How many wolves does Washington have?

Hello, I have seen several wolves where I live, which is the Methow Valley, the wolves are killing off our deer as I write this. My question to you is, do you have wolves in your area, and how many have you seen, say in the last 5 years? WDWL claim we are just now starting wolf recovery in Washington, I heartily disagree! How about you folks? murphy1

None near us on the west side.

Won't be long.

Closer than most think. We ran into some down by bethal and the nile last year. We cut some track and heard them one night before elk season. We asked the game guys about it and they stated there was no "breeding populations" in the area. We asked how many were there and just got the same line.......No breading populations.
I guess they were just passing through but what a place to lay down some roots. Something tells me they are there to stay. With seattle controlling the state we will see huge tracks of land set aside as recovery zones soon enough and no management of them.

Sounds like a new cottage industry is about to spring up....

Charge huge $$$$$ to Subaru-driving suburbanites for an Eco Wolf camping trip. Show them a Coyote or 3 and give them the shpeel about Wolves and their tendancy to only hunt for food BS and you'll be rakin' in the dough....

Very humorous to hear a muse,that someone knows if a Pooch is horny or not.

I'd of been POWERLESS to refrain further "enhancement" and would of had to make a few more casts into that gene pool.(grin)

Could you keep a straight face?

An empty belly has pushed many things,many places. Lotsa stuff wasn't in lotsa places,until it had to.

I concur on the relative strength of the link mentioned...even if it were only in passing and somewhat disguised.

Lucky for many things,that I'm not King.

Best go chase the brace of Snowy Owls that have been giving me the slip and keep trolling for Polar Bears.

We saw a radio collared wolf on the opposite side of 410 about 5 years ago. Up near Bald Mountain.

It slowly trotted across the road in front of us about 30 yds ahead of the truck. We watched it for probably 10-15 seconds.

I know a guy that got 3 out of 14 with his F-250,in a highspeed sluice pass upon a gravel road.

Would like to have seen it.

I saw one running across the road on the way home from elk hunting between Adams and St.Helens. That was three years ago. They are here for sure and have been for a while. I think people underestimate the distance and terrain they can travel in a short time.

I haven't seen or heard of one in the Rebuplic area. Neither have two of the local ranchers. Coyote's are the problem there.

I saw a Grizzly in the Lk. Wenatchee area about ten years ago. I called it into the local ranger station and they got back to me about a week later. It was a confirmed Sow that had some road kill a dozen yards or so off the road. I was backpacking at the time so I asked her what I should consider Grizzly country and was told, "north of I-90."

A few years back driving thru Yellowstone we stopped to watch some Coyote's eating an Elk. Dumb ass folks standing there with HUGE camera's oh'ing and ah'ing over the beutiful wolves. I couldn't take it and had to chew them all out, "there are Coyote's in every state people you know what they look like pull your fricking heads out and get a clue!!!" Idiots!!!

I'd be surprised if there are more then twenty or so wolves in Wa. Of course there will now be apx. 120,000 deer and elk hunters who blame there lack of success on them.

There is well over twenty wolves here in the Methow VAlley, I first started seeing the big wolves here 4 years ago, since then I have seen 9 wolves. People see them all the time now

Check dates on each article, as you go down the paper trail you might see things that don't quite add up.

Washington's Wolves Are Back
Posted by Eric de Place
07/19/2008 08:00 AM

Wolf-less no longer as Washington's wildlife returns.
A state biologist said Monday that he believes one or more packs of gray wolves are living in the Methow Valley...

Packers have made numerous reports of wolves in the high country in the past couple of years, and there have been increasing reports by residents in lower elevations, he said.

Fitkin said there have been reliable wolf sightings in the Methow dating to the early 1990s, but only sporadic, unconfirmed reports of wolf packs.

"What's changed recently is that we've had repeated observations of multiple animals in the greater Twisp River/Chelan Sawtooth and Libby Creek areas," he said, adding, "My suspicion is, based on the sighting history, its development is very similar to how recolonization in the Rockies occurred. This is looking like we very well may have some wolves on the landscape."--------- (via"White shwans wolf delivery trucks")

http://daily.sightline.org/daily_score/archive/2008/07/19/washingtons-wolves-are-back

Friday, November 1, 2002 - Page updated at 12:00 AM

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Conservation groups want U.S. to restore gray wolves in state
By Matthew Daly

The Associated Press

WASHINGTON — Two conservation groups are calling on the federal government to restore gray wolves to Washington state, saying it's time to "hear the call of the wild again" in Western Washington forests.

