Annual wolf radio collaring in Yellowstone is completed.
1-29-2001, additions
1-30
Every January, new collars are put on Yellowstone wolves. This year's process is finished, although attempts to collar the wolves outside the Park are still underway, and pose a much more difficult challenge.
Here are the results of the Yellowstone collaring provided by Doug Smith, head of the Yellowstone wolf team.
Chief Joseph Pack: 3 collared; 2 were pups, one was a yearling, 2 males and one female. The average weight of the 3 was 90 pounds.
Swan Lake Pack: 3 collared. 2 adults, one pup, all males, pup was 118 lbs !!! One adult male weighed 130 pounds. I guess this means this new pack is not just an alpha pair and pups because there were two adult males.
Rose Creek Pack (now in two groups): One black adult male was collared in each sub-group. Their average weight was 125 pounds.
Leopold: 4 pups were collared, 2 male and 2female, one received a GPS collar, average weight 95-100.
Yellowstone Delta Pack: 3 pups were collared, all males with an average weight of 105 pounds. I guess life in the deep snow of the delta area is not all that hard given their weight.
Druid Peak Pack: 8 pups were collared, one got a GPS collar, 4 were male and 4 female. The average weight was 79 pounds.
Nez Perce Pack: 3 pups were collared. One male and 2 females. The average weight was 75 pounds.
As one would predict the two packs with the most pups had the smallest pups -- Druid and Nez Perce.
Crews are trying to collar members of the Sunlight Basin and Absaroka pack east of the Park and the Teton and Gros Ventre Packs near Jackson Hole.
This is much more difficult for a couple reasons. First there is a ban on flying helicopters over the elk feedgrounds because that would scatter the elk. Secondly, it is illegal to fly less than 2000 above a designated wilderness area. The Gros Ventre Pack and the Absaroka and Sunlight Packs are often in these areas. Outside of Jackson Hole itself this country is much more rugged than flying for wolves in Yellowstone, where the northern range is mostly gentle topography.
Addition: Jan. 30. Two wolves in Jackson Hole have been successfully collared.
Here is the complete data chart on the Yellowstone collaring.
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Copyright © 2001 Ralph Maughan
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Ralph Maughan PO Box 8264, Pocatello, ID 83209