In a first, the Diamond G. Ranch in the Dunoir Valley, 30 miles southeast of Yellowstone NP, has received a "lethal take" permit allowing the ranch to kill wolves from a pack the Diamond G says has been killing its livestock. Jon Robinett, ranch manager, confirmed he had received the permit after the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service told of the permit, but refused to release the recipient's identify. He is allowed to kill no more than two wolves; and after a kill, he is to leave them in place, and immediately contact the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The ranch can kill any two wolves found on their property which adjoins a large piece of the Shoshone National Forest, upon which they have summertime livestock grazing permits.
From the viewpoint of the Diamond G, wolves have plagued the ranch ever since the Washakie pack established its territory near the ranch in 1997. While the number of livestock definitely lost to wolves, is relatively small, nearly constant complaints have emanated from the ranch, which is very difficult for government biologists to access because a landowner below the ranch refuses any public (including government access). See Photo.
This sign was not put up by the Diamond G, but by a ranch downstream --
H Bar Cattle.
Access to the public and the government is blocked here. As a result, the
government biologists need to take a long route around by a rough 4x4
road to gain access to the Diamond G.
© Ralph MaughanThe owner of the Diamond G, Mr. Steve Gordon, who claims a Jackson, Wyoming residence, went so far as file a lawsuit asking Federal Judge William Downes to order the removal of the wolves. This was back in 1998. The case is still pending.
Beginning in the fall of 1997, Wildlife Services did shoot the alpha male of the Washakie Pack (no. 15M) after he had clearly killed several cattle. His hard-pressed mate, no. 26F, with five pups to feed, also killed some livestock, and she was shot in June 1998, although not before one of her pups (no. 135M) was shot by mistake. However, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service had planned to kill at least one of the yearlings. USFWS undertook this action in hope that dispersal of the pack would occur and/or that the livestock-killing wolves were, or would be, dispatched.
In fact, the Washakie pups (by then yearlings) did disperse. Two of the four were radio-collared and so were tracked. They did not return to the Dunoir. However, ever since the shooting of no. 15 in October 1998, the ranch has talked about new wolves on the ranch.
It is clear that wolves have crossed the area from time-to-time, and that one or more wolves have used the Dunoir Valley during the winter of 1998 and through much of 1999. Estimates of the wolves in the area have ranged from one to seven. I have referred to the pack, if there is one, as "Washakie II."
Hundreds of hours of time have been spent investigating the alleged wolf kills of the Diamond G's cattle, a horse and dogs, often long after their deaths, in the area (which teams with grizzly bears and coyotes). In their last wolf update USFWS wrote: "Trapping and placing draw baits for wolves on the Diamond G Ranch in Wyoming ended on the 11th [of September]. "Many coyotes have been captured and released but no wolves. No fresh wolf sign was discovered despite extensive searches. Attempts to capture a wolf in the area will start again if fresh wolf activity is found. Cattle will be moved off Forest Service allotments onto the ranch pasture starting this weekend."
The permit was apparently issued in some sort of desperation. Skip Ladd, of the Denver office of the USFWS said, "This is basically a last resort. ... It's a step in the whole process in dealing with depredating wolves that may well need to be used (again) in other situations and locations." In fact, lethal take permits were proposed to deal with Idaho wolves after they were killed a few cattle and sheep this summer, but there were no ranchers willing to take the permit.
It will be interesting to see if the ranch shoots any of these omnipresent, but fleeting canines.
Given that the wolf population in the Greater Yellowstone ecosystem (GYE) is now about 170 wolves, the elimination of two wolves will make little difference in meeting the minimum wolf recovery goals. However, the DuNoir Valley is some of the best wildlife habitat in the GYE, and wolves and grizzlies will show up there as long as there are wolves and grizzlies in the GYE. Some people complain that this ranch has received too much attention given the "ghostly" nature of these wolves and the fact that the ranch allows no public access to scores of thousands of acres of public lands on the Shoshone National Forest that lie along the ranch's north and east boundary.
Story about the "control of the Washakie Pack" from back in June 1998.
Update on 11-2-99. The cow calves have now been removed. . . gone to Riverton, Wyoming for the winter. The cows are still at the ranch, but a radio-collared wolf has showed up in the area, and so the kill permit is terminated.
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Copyright ©1999 Ralph Maughan
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