Wolves and Deer
Research
Large study shows caribou herds in Alberta, B.C., growing from wolf culls, cow pens April 23, 2024 British Columbia, The Canadian Press on MSN.com
...a newly published study in the journal Ecological Applications... suggests western Canada's once-dwindling caribou numbers are finally growing. But the same paper concludes the biggest reason for the rebound is the slaughter of hundreds of wolves, a policy that will likely have to go on for decades...
Yellowstone research reignites debate over wolf-generated trophic cascade April 7, 2024 The Spokesman-Review
... The results of a 20-year study in Yellowstone ... In 1995, wolves were reintroduced... By 2003, the elk population plummeted ... “We conclude that the restoration of apex predators to Yellowstone should no longer be held up as evidence of a trophic cascade in riparian plant communities of small streams on the northern range,” ...
Can a small number of wolves have impact? March 1, 2024 North Carolina, The Columbian
... a paper observing a correlation between the red wolf’s decline, which accelerated around 2015, and increases in many of the animals that the wolves hunt ... From spring 2018 to spring 2021, as the wolf population declined ... Populations of deer, which red wolves hunt, remained relatively consistent, increasingly slightly... Raccoon sightings increased ...
CSU study: Wolf reintroduction ecosystem restoration claims may be overblown February 9, 2024 Colorado, The Fence Post
... conducted over a 20-year period in Yellowstone National Park ... Colorado researchers found that “Claims of ecosystem restoration, resulting from a trophic cascade following the restoration of the gray wolf to Yellowstone, have been used to justify translocation of wolves to their unoccupied former range in many areas of the world,” the study states. “Careful scrutiny has revealed these claims to be exaggerated or false.” ...
Does restoring apex predators to food webs restore ecosystems? Large carnivores in Yellowstone as a model system January 30, 2024 Ecological Monographs
... A reorganized community of large herbivores was implicated in the suppression of willow growth. We conclude that the restoration of large carnivores to the food web failed to restore riparian plant communities on Yellowstone's northern range, supporting the hypothesis that this ecosystem is in an alternative stable state caused primarily by the extirpation of apex predators during the early 20th century...
In an era of climate change, Alaska's predators fall prey to politics January 10, 2024 Alaska, Grist
... Looking at data collected since 2003, he [Tom Paragi, a wildlife biologist for the state Department of Fish and Game] notes that when Alaska culled wolves in four areas in a bid to bolster moose, caribou, and deer populations, their numbers increased. They also remained low in those areas where wolves were left alone..,
Habitat selection of resident and non-resident gray wolves: implications for habitat connectivity - Scientific Reports, 2023
... The study area included the area representing the western Great Lakes distinct population segment of gray wolves, including Minnesota (220,185 km2), Wisconsin (145,593 km2), and Michigan (151,279 km2), and parts of North Dakota (108,193 km2), South Dakota (93,571 km2), Iowa (99,971 km2), and Illinois (27,190 km2)... The primary prey of wolves in the study area is white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus), in addition to American beaver (Castor canadensis), moose (Alces alces, where available), and other mammals. Average wolf mid-winter pack size across Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan is 2.7–5.6 individuals, and the combined population is about 4200 wolves...
Research shows humans alter wolf-deer relationships November 17, 2023 Minnesota, The MIning Journal
... , humans have done an excellent job of creating and maintaining a diverse, well-connected web of roads, trails, and other cleared linear features that are ideal corridors for wolves to hunt deer.” ... new study published in Ecological Applications ..,
Humans have substantially altered the relationship between wolves and deer, finds study October 30, 2023 Minnesota, University of Minnesota
... By altering forest ecosystems, humans have created an environment that possibly favors the predators... published in Ecological Applications ... Wolves disproportionately hunt and kill deer fawns around recently logged areas ...
The presence of wolves leads to spatial differentiation in deer browsing pressure on forest regeneration October, 2023, Poland, Nature
... In a forest ecosystem [Poland] not inhabited by wolves, spatial variation in browsing patterns on small-sized beech plantations was the same between the edge and the center. In contrast, browsing pressure by deer was greater at the edges on large-sized pine plantations. The presence of wolves reduced deer browsing on beech and increased browsing on pine saplings...
