the alpha female of the Taylor Peaks pack, (which she had left) was nearby and quickly took 155's place.

The Beartrap Pack?

There are wolves on the Ted Turner's Flying D ranch at the north end of the Madison Range. They are very welcome. Early this year it was believed a pack had formed, tentatively "the Beartrap Pack."

This summer a two year old female wolf was captured in the area and radio collared, but she promptly disappeared. So she might have been just passing though. However, Asher reports that since then other uncollared wolves have been seen among the bison on the ranch.

Return to Ralph Maughan's wolf report

Ralph Maughan PO Box 8264, Pocatello, ID 83209