Defenders of Wildlife and the Northwest Ecosystem Alliance said yesterday they have sent a petition to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, requesting that the agency restore and protect gray wolves under the Endangered Species Act.

"Gray wolves have an important role to play in the ecological health and character of the Pacific Northwest, and the federal government should start getting serious about restoring the species here," said Rodger Schlickeisen, president of Defenders of Wildlife. "It's time to hear the call of the wild again in these beautiful forests."

The petition urges the service to establish a category known as a distinct population segment for gray wolves in Washington state.

http://community.seattletimes.nwsource.com/archive/?date=20021101&slug=graywolves01m

Wednesday, February 5, 1992 - Page updated at 12:00 AM

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Endangered Gray Wolf Trapped Near Mt. Baker
By Eric Pryne

For the first time in anyone's memory, wildlife biologists have captured an endangered gray wolf in Washington.

State Wildlife Department biologists said they trapped the animal, a healthy 56-pound female, near Mount Baker last Friday. The wolf was fitted with a radio collar and released the next day on national forest land a few miles away.

The capture is an exciting development, said John Pierce, manager of the department's non-game program. "If she's part of a pack, we should know it pretty soon," he said.

The gray wolf, listed as endangered in every state but Minnesota and Alaska, disappeared from Washington in the early 1900s. But reports of wolf sightings in the wild North Cascades have increased in recent years. In 1990 biologists discovered two dens - the first time wolves had been sighted in the state since 1975.

Pierce said the animals probably are migrating south from Canada, where wolves still are hunted.

"It appears we're in the early stages of re-colonization of the former range in Washington," he said. There's evidence the animals are breeding as far south as the Glacier Peak Wilderness Area just north of Stevens Pass, Pierce added.

According to a Wildlife Department statement, the captured wolf, nicknamed "Nooksack," had been seen several times in recent weeks near a winter-cabin community outside Glacier, Whatcom County. After trying for 10 days, biologists Jon Almack and Scott Fitkin succeeded in luring the animal into a fenced swimming-pool area, using a fish carcass as bait.

Once she was inside, the gate was closed. The wolf was tranquilized, and a local veterinarian took X-rays of her skull to verify her species.

Pierce said Almack and Fitkin are participating in a long-range study of the gray wolf's relationship with its environment in Washington, including diet, movement and range.

http://community.seattletimes.nwsource.com/archive/?date=19920205&slug=1473981




Copyright (c) 1992 Seattle Times Company, All Rights Reserved.

Sunday, December 6, 1992 - Page updated at 12:00 AM

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Wolves Coming Back To Cascades
By Patty Wren

Wenatchee World

TWISP, Okanogan County - We may not be dancing with wolves, but they're here, their numbers are growing and it is possible to coexist with them in relative peace.

In the Okanogan, one or more wolves have been spotted in five separate areas since 1989.

The plan is to let the wolves - moving into old haunts south of Canada after hunting stopped there in the 1970s - reproduce themselves, said Jon Almak, a state Department of Wildlife biologist.

Biologists are trying to write a wolf-recovery plan for Washington.

Originally planned as part of a recovery program for the northern Rockies, where wolves were brought in, the effort could become unique to Washington because of the apparently burgeoning population.

For example, 100 sightings were reported in 1981, and last year there were 200, ranging as far south as Mount St. Helens, Almak said.

http://community.seattletimes.nwsource.com/archive/?date=19921206&slug=1528536

Friday, April 17, 1992 - Page updated at 12:00 AM

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Gray Wolves' Return Subject Of Monday Meeting
Times Staff

State wildlife agents already have identified six packs of wolves in Washington's Cascades, and more are expected to migrate from Canada to the state's protected forests.

http://community.seattletimes.nwsource.com/archive/?date=19920417&slug=1486887

I saw the same thing happen in Yellowstone earlier this month. We came around the corner to a huge traffic jam. People we're all bailing out of their cars. I rolled down the window and heard a bunch of people blabbering about the "wolf". I got the kids out to see said wolf and wasn't real surprised to see a Coyote hunting in the grass about 25yds off the road. I told my wife to load the kids back in the truck and one guy standing there wanted to know why I didn't want my kids to see the "wolf".

I live right next door to Cougar mtn park..I see on average 2-3 Coyote's a week hiking the trails with my dog, I'm shocked when I talk to other hikers/neighbors about seeing them in the area..they look at me like I'm nuts, then to see the looks on their faces when I tell them about the Bears,Bobcats,cougars etc.......My point is..some people just don't pay attention to their surroundings.