Researcher paints broad picture of wolf-prey interactions with Jackson Hole Study October 8, 2023 Montana, Billings Gazette
... “We have learned that wolves decrease the population size of their prey … sometimes. After wolf reintroduction, some elk population sizes decreased, others remained stable and others increased ... olves change the behavior and distribution of their prey … sometimes..." the study
Kill rates on native ungulates by Mexican gray wolves in Arizona and New Mexico September 2023, The Journal of Wildlife Management
... Mexican gray wolf (Canis lupus baileyi) reintroduction began in 1998 in Arizona, USA, with 11 individuals initially; wolves from this population dispersed into New Mexico ... Elk (Cervus canadensis) composed 94% of the native ungulates documented at Mexican wolf kill sites (n = 139); the remaining 6% were mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus; n = 9). Two-thirds of all wolf-killed native ungulates were elk calves. We estimated kill rates as ungulate biomass killed/wolf/day. From combined results for all years, we estimated that each Mexican wolf killed on average 9.0 ± 5.4 kg (±95% CI) of ungulate biomass per day during winter and 7.8 ± 6.2 kg during the summer...
Logging, linear features, and human infrastructure shape the spatial dynamics of wolf predation on an ungulate neonate - Ecological Applications, 2023
... In contrast to the 'human shield hypothesis' that posits prey use human-modified areas as refuge, wolves killed fawns closer to residential buildings than expected based on spatial availability. Fawns were also killed within recently-logged areas more than expected. Concealment cover was higher at kill sites than random sites, suggesting wolves use senses other than vision, likely olfaction, to detect hidden fawns. Wolves showed strong selection for hunting along linear features, and kill sites were also closer to linear features than expected...
Wolves eliminate deer on Alaskan island, quickly shift to eating sea otters, OSU researchers find January 23, 2023 Alaska, KTVZ
... in 2015 deer were the primary food of the wolves, representing 75% of their diet, while sea otters comprised 25%. By 2017, wolves transitioned to primarily consuming sea otters (57% of their diet) while the frequency of deer declined to 7%... Shortly after wolves colonized Pleasant Island in 2013, the deer population on the island plummeted. With the wolves having consumed most of the deer ... video below
Killing wolves and bears over nearly 4 decades did not improve moose hunting, study says November 23, 2022 Alaska, Anchorage Daily News
... The study, by retired Alaska Department of Fish and Game and University of Alaska Fairbanks researchers ... The researchers ... set out with the hypothesis that killing predators improved moose hunts in Game Management Unit 13 between 1973 and 2020. They found the opposite...
DNR links poor deer harvest to wolves, weather November 18, 2022 Nevada, The Ely Echo
... What is turning into an abysmal firearms deer season has gotten the attention of the Minnesota DNR. And while last year’s tough winter limited population growth, there’s a growing trend to look at the impact of wolves as well...
New research confirms old theory: Wolves really do prefer old and sick moose April 20, 2022 MIchigan, Duluth News Tribune
... a new study by Isle Royale researchers from Michigan Technological University has documented that ... Wolves on the island showed a strong preference for elderly moose over prime-age moose, with wolves selecting their targets based on the age of the moose and whether it suffered from osteoarthritis ...
The Demographic Changes and Fluctuations in a Black-tailed Deer (Odocoileus hemionus columbianus) Population on Northern Vancouver Island, British Columbia: Are They Related to Predation? November, Canadian Wildlife Biology and Mangement
... The wolf index was associated with changes in deer growth and recruitment rates during the 1st deer population fluctuation, and both wolf and cougar indices were related to growth rates during the 2nd fluctuation. Dynamic interactions between deer and their predators may have contributed to the 1st and 2nd deer population fluctuations, while winter severity and hunting appeared to have less effect ...
Management‐mediated predation rate in the caribou–moose–wolf system: spatial configuration of logging activities matters - Ecosphere, 2021
... wolves were more successful when forest management required an extensive road network resulting in relatively high habitat fragmentation. Caribou agents experienced lower mortality in landscapes with low densities of road and disturbance-related edges ...
Alaska's Coastal Wolves Are Not Picky Eaters April 19, 2021 Hakai Magazine
... The research, conducted by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G) and Oregon State University from 2010 to 2018, is the first large-scale, region-wide study of wolf diets in southeast Alaska ... The study ... across the majority of the islands, Sitka black-tailed deer made up 65 percent of the wolves’ diets; on the mainland, moose and mountain goats were preferred over deer...
How Wolves Are Driving Down Mountain Lion Populations January 21, 2021 Wyoming, Smithsonian Magazine
... study published in November in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B provided the first evidence that when the two species overlap, wolves have a greater effect on mountain lion populations than hunting by humans and the availability of prey. And the ways scientists say that wolves impact populations? By starving out adults and killing kittens...
