The Nez Perce Tribal wolf team has now given their latest Idaho wolf update. This adds to the information I posted several days ago based on a report by Ed Bangs.
The report says that nine litters of pups have been observed in various packs and pairs of Idaho wolves. The team reports that the number of pups will be reported all at once after a total count is completed.
The wolf locations reported below were obtained by flights between July 10 and July 26.
All of the packs that had pups last year, had them again this year except for the Selway Pack which produced pups only in 1996 and the Landmark Pack, whose location and status is not determined. In addition three pairs of wolves had pups for the first time, forming what will probably be new packs.
Here is the update in the usual form beginning with the wolves north of the Salmon River. [Note: in its final journey to reach the Snake River, the Salmon River runs directly across central Idaho, right through the Salmon River Mountains.]
North of the Salmon River-
There are three wolf packs north of the Salmon River -- the Kelly Creek Pack, the Selway pack, and the new "Big Hole Pack."
The Big Hole pack consists of wolves B7M and B11F, "Blackfire," a long time pair, and their new pups. This is their first known litter of pups. They have been named the Big Hole Pack because they spent their first year together in the Big Hole Valley of SW Montana, adjacent to the Idaho border. They were eventually relocated into north central Idaho in a successful example of breaking them of livestock predation. This involved moving them through two pens and then releasing far to the north. The pack is located along the Bitterroot Divide south of Lolo Pass on the Idaho/Montana border.
The Kelly Creek pack, wolf B15F and wolf 9013-M and their yearlings and new pups inhabit the area north of Lolo Pass on the Bitterroot Divide. They were named the Kelly Creek Pack last year because the two wolves (one of them native) had paired and lived in Kelly Creek for two years before they had pups. They still include Kelly Creek, a famous Idaho fishing stream, as part of their territory.
The Selway pack, wolves B5M "Moonstar Shadow" and B10F, range over their expansive territory. They were last located on its west side near the Red River Forest Service G.S. The east side of their territory is in the West Fork of the Bitterroot River just inside Montana. They had two pups in 1996, and these 2-year-olds are still with them as far as I know.
There are five other wolves known to be north of the Salmon River. They are:
Pair B20F and B31M. They are still in the upper reaches of the St. Joe River drainage. Their strong localization suggested to me they had pups, but none have been observed. They are the most northerly known wolves in Idaho.
Lone wolf B43F is the yearling from the hard luck Boulder Pack in Montana, and the sole successful survivor of the four pups from that pack that were put in the Running Creek pen in an effort to save some of this pack that was targeted for extinction (due to continued livestock predation). She was located last to the northwest of the backcountry hamlet of Elk City, Idaho. I should note that the Boulder Pack was not completely kille off. At the last minute, Idaho wolf B14M moved in to pair with Opal, the long-lived, livestock-killing alpha female just before she was shot by Wildlife Services. He has adopted the two pups (now yearlings) and the pack is apparently doing well in southwest central Montana.
Wolf 33M was located on July 6 in the Gospel Hump Wilderness of northwest central Idaho. No wolves were seen with him. During last winter he hung around the Chamberlain Basin pack to the southeast of his present location. It was speculated that he left the area paired with one of the sexually mature females born to the pack in 1996.
Although not mentioned in the report, there is also the unnumbered yearling female from the Moyer Basin Pack who was relocated to the Selway/Bitterroot Wilderness this week after she was trapped on a cow she, or the pack, had killed in Panther Creek to the south, near the Frank Church Wilderness.
South of the Salmon River-
There are eight wolf packs, and one or two pairs of wolves south of the Salmon River at the present.
They are Chamberlain Basin, Jureano Mountain, Moyer Basin, Stanley Basin, and Landmark (existing packs), plus B18M and B35F and new pups (Loon Creek pack?), B36F and an unidentified mate and new pups (White Clouds Pack?), B22F and an unidentified mate and new pups (Monumental Pack?), the unrelated trio (which may now be just a pair) of B28M, B30F, and B19M, often called the Bear Valley Pack, wolf B2M "Akiata,"and wolf B24M if he is still alive. Note that B19M was recently observed with an unidentified wolf, perhaps a disperser from the Landmark pack. This may be a new pair and would spell the end of the Bear Valley Pack.
Details-
Payette National Forest-
Chamberlain Basin Pack has pups for the third consecutive year. The pack, including the alpha pair, B9M and B16F, were located on the western side of deep wilderness Chamberlain Basin.Wolf B22F, mate and pups were said to be located in the upper East Fork of the Salmon River drainage. This had got to be an error if she is on the Payette National Forest. I would say she is in the upper East Fork of the South Fork of the Salmon River based all past history of this pair.
Boise National Forest-
B30F and B28M, the Bear Valley pair, were located in Bear Valley near Ayers Meadows. I camped there a week and half ago looking for the Landmark Pack. Unfortunately I saw or heard no wolves, but a nice herd of about 50 elk came out on nearby Poker Meadows just as it got dark. They squealed and barked through most of the night.
Ayers Meadow in the Frank Church Wilderness
Copyright Ralph MaughanRegarding the Landmark pack, the report said, "field efforts continue to determine the whereabouts and status of the Landmark pack. We appreciate the reports of wolves and wolf sign we have received from the public as this information is helpful in targeting field crew's efforts to locate and re-collar members of this pack. Tribal field crews searched for sign throughout the northern and western portions of this pack's summer territory without success. Efforts will continue in Bear Valley, the southern portion of their territory."
You read about my efforts to find this pack in my July 25 report. It was reported to me that there was howling in Bear Valley and I say some wolf tracks.
Salmon-Challis National Forest-
B19M, formerly of the Bear Valley Pack, was observed with an unknown wolf on a July 14 flight. It is hoped this will be a new pair. Speculation is the second wolf is a disperser from the Landmark pack.The Jureano Mountain Pack, which must be getting pretty large now if they had more than one or two new pups, was located in the Moose Creek and Napias Creek drainages about 30 miles west of Salmon, Idaho.
The Moyer Basin Pack, with new pups, was located in the upper Panther Creek/Silver Creek area. Of course, this is the pack that was involved in the recent killing of several cattle.
Wolves B35F and B18M and new pups were located together in the upper Yankee Fork of the Salmon River drainage. Will they be the Loon Creek or Warm Springs Creek pack?Sawtooth National Forest and Sawtooth National Recreation Area-
The Stanley Basin pack including the alpha pair B23F and B27M and new pups continues to frequent the east side of Stanley Basin. I want to add that if there is ever going to be an Idaho equivalent of the Druid Peak Pack -- easily visible to tourists in a grand scenic setting -- it is likely to be this pack. This pack had five pups in 1997, one of which may have been killed in an avalanche last winter.B36F and her unknown mate and new pups were located in the famous White Cloud Mountains and Boulder Mountains to their south.
B24M and B2M (both lone wolves) were not located.
"RESEARCHNothing new to report.
OUTREACH, INFORMATION and EDUCATION, and COORDINATION
Project personnel continue to work closely with livestock producers in areas where there is a potential for wolf livestock conflicts.
The Project along with the Wolf Education and Research Center in Boise, Idaho produced and disseminated nearly 1,000 brochures on wolves and wolf recovery in Idaho.
CONTROL
The first confirmed wolf depredation of the summer occurred when members of the Moyer Basin pack killed a documented 4 cattle near Cobalt, Idaho. Wildlife Services responded and captured a subadult female wolf. The wolf was collared and relocated by Tribal biologists within the Selway Bitterroot Wilderness. No further losses have been reported to date."
Check out my new Idaho wolf territory map.
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Copyright © 1998 Ralph Maughan
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