Common sense is no longer common.

Shame too.

I get my deer every year like clockwork, 19 years running. I'm not complaining a bit.

where did that happen

If his crummy would do 190...he'd of been doing it.

That would make a killer mount,front clip and all.

haha that would be funny as hell, hanging in the living room.....

It'd be a Crowd Favorite,without a doubt.

I personally have not seen or heard of any confirmed reports of wolves on the west side at least since a friend of mine swears he saw one in the late 60's near green water while elk hunting.
I did do a little homework on the subject and found a couple of interesting things on deer and elk predation.
A single wolf will take an average of 15 to 19 deer per year. This average goes down with elk as they are larger and provide more food.
Wolves will also eat almost anything they can catch from rabbits to earthworms and everything in between.
The main predator of deer and elk (mostly deer) in this state is the cougar.
While a single wolf takes 15 to 19 deer a year.
A single cougar who's population in this state is estimated at 2500 animals takes one deer every 9 to 12 days.
I did not get into livestock predation as wolves, where there is a self sustaining population always seemed to get the blame, even though it was proven to be other predators. ie Bears, Cougars, Bobcats, Coyotes, even the family dog.
Here is the latest report on the states wolf population from our wdfw.
Ramprat



Washington's second wolf pack confirmed,
wolf activity being monitored in Pend Oreille County

Washington's second gray wolf pack has been confirmed and an adult wolf has been equipped with a satellite-telemetry tracking collar by state biologists in northeast Washington's Pend Oreille County.

This morning, biologists with Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) led by a wolf expert from the Idaho Department of Fish and Game temporarily captured a 105-pound wolf-believed to be the alpha-male pack leader-to equip it with a satellite-telemetry collar so its movements can be tracked. Two wolf pups also were temporarily captured, equipped with ear tags and released.

The collared wolf's movements will be monitored with periodic relocation data transmitted by satellite and downloaded on a computer. The Global Positioning System (GPS) equipment allows monitoring without the aerial or ground tracking required in standard radio telemetry.

Biologists found earlier evidence of the wolf pack-they have named the Diamond Pack-through howling responses from multiple wolves of various ages, and from photos of up to four young wolves recorded on a remote, motion-triggered camera. A wolf pack is defined as two or more wolves traveling together.

Biologists with WDFW and the Washington Department of Natural Resources (DNR) have been monitoring the area in recent weeks, after a DNR remote camera recorded images in May of what appeared to be an adult male and female gray wolf. The female wolf was lactating, indicating she was nursing pups. Subsequent genetic testing of a hair sample collected from a camera station indicated the hair came from a male gray wolf from the northwestern Montana/southwestern Alberta wolf population.

More recently biologists conducted howling surveys, and responding howls were heard from multiple wolves-both juvenile and adult.

Last summer, Washington's first breeding pair of wolves found since the 1930s was radio-collared in western Okanogan County in north-central Washington.

Gray wolves were removed from Washington by the 1930s as a result of trapping, shooting and poisoning, and later listed as both a federal and state endangered species.

Gray wolf populations in nearby Idaho, Montana and Wyoming have rebounded in recent years as a result of federal recovery efforts in the northern Rocky Mountains. Gray wolves were recently removed from the federal endangered species list in those areas and the eastern third of Washington, including Pend Oreille County. They remain federally listed as endangered in the western two-thirds of Washington and state endangered throughout Washington.

WDFW is in the process of drafting a gray wolf conservation and management plan, which will be circulated for public comment later this year, and will be considered for adoption by the Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission in 2010. The draft plan was developed with a 17-member citizen working group composed of wolf conservation representatives, ranchers and hunters.

Anyone wishing to report a possible wolf sighting or activity should call a toll-free wolf reporting hotline at 1-888-584-9038. Those with concerns about possible wolf-caused livestock depredation should contact the USDA Wildlife Services office in Olympia at (360) 753-9884 or the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service office in Wenatchee at (509) 665-3508.

Wolves prefer venison to most everything else and only 20 victims a year per each,is grandiose folly.

Saw wolves two different trips in the Nile unit last fall - both early and late archery seasons. I expect that'll be a more common siting going forward. Had the biologist neutered those wolves he was referring to or is there an official clamp down on information relating to the spread of them?

The Official approach is to let people who know less than nothing,call the shots and make statements.