Wolves preying on beavers in Minnesota reshape wetlands November 13, 2020
Washington Post
... they tend to hunt alone for smaller prey, including fawns and beavers, in summer. ... “Once a wolf takes out a beaver,” Gable said, “it takes a while for another beaver to return to the site.” ... Wolves preying on beavers profoundly affect northern Minnesota’s wetland ecosystems because dams built by individual beavers — those not associated with beaver colonies — quickly fall apart...
Absent Wolves, Ecosystems Changed. Can New Wolves Restore Things? May 1, 2020 Undark Magazine
... Early studies claiming evidence that wolves restored Yellowstone’s ecosystem by changing the behavior of elk, their primary prey, were based on observing correlations between wolf presence and the regrowth of plants that had been suppressed for decades by hungry elk... Recent research shows that a number of other factors were involved — and that the presence of wolves alone can’t be expected to restore ecosystems...
Anthropogenic Disturbance and Population Viability of Woodland Caribou in Ontario
JM Fryxell, T Avgar, B Liu, JA Baker, AR Rodgers… - The Journal of Wildlife …, 2020
... Our results suggest that increased wolf predation risk due to anthropogenic disturbance is of sufficient magnitude to cause appreciable risk of population decline in woodland caribou in Ontario...
Slowing down wolves to protect boreal caribou populations: a spatial simulation model of linear feature restoration MC Spangenberg, R Serrouya, M Dickie, CA DeMars… - Ecosphere, 2019
... In Canada, boreal caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou) are declining in numbers, in part due to increased predation by wolves (Canis lupus). One management option to reduce wolf–caribou interactions and thus protect caribou is to remove man-made linear features (LFs), structures such as roads, trails, and cut lines, which are used by wolves as traveling paths...
Elk can be just as good at avoiding cougars and wolves as they are at hiding from hunters, study shows August 12, 2019 Wyoming, Billings Gazette
... a recently published study based on information collected in Yellowstone National Park shows that elk use much the same behavior to avoid mountain lions and wolves... Dan Stahler, Yellowstone Cougar Project manager...
The biological basis for deer hunting October 13, 2019 West Virginia, The Register-Herald
... In 1970, Graeme Caughley suggested that the mule deer population explosion on the Kaibab Plateau was due more to the recovery of the range than to the disappearance of predators. It turns out that while predators were being removed from the area, so were domestic livestock. At least 200,000 sheep and 20,000 cattle were removed at the same time the predators were exterminated. Caughley argued that deer flourished not because predators disappeared, but because the elimination of domestic grazers provided a virtually unlimited food supply for deer...
Study: In Idaho, cougars kill slightly more elk than wolves August 3, 2019 The Spokesman-Review
... 15 years of data collected on Idaho’s wolf and elk population... found that wolves accounted for 32% of identified mortalities for female elk while mountain lions accounted for 35%. That disparity grew when looking at elk calf survival with wolves accounting for 28% of known-fate deaths and lions accounting for 45%...
Fearing cougars more than wolves, Yellowstone elk manage threats from both predators August 2, 2019 Science Daily
... a new study has found that the secretive cougar is actually the main predator influencing the movement of elk across the winter range of northern Yellowstone National Park... "Cougars hunted mainly in forested, rugged areas at night, whereas wolves hunted mainly in grassy, flat areas during morning and at dusk" ...
When biologists stocked Alaska with wolves August 16,2019 juneauempire.com
... in 1960: on Coronation Island ... a high density of blacktailed deer and no wolves... biologists from Fish and Game released two pairs of wolves ... in 1964: at least 13 wolves... in 1965: no sign of deer on the north side of the island ... February 1966: only three wolves ...wolf scats ... suggesting the animals had resorted to cannibalism ... August 1966: just three sets of fresh deer tracks... in 1983: no evidence of wolves, but the deer were once again plentiful...
Differences in dietary niche and foraging behavior of sympatric mule and white‐tailed deer
SL Berry, LA Shipley, RA Long, C Loggers - Ecosphere, 2019 Washington
... About 90% of the diets consumed by both deer species consisted of deciduous shrubs and forbs, and they selected many of the same plant species. However, overall diet composition was 38% dissimilar, with mule deer consuming diets that were more likely to contain shrubs with higher levels of tannins and lower levels of dry matter digestibility than diets eaten by white‐tailed deer...
Rancher says wolves driving him off range August 27, 2018 Washington, Capital Press
... he believes predators are turning to livestock because other prey, such as deer, are becoming scarce... Wolves will remain a state protected species until at least four packs have produced pups in the South Cascades ...
Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf Scientist? July 5, 2018 Washington, New York Times
... [Wiegus] found something unusual: Killing wolves one year was associated with more, not fewer, deaths of livestock the following year. The paper further suggested that killing wolves may cause the increased livestock deaths.... they concluded that Wielgus’s study overlooked a simpler explanation for that rise in livestock depredation: Wolves were proliferating at the time...
Wolf pack moves west of Cascade Mountains for first time in decades April 4, 2019 Washington, Seattle Times
... biologists had documented a pack of the animals living in Skagit County, west of the Cascade crest... at least 126 individuals and 27 packs [total for state] according to WDFW’s latest count ... mule deer have begun to change their home ranges to avoid wolves, according to a University of Washington-led study ..,
New study questions wolf DNA August 6, 2016 Eastern Arizona Courier
... Researchers from Princeton University studied the genomes from a variety of gray and red wolves ... According to the study just published in Science Magazine, the so-called Eastern gray wolf is 25- to 50-percent coyote, and the red wolf is really 25-percent gray wolf and 75-percent coyote...
News
Colorado Wolves Expand Range, May Already Be Crossing Into Wyoming April 25, 2024 Wyoming, Cowboy State Daily
... Tracking data for Colorado’s reintroduced wolves shows them possibly wandering right up to the Wyoming state line, but it’s not confirmed whether any have crossed over...wolves were released in Colorado in late December ...
How lawsuits seeking to restore protections for wolves in the northern Rockies could affect Utah April 9, 2024 Utah, abc4.com on MSN
... The two similar lawsuits were filed Monday in federal district court in Montana, and both argue that newly loosened hunting policies in northern Rocky Mountain states, specifically Montana and Idaho, threaten to decimate wolf populations across the region...
Video of wolf killing deer in northern Minnesota becomes political fodder February 13, 2024 Minnesota, Star Tribune
...U.S. Rep. Pete Stauber, R-Minn., posted the video on several social media sites along with a warning. "As you can see, wolves lost any fear of humans and are increasingly dangerous to livestock and pets and decimating our deer here," ..,
Gray wolves denied endangered species protection February 2, 2024 Idaho, KTVB
... The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFW) denied a petition seeking federal protection for gray wolves... In Idaho, the law allows the state to hire private contractors to kill wolves and allows hunters and trappers to kill an unlimited number of wolves ...
Colorado Range Scientist Says Wolf Reintroduction Will Be Good For Ranchers & Hunters January 13, 2024 Colorado, Cowboy State Daily
... “People are worried that wolves are going to kill elk, kill deer, kill cattle and kill sheep. And they’ll do all of that, those fears are not unfounded,” said Matt Barnes, a range scientist ... But those fears also are likely blown out of proportion, Barnes told Cowboy State Daily ...
Living with wolves: Not as rosy as media would like us to believe January 6, 2024 Colorado, TheFencePost.com
... . In the fall of 1995 I saw one track of a lone wolf. Then in January 1999 my son and I tracked a pair of wolves in the snow. A pack arrived that summer. Within three months not a deer was to be seen, or tracked, in these meadows — even during the rut ... [Geist has published 17 books on wildlife and large mammals]
Wolves aren’t to blame for a disappointing deer hunt, data show November 22, 2023 Wisconsin, Southern Minn
... hunters in the northeast are generally less likely to bag a buck than hunters elsewhere, and that there’s been a slight downward trend in the odds of a successful hunt in both the northeast and statewide. That said, the numbers are still well above lows set in 2014 and 2015, when some especially harsh winters drove deer populations down...
Conservationists stunned after spotting family of famously endangered animals September 18, 2023 California, The Cool Down
... spotted in the Sequoia National Forest ... the five gray wolves were not previously documented, and they were found hundreds of miles away from the next nearest pack in Lassen Park in the northeast of the state...
Here's where Colorado will likely get its future wolves September 12, 2023 Colorado Public Radio
... discussions with its counterparts in Oregon and Washington to secure wolves. He added the agency has also sought wolves from a third potential source: the Nez Perce Tribe in Idaho... Idaho itself, which has flatly refused to cooperate with Colorado due to concerns the predators will kill livestock and compete for game animals ...
Another Western state says it won't send wolves to Colorado, citing 'enormous price' of managing the species July 21, 2023 Colorado, Star Beacon
... Idaho Department of Fish and Game Director Jim Fredericks declined Colorado Parks and Wildlife’s request for wolves in a June 6 letter ... cited frustrations with federal restrictions on managing Idaho’s wolves, “unacceptable impacts” of wolves on elk and deer populations and mistrust between conservation groups, ranchers and others because of disagreements of how to handle the species...
Idaho Fish and Game proposed a plan to kill majority of wolves. Officials just OK’d it May 11, 2023, AOL
a wolf management plan that will slash the state’s wolf population by nearly two-thirds over the next several years ... lays out goals of reducing wolf predation on other wildlife, like elk and deer, where those wildlife populations aren’t meeting Fish and Game goals ...
Unprecedented wolf attacks in California lead to dramatic helicopter capture April 3, 2023 SFGate
... Since September, wolves in the Whaleback Pack have killed more than 20 cows and injured another half-dozen across Siskiyou County ... The uptick in depredations is likely happening both because the pack has extra mouths to feed and because the region has few elk and deer, which are usually gray wolves' preferred food source ...
Exclusive video of extremely rare red wolf cubs showcases the crucial fight to save them January 2, 2022 North Carolina, The Cool Down
... The red wolf is one of the U.S.’s most endangered animals and the only wolf that is solely native to the U.S. There are thought to be between 19 and 21 red wolves left in the wild today.The tiny population lives in North Carolina, though they once inhabited a vast area spanning from New York to Florida and Texas..,
Colorado releases first draft of plan to reintroduce gray wolf December 12, 2022 Colorado, Missoula Current
... A slim 50.91% of voters supported a measure backed by environmental groups like the Sierra Club to reintroduce wolves. The proposition received strong criticism from residents and ranchers along the rural Western Slope, which is ideal wolf habitat...
the draft plan ...
Wolf reintroduction plan may bring 30-50 December 9, 2022 Colorado, CBS Denver
... Colorado Parks and Wildlife will release dozens of gray wolves in its first draft of the wolf reintroduction plan. Voters narrowly approved the reintroduction plan in 2020...
DNR links poor deer harvest to wolves, weather November 18, 2022 Nevada, The Ely Echo
... What is turning into an abysmal firearms deer season has gotten the attention of the Minnesota DNR. And while last year’s tough winter limited population growth, there’s a growing trend to look at the impact of wolves as well...
New Wisconsin wolf plan eliminates state population goal November 11, 2022 WUWM
... The draft plan the DNR released Thursday strips hunters of that argument by eliminating a statewide population goal. Instead it recommends the DNR with the help of advisory committee monitor local populations within the state's six wolf hunting zones and decide whether to reduce the local population, keep it stable or allow it to grow...
Preliminary announcement of a month-long wolf harvest sparks outcry from trappers November 4, 2022, Alaska, KTOO
... The department wants to keep the island’s wolf population somewhere between 150 and 200 animals. Based on data from last fall, Fish and Game thinks there’s more than 230 on the island. That’s lower than the 2020 estimate of 386, and the 2019 estimate of 316... "I really think that’s what you need to focus on is the ungulate population in Southeast in general,” ... Other trappers spoke about a declining deer population ...
Washington wildlife commissioners visit 'center of wolf recovery' as public raises concerns about public safety, game populations October 29, 2022 YAHOO!News
... Citizens living in the "center of wolf recovery" told wildlife managers Friday that an increase in predators has stoked public safety concerns, decimated deer and elk populations and broken trust... Rep. Joel Kretz, R-Wauconda, told the nine assembled commissioners Friday. "The public does not trust the department right now and I think we have to fix that." ...
Predator Impacts on the Spread of Chronic Wasting Disease October, 2022 NWF Blog
... The messaging in media and public discourse has largely overstated the idea that large predators, especially wolves, are the solution for curbing the spread of CWD, ignoring the uncertainty in the literature. The current literature on the relationship between cervid predation and the spread of CWD lacks the empirical data needed to make strong predictions outside of local contexts...
Rare wolves headed to South Carolina from Ohio as fight to prevent extinction ramps up October 7, 2022 The State
... The plan is to breed red wolves in captivity at Brookgreen for display at zoos or for release in eastern North Carolina and, possibly, in the Lowcountry of South Carolina... Fewer than 300 red wolves survive in the world today, mostly in captivity...
Idaho wolf population steady despite lawmakers expanding wolf hunting laws October 7, 2022 Fox News
... the state's wolf population from 2019 to 2021 fluctuating with a high of more than 1,600 in May when wolf pups are born down to a low of about 800 ... fluctuating around 1,250 ...
DNR: Wisconsin wolf population likely now 972 animals September 30, 2022 wxow.com
... Department of Natural Resources officials released their latest population estimates at the agency's board meeting on Wednesday