Sloughs kill 2 bison at old Druid rendezvous site.

Sloughs might have killed 2 bison in the Lamar Valley. Many interesting events follow.

7-15-2005. Note 7-18

Kathie Lynch wrote the description below of a series of interesting Slough Creek wolf, bison and grizzly interactions. Thank you Kathie!
First I should note that while the Sloughs had 4 litters totaling 15 pups, several pups apparently could not be coaxed away from the den site. It was thought by some they had starved. However, 3 black pups have been at a rendezvous site not far from the den. They are being fed and watched after there by some of the pack's wolves. The rest of the pups are presumably at a remote rendezvous site. Doug Smith thinks this is unique -- difficulty for a pack getting pups to move -- although it might not be all the uncommon, just not observed until wolves were reintroduced to Yellowstone where so much formerly hard-to-see behavior can be seen.
One other point. The wolf Lynch identifies as "sharp-right" is the Slough yearling who was almost killed by the Geode splinter group about a month ago. This event was seen by a number of people.
7-18. I also want to note that the Sloughs probably didn't kill the bison because the wolves would have opened up the carcass immediately, and Yellowstone wolf team investigators found that one bison had been lying there longer than the other, yet both were unopened. Therefore, these bison were not recorded as wolf kills. On the other hand, the cause of death has not been determined.

Lynch, who is a HS biology teacher, wrote:

Things have really gotten interesting recently (July 6-8/05) for Yellowstone wolf watchers viewing the Slough Creek pack. On the late evening of July 6, nine Slough Creek adults toured the Druid Peak pack's traditional rendezvous site in the Lamar Valley and harassed some bison. The next morning brought the surprising site of two adult bison carcasses, which had not even been opened up yet. They were easily visible across the Lamar from the Buffalo Ranch and Midpoint. Several Sloughs, including the alpha male 490M, 491M and 377M, visited throughout the morning, along with a grizzly family, consisting of a sow and two yearlings.
     That evening brought much excitement for the just-like-old-times crowd of eager wolf watchers lining the road in Lamar Valley, as five Slough adults streaked across the scene and chased the griz family toward the treeline! The wolves actually caught one of the yearling cubs momentarily before the sow came charging back to drive them off, and the cub escaped unharmed. It was quite a finale to an amazing day of watching wolf/bear interactions.
     The second morning found two boar grizzlies on the scene, one on each bison carcass. Three Slough wolves arrived (453M, 491M, and a gray yearling) and a mystery wolf (who could not be identified) came over Amethyst bench, swam the Lamar, crossed the road and disappeared without getting in to feed.
     When the wolves headed into the treeline to bed during the heat of the day, the grizzly family again took possession of one of the carcasses. They put on a fascinating show for the mid-day crowd as the sow lounged with her back against the carcass and nursed the two yearlings. Photo opportunities abounded as the three bears all stood up in unison on their hind legs to watch out for competition.
     Several times a big bull bison came over with tail arched high and menaced the griz family away from his fallen comrade. (This protective spirit is something I really admire about the bison. I have often seen individual bison, or sometimes even the entire herd, come to the rescue of others, even elk, in distress or danger.)  Every time the bears moved off the carcass, an opportunistic coyote ran in to try to steal a bite before being chased off by the sow.  The griz yearlings had the job of keeping the coyote at bay while the sow dug and dug to fling dirt over the carcass in the hope that the competition wouldn't discover the cache!
     It has been a fun couple of days with all of this interesting activity back "home" in Lamar. While watching the Sloughs' family life at Slough Creek has been a treat as the three black pups still there tumble and play under the watchful eye of "Babysitter" or "Sharp Right," it's great to get back to traditional wolf watching in the Lamar!

In other news, wolf watching success from the roads on the northern range has slowed down due to the summer heat and the drying of vegetation. Elk herds have generally moved to higher elevations. There has been success watching the Hayden Valley Pack and the Agate Creek Pack. The Hayden Valley Pack has been killing elk in full view.
The best time to look for wolves is very early in the morning -- dawn -- or late afternoon.

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Ralph Maughan. Wolf Recovery Foundation. PO Box 444, Pocatello, ID 83204