You'll note that trend.

Just like incompetent fishermen enjoy blaming Sea Lions and Orcas for their inability to land a fish.

There are wolves in WA-- alot further south than people are aware. I've seen them myself, but I'm not about to go around saying where.
They want to be left alone from what I can tell, they aren't bothering any local livestock, and besides, I don't want a bunch of trigger happy hicks littering up and getting closed off one of my favourite camping places.

I'm all ears,in regards to Vegan Wolves.

Do tell.

If I were worrying about game populations being overwhelmed by predators in this state, there are at least two that would finish well above the distant third, the wolf...and both are more easily controlled by "management", and controlling them would be more effective than worrying over a handful of wolves, too...yet, as usual, the political will to pull their heads out of their asses and just do the right thing is severely lacking.

Sadly, as usual, at the same the will to find an easy scapegoat is alive and well.

Fish on...

Todd

Yeah,

Wolves don't do any damage to livestock....

Wolves kill 120 sheep.

...but I think this rancher might disagree.

Wolves are well beyond ruthless.

Don't slight the pack mentality,in it's literal sense,as few things can compete.

Literally.

Hopefully I don't come across as too tough on ranchers, but when you put a bunch of animals that look a pile of donuts at a fat camp in the woods where predators live, predators will eat them...and I have more sympathy for the predators that are doing what they are supposed to do, than I do for the ranchers who are not...

Fish on...

Todd

I dont think the number of wolves are the problem right now Todd. It is the mentality in seattle/olympia(that control the state) that scares people. It is the numbers exploding as they have in Yellowstone/montana/idaho/wyoming and every other place wolves have gone with a complete lack of will to control the numbers. The legal system holding up any effort for states to control the population(and that is in states that have the balls to attempt to do so. Unlike ours).
Are many other things a much bigger problem than wolves.......of course, but adding the wolf(without control) to that list is not something we should hope for. At least we have our co-managers. They should be able to hunt them as it was their tradition to do so. Our seattle pols attempting to appease the enviros and the tribe. That will be fun to watch at least.

If you're talking about what I said about them not bothering local livestock, it's because there is no livestock in that area.

Here's a new Wolf site that has very good up-to-date information. Also, this site has a list of governmental addresses to contact to voice your opinion and concerns. Those of who wish to responsibly hunt in the future had better get on the ball and see to it that hunting becomes a part of the Washington wolf management plan.

http://washingtonwolf.info/

2 ago year during late archery elk season in unit 336 i found alot of wolf tracks (4 sets) along i-90. you could see where they crossed the freeway and then ran along the yakima river.

one day i heard some howling and the very next day i found the tracks (about the size of my palm) along the river. so i followed them to the freeway and could see where they came off the bank on the far side of the freeway. then i went off towards where the tracks were headed and followed them for about 2 miles before they finally crossed the river. they were heading straight towards the nile unit.

everyone said they were poeple and thier dogs. but there was 3" of fresh snow the day i got up there. and for the 2 weeks i was up there, i never seen or heard another person. never seen or heard a dog. never seen a single boot track or tire track.

Ignorance is going to be the cause for a slap in the face for most I think with regards to this one. I hunt nearly every year in Idaho and every year I have seen more and more sign. Personally I have never seen them. They are very smart, very elusive and if they don't want to be seen, they won't. I have been within fifty yards of them and never seen them. But I could hear them.

The biggest problem with wolves is that they will constantly expand the area they live in. The pack mentality also includes shunning. Anytime there is a pack there is moderator. And sometimes that guy says get the hell out. So now you have a wandering dog looking for more wandering dogs to pack up with. Thus the spread.

I first heard and saw of the wolf sign in Garden Valley, Idaho roughly 15 years ago. That was the first anyone had seen or heard of them atleast that I knew of. It started out as a single wolf that was sighted on more than one occasion. As we all know, those sightings increased into what are now a managed hunting species. Make no mistake about it folks. They are here. And there will be more.

Here's one that was recently killed in Idaho for killing livestock. The guy holding it is close to 6 feet tall.

Damn! That's a big doggie!

Fish on...

Todd

P.S. I think he's long arming it

That photo has been floating around for a bit and there appears to be a couple stories behind it. In any case, that's a HUUUUUUGE bitch!

It never occurred to me until just now.

That is the wolf from Neverending Story!

I knew that pic was BS!

So if you shoot a wolf, what does it taste like? Chicken? Doubt it.

Sg