Yellowstone area wolf update mid-February 2000
Lots of News
Feb. 21, 2000, more info Feb. 28
Here is some assorted news about the Yellowstone Country wolves at about mid-February.
No. 9 and the Valentine Pack-
Of course, the big news is that venerable wolf no. 9F, who founded the Rose Creek Pack, only to be driven off by her daughter 18F, has a new pack just outside of Yellowstone, near its NE corner.
Number 9 was gradually pushed away from Rose Creek pack last fall, presumably by her daughter, born to her and the then-late alpha male 10M in April 1995. At the age of 8 or 9 years, no. 9's black coat has turned silvery gray; and some thought she was doomed to live her remaining, likely short life, living on the outskirts of other wolf packs. The surprise is that she is with three other wolves. Two of them are black males. The other, a female, is from her old Rose Creek Pack. The pack was discovered on Valentine's Day and will be named the Valentine Pack. It's range appears to be the headwaters of the Clark's Fork of the Yellowstone, just SE and over the "hill" from Cooke City, Montana. My experience in the area indicates there are a lot of elk, deer and moose to eat. There are also some cattle, horses, livestock dogs, and pet dogs in the area. In fact one pet dog was killed in the area by a wolf just a month or so ago.
No. 163M found dead-
In the second round of radio-collaring for the winter, the signal of 163M, led to the discovery of his body, dead of natural causes, high in the Absaroka Mountains east of Yellowstone. No. 163M, a large bold male born to the Druids in 1998, had been a favorite of Park wolf watchers until he dispersed last summer. I received the following information as to the cause from Kerry Murphy of the Yellowstone Park wolf team:
The only objective conclusion is that the death was not due to human causes (i.e., it was due to natural sources). Soft tissues were nearly all consumed by scavengers, so no detailed necropsy was possible. There were no canine punctures to the skull or cervical vertebrae. Cougar(s) were present at the site, based on tracks and scats. So, we cannot say that a cougar was responsible, only that one was present roughly at the time 163 died. Equivocal evidence ?? Yes!! That is the nature of the business. Cougars could have killed 163 but we cannot say that with any confidence at all.
Druids up to their usual polygamous ways-
The Druid Peak Pack has been very visible in the Lamar Valley lately, and the alpha male, no. 21M (another of no. 9's offspring of 1995), has been observed mating with no. 106F, and the beta female 42M. The alpha female 40F is in pro-estrus, but she has not been observed in a tie with no 21.
Soda Butte Pack appears rejuvenated-
After two years without an alpha male, coupled with dispersals and deaths in her pack, no. 14F may have finally acquired a mate and new pack members. The pack had been down to 3 or 4 animals, but the most recent flight showed no. 14F, 44F, 126F, 125, and 4 other new wolves (uncollared). The pack was in its usual location -- the SE corner of Yellowstone.
Gros Ventre and Teton Packs-
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has published a description of the Teton Pack and the Gros Ventre Pack's use of the elk feed grounds up the Gros Ventre River (east of Jackson Hole). The Teton Pack appears to have a new alpha male, replacing the one killed last summer. It has 7 members. It is one of the few Yellowstone Country packs where all the pups survived 1999. The Gros Ventre Pack has 5 members -- 3 adults and 2 pups.
The elk/wolf winter feed ground interaction study in Wyoming that Jimenez and 4 volunteers are conducting is getting some interesting (but very preliminary) early results. There are 3 [elk] feed grounds in the Gros Ventre valley operated by Wyoming Game and Fish. Normally about 2,500 elk winter on these areas. Both the Gros Ventre and Teton packs hunt this area.
Today [Feb. 18] there were about 2500 elk on the middle feed area and virtually none on the lower or upper feed grounds. When wolves hunt elk in and around the feed grounds the elk apparently move to another one. To date elk do not seem to have moved to private ground but the relatively stable elk distribution that WY Game and Fish strives for between the feed areas looks like it is being impacted by wolf hunting behavior.
Wolves still appear to take elk primarily calves and older cows on the edge or between these 3 feed grounds that are about 5 miles apart. To date of 18 elk carcasses located, only 3 have been on feed grounds, including this week when wolves killed a calf right on the middle feed ground and all the elk were still there.
It appears that the wolves hunt the feed ground just like normal winter ranges, not staying long at any one spot. The Gros Ventre pack hunts the feed grounds one then another, then moves onto the National Elk Refuge for a few days. The Teton pack hunts the Gros Ventre grounds and then moves onto Grand Teton National Park.
This strategy of hunting an area temporarily, then moving on is consistent with other studies that indicate wolves do not "camp" on feed grounds or wintering areas because wild ungulates either move out of the areas they are most vulnerable (into the trees or other nearby escape terrain) and/or become too wary to be easily hunted.
Snow depths appear near normal levels and it will be interesting to see what additional information can be learned as winter progresses. The National Elk Refuge should start their feeding program soon which may also affect elk distribution and wolf hunting patterns.
New packs forming-
A number of pairs seem to have formed, and most of these will probably produce pups in the spring.
There is a pair (and maybe more wolves than that) in the Taylor Fork of the Gallatin, NW of Yellowstone NP. One of the wolves is 115F, a disperser from the Chief Joseph Pack just to the SE.
There may be a small pack in the Gravelly Range (about 35 miles west of Yellowstone NP).
There is a pair of wolves in the North Fork of the Shoshone River about 25 miles east of Yellowstone. One is a disperser from the Chief Joseph Pack, R147M.
There is the new Valentine Pack just east of the NE corner of Yellowstone.
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