Here is the latest information on the Yellowstone wolves, courtesy of Deb Guernsey , Yellowstone wolf team.
Chief Joseph Pack-
Chief Joseph has at least seven pups, as an earlier article I posted indicates. This is a semi-backcountry pack, and I understand the pups have only been observed once. I spent part of June 6 in the backcountry looking for this pack, but saw only a few wolf scats.Washakie Pack-
They were last reported to have returned to their most usual place -- the Dunoir Valley area. See my article on the lawsuit by the Dunoir Valley Rancher which I also wrote today. Of course, they didn't den because there is no sexually mature male available. If it were true that there was another wolf or wolves in the area as the plaintiff contends, why haven't they joined the Washakie Pack or at least fought with it?Soda Butte Pack-
The hopeful movement of Soda Butte (my opinion anyway) continues. They are still south of Yellowstone, and that is doubly good because the Thorofare Yearlings have abandoned the South Fork of the Shoshone River to the SW of Cody, and moved almost 40 miles westward to Heart Lake, the normal core of the Soda Butte Pack's territory.Crystal Creek Pack-
As it is most commonly located, the Crystal Creek Pack was in the Pelican Valley of Yellowstone NP. They have a litter, but it hasn't been observed.Leopold Pack-
As is the usual case, the Leopold Pack was on the Blacktail Deer Plateau in the northern part of Yellowstone. This weekend they were located near the densite. Their pups have not yet been observed.Number 16F (sometimes called "Chief Joseph 2").
After localizing for some time a few miles north of the Park, number 16 has now moved to near the Park boundary. She is in the backcountry. This may mean she had no litter or that she (and her unknown mate?) have moved the pups to a rendezvous site.Rose Creek Pack.
The Rose Creek Pack appears to have left the densite and moved to a rendezvous site in Buffalo Creek. The pack hasn't been seen much by Park visitors of late. They seem to have moved their territory to the west, and of course they have been more localized due to their eleven, (now ten pups -- one has died).Druid Peak Pack.
The Druids have been very visible. I saw them last week as did just about everyone else. Incredible traffic "wolf" jams are developing in the Lamar Valley. Three tenths of a mile of the road has been closed to vehicle stopping and walking so the pack will have at least one clear place to cross the road.Surprisingly no one has yet seen the pups.
The Sunlight Pair, number 41F and 52M.
After appearing to localize, they were located this weekend at Table Mountain, a first time location for the pair.No. 29M and 48F (Remnants of the Nez Perce Pack).
They have localized for some time at a site fairly near the Nez Perce pen, indicating a litter of pups. On the other hand, yesterday a friend, and good observer of wolves and coyotes, saw two wolves in Lower Geyser Basin. Would no. 48 leave the densite if she had one? This pair (or is it a pack?) will soon be renamed -- "Nez Perce I" or "Nez Perce Two," depending on whether they have pups and also on what happens when the Nez Perce Pen is opened in two weeks (see below).The Sawtooth Pack. (Note: this group will soon be renamed)
They are still in the Nez Perce pen. Number 67F whelped five pups in the pen this April. Four are still alive. Release of the pack is now slated for two weeks from today. A panel in the pen will be opened, carrion left outside, and the wolves will be allowed to leave when they choose. This includes number 67F, 72M and 70M, the last remnants of the Sawtooth pack, plus the pup from 1997 (now a yearling), number 92M (he is the son of number 29M, who has been waiting outside) and his late mother, number 37M of the old Nez Perce pack.
Wolf 72M in the Nez Perce enclosure. April 1998
Copyright © North American Wolf Association
How many wolves can Yellowstone hold?
Recovery of the wolves in the Yellowstone experimental area requires that at least ten pairs of wolves raise litters of pups for three consecutive years. The Yellowstone experiment area is all of Wyoming and eastern Idaho. There are those who think the wolves can and should be limited to the Park.While it is impossible to limit the wolves to the Park due to its permeable boundaries, can the Park and the near area sustain ten packs? There is clearly sufficient prey base. Last week I attended a workshop on carnivores held at the Lamar Ranger Station. Dr. Robert Crabtree, Dr. Doug Smith, and many others spoke of bears, wolves, cougar, coyotes and more.
Dr. Crabtree presented data indicating there was sufficient prey for about 220 wolves! on the Park's northern range (this is basically Soda Butte Creek, Slough Creek, the Lamar Valley, the Blacktail Deer Plateau, the lower canyon of Yellowstone River, Hellroaring Creek and some other tributaries extending in the Park to Gardiner at the North Entrance).
He also presented data indicating that the relationship between the number of prey and the number of wolves was not such a simple linear relationship. He presented some data indicating that the number of packs that will tolerate each other spatially is reached far before the prey limits in area of dense prey populations such as the Northern Range. His estimates of permanent numbers of wolves (as capacity) on the Northern Range was 41 to 63 wolves. Of course, this describes the present situation. The rest of the Park may sustain three or four packs. In other words, I conclude that wolf recovery is probably not possible given just the Park and its near environs.
Assuming the Washakie Pack has not committed all these additional depredations that the owner of the Diamond G alleges, and it is yet removed; it will not bode well for wolf recovery in the Yellowstone area.
Email addresses for members of Congress, the media, and other officials.
Return To Maughan Wolf Report Page
Copyright ©1998 Ralph Maughan
Not to be reprinted, archived, redistributed, etc., without permission.
Ralph Maughan PO Box 8264, Pocatello, ID 83209
