Second wolf pack wiped out

[Michaelr]

http://www.billingsgazette.com/index.php?id=1&display=rednews/2004/03/13/build/state/46-wolveskilled.inc


Associated Press

BOZEMAN - Federal wildlife agents in a helicopter on Friday wiped out a second wolf pack that has been attacking cattle in the Madison Valley.

They spotted the wolves in a sagebrush plain east of Ennis Lake early Friday morning and swooped in to shoot all of them, said Ed Bangs, wolf recovery leader for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Federal agents killed five of seven wolves in another pack, the Sentinel pack, on Thursday, also for killing livestock. One other wolf of the pack was shot earlier, possibly illegally, and may die.


"There are basically not any wolves left in the Madison Range," Bangs said late Friday afternoon.

The pack that was killed Friday is believed to have been offspring from the Sentinel pack. It had no name because officials were unaware of it until it attacked two cows on a ranch east of the lake. The now exterminated pack was dubbed the Ennis Lake Pack.

Bangs said officials thought the pack had only four wolves. The fifth wolf was wearing an old radio collar and turned out to be the alpha male from the Nez Perce Pack that roams the region south of Mammoth Hot Springs in Yellowstone National Park. The wolf was last tracked in December 2002.

Trappers hope the last healthy wolf of the Sentinel pack will return to the injured wolf so both animals can be killed. If the last wolf doesn't show up by Monday, the injured wolf will be shot, Bangs said.

Bangs said the illegal shooting last year of three collared adult wolves may have contributed to both packs getting into trouble. Those shootings are still under investigation.

"Both of these packs were in the valley for two years, and we weren't having problems," he said. "When you lose the ones that normally lead the pack, you basically have a bunch of teenagers walking through cattle."

Although the packs known to live in the Madisons are basically gone, Bangs said inevitably other wolves will wander into the range.

He added that although the recent attacks grabbed headlines, wolves preying on livestock remains rare.

 

[Ten Bears]

Bangs said the illegal shooting last year of three collared adult wolves may have contributed to both packs getting into trouble. Those shootings are still under investigation.

How? Is he saying that those three kept the others from killing cattle?

 

[BuzzH]

Ten, I'm shocked you know so little about wildlife. I'm beginning to wonder if you even hunt.

 

[Bambistew]

I personally like these statements

"There are basically not any wolves left in the Madison Range," Bangs said late Friday afternoon.

Oh but then he contradicts himself...

The pack that was killed Friday is believed to have been offspring from the Sentinel pack. It had no name because officials were unaware of it until it attacked two cows on a ranch east of the lake. The now exterminated pack was dubbed the Ennis Lake Pack.

So what is he trying to say? That they have no idea how many wolves there are... or is he saying that he only acknoleges that they exsist since they had to destroy them? But on the othere hand they are allways giving hard numbers on the populations...

The ennis lake pack was "denned" up as well. Within a mile of my parents house... it would be just a mater of time before they were into their live stock and dogs!

My dad saw two of these wolves last winter (a year ago) Just makes me wonder how many packs there really are that they haven't told anyone about!

They have no idea how many wolves are. There are lone wolves in about every drainage in the madisons... I'm glad they got rid of the "Ennis lake pack" They were spotted less than a 1/4 mile from my parents place nuberous times in the last year, but all of the sudden they were previously unkown. Wolves should be in the park where they belong not in peoples back yards.

From my sorces... there are still two packs left in the Madisons, plus quite a few loners...

Shoot some more of em...

 

[Ten Bears]

BUZZ, maybe you should explain to the rest of us what that meant?????

 

[BuzzH]

Ten bears, it meant exactly what I said, I cant believe you know so little about wildlife.

Did you read the article before you asked the question that was already answered in the article?

Ask any government hunter what their experience is with controlling problem predators. I'll save you the time...

My friend, the late Bud McCauley (a government hunter for 30+ years in White Sulphur Springs, MT), explained it best with regard to dealing with predators. When you have a predator that is killing livestock, you dont kill every predator, you single out the ones doing the damage. Because, as he learned over time, when you indiscriminately kill every predator, you may:

1. not get the problem animal.
2. kill predators that arent harming livestock
3. take the chance that the predators that move into the area to reoccupy the habiat, becoming a bigger threat to the livestock you're trying to protect.
4. eliminate the predators that have no intention of killing livestock. Its pretty common knowledge that animals learn behaviour from one another.

His philosophy changed 180 degrees in how he worked to control problem predators. In his later years, his method was to kill the guilty animals only, leaving the ones, that in many cases, were doing the rancher more good than harm. Upon LEARNING and being OBSERVANT, in his job, he found in many cases, indiscriminate killing of predators actually created MORE problems.

This case is no different. The older wolves were not killing livestock. Some dippy shot the pack leaders up, and the wolves replacing them got into trouble. Precisely what Bud explained to me on an elk hunt we took together in 1988.

I dont have any problem with the MTFWP, USFWS, taking out problem wolves or even entire packs, it should be done when theres a problem. In this case though, the reason it had to come to that is because of an illegal act.

You need to take a couple wildlife courses, get off the ATV once in a while, and listen to people who know what they're talking about.

Thats why I cant understand how someone that supposedly hunts and has even a basic grasp on wildlife would ask such a silly question.

 

[Bambistew]

The three that were shot last hunting season may have been part of one of the packs but they were not part of the "previously unknown pack"... Those two packs killed 4 calves, two steers, a cow, and a dog in some ones yard in about 6 days... one of the steers was less than 150 yards from two houses as well...

The pack that lost the collared three was seen numberous times in and around houses over the last few years but had only been "confirmed" killing a couple steers this last fall... a few others couldn't be determined. All this was before the three were shot! They are also belived to be responsible for killling two dogs and a few calves last winter.

One ranch in particular wouldn't be inclined to report livestock losses. It wouldn't be in their best intrest because they charge tourists to come up and "view" the wolves. The loss of a calf is really insignificant to them... when they charge $1500 a week for viewing!!!

The fish cops sure have shot a lot of wolves this winter... I wonder why when they have all the elk to eat? Maybe the elk are getting smarter??? There are MORE than enough elk to go around in the madison valley this winter...