Wolf pack in Yaak next to be reduced

Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks has authorized the lethal removal of two wolves from the Candy Mountain Pack in the Yaak Valley since a federal agency confirmed Friday that the pack is responsible for the death of three cows.

The fairly large pack, about eight wolves in size, is also attributed to killing two hound dogs last month that had treed a cougar in the heart of the pack’s territory, according to Kent Laudon, FWP wolf management specialist.

Wolf recovery efforts in northwestern Montana have significantly increased the number of packs in the past four years, widening wolf territory and increasing the number of livestock depredations. 

“Since 2006 things are significantly different than in the previous 20 years,” Laudon said. “By that, I mean there are more wolf packs in more places. I guess an obvious consequence is we have more packs in more livestock places than ever before. You would expect then that depredations would go up.”

The recent incident marks the Candy Mountain Pack’s first confirmed livestock kill since monitoring of the pack began in 2003. Laudon said it appeared that the cows entered a creek to escape the wolves.

“Who knows what happened there,” he said. “They could have become hypothermic and drowned. One of the cows had evidence of wolf bite marks, but obviously the other two were somehow related to that.”

Laudon speculates that part of the reason the Candy Mountain Pack has not preyed upon livestock in the past is because its territory has less livestock than other pack territories. There are no public grazing allotments, for example, and this is the first winter that the rancher utilized that pasture.

“In this particular case, this rancher decided to winter cattle there,” Laudon said. “This is his first year that he’s wintering there.”

The rancher had reported a regular wolf presence since early fall when the pack harassed his cattle.

FWP may authorize a member of the pack to be fit with a radio collar to monitor its movements, Laudon said. In January the collared member of the pack broke away on its own. 

A handful of wolf incidents in Lincoln County has been reported in the past few months. Three wolves in the Fishtrap Pack were removed last week to reduce the occurrence of livestock depredation at McGinnis Meadows after the pack killed a cow last month and harassed cattle on a neighboring ranch earlier this month.

FWP had authorized removing up to four of the seven wolves from the pack.

Daniel Kelly, a man residing in the East Fork Yaak River area, killed a wolf in mid-December while a pack was reportedly attacking his horses and dogs.

In the weeks leading up to the incident, more wolves began to show up over the meadow from where he kept his horses, coming closer and closer, Kelly recalled.

Kelly began carrying a rifle with him when he drove the 200 yards from his cabin to feed the horses. His two dogs accompanied him.

“All 10 (wolves) were close in the meadow and as soon as we got in sight they come up at a dead run,” Kelly recalled. “I fired a round over their heads and by the time I jacked in another round, we were among them.”

Kelly recalled the wolves nipping at the horses and trying to attack his dogs.

“I got a shot at one while I noticed out of the corner of my eye one come past me from behind a couple feet away,” Kelly said. “After I got the one, the rest took off all different directions.”

FWP determined that Kelly lawfully shot the wolf. Kelly said he hasn’t had problems with the pack since.

Kelly’s description of the wolves seems to match the Candy Mountain Pack, Laudon said, though his property is closer to other wolf territory – the Kootenai North Pack and Kootenai South Pack – a presence that would most likely repel the Candy Mountain Pack.

Laudon believes that an annual wolf hunt, coupled with a mild winter that produces more deer and elk, may help reduce livestock depredation in the future.

“Hopefully we have a wolf hunt this coming hunting season,” Laudon said, “and, of course, we have a mild winter and I hope that’s going to help recruitment.”