Yellowstone Wolf News beginning of March 2001
Feb. 28, 2001
Here is the latest Yellowstone wolf news.
The Druid Peak Pack was on the eastern end of Hellroaring slope on Feb. 28.
The Rose Creek Pack remains in two groups. They are of about equal size. Number 18's group was in Crevice Creek near the lower end of the Black Canyon of the Yellowstone. The "Tower" group of the pack was near Osprey Falls.
The Chief Joseph Pack was last located near Snowflake Spring at the NW boundary of the Park near U.S. 191.
Six of the Swan Lake Pack were at Slide Lake , 2 miles north of Mammoth Hot Springs. The seventh member of the pack was near Turkey Pen Peak near the mouth of the Black Canyon of the Yellowstone a few miles upstream from Gardiner.
The Leopold Pack was on the Blacktail Deer Plateau.
The Yellowstone Delta Pack (formerly Soda Butte Pack) was not located this tracking flight.
Mollies Pack (formerly Crystal Creek) was, as usual, in the Pelican Valley area.
The 5-membered Taylor Peaks Pack, which has been a non-Park pack, but which had moved toward the Park this winter, was in Papoose Creek, representing a significant move back to the west. This is a tributary on the west side of the Madison Range. It flows into the Madison River near the confluence of the West Fork of the Madison.
The Nez Perce Pack was in its usual central Yellowstone territory in the West Fork of Firehole River. That's just southwest of Old Faithful.
North of the park, the 3 "conditioned" wolves continue to be in different groups. Two of the brothers (189M and 196M) are with a disperser from the Rose Creek Pack, wolf 155F. This group favors the foothills of the Gallatin Range near Big Creek, a fair way north near Paradise Valley.
The bolder of the three brothers (195M) is with 4 or 5 uncollared wolves, whose origination pack(s) is unknown. They are in the traditional range of the old Sheep Mountain pack near Dome Mountain, but have mostly remained out of sight.
Biologists think it is likely that both groups will have pups in April or May and become new wolf packs.
Folks skiing and showshoeing should be aware that it has been a mild winter and grizzly bears will be emerging soon. Some might already be out of their dens a bit. Folks should carry pepper spray and avoid carcasses. Grizzly bear closure areas start to go into effect soon, with some, such as the Blacktail Deer Plateau, as early as March 10.
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Copyright © 2001 Ralph Maughan
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Ralph Maughan PO Box 8264, Pocatello, ID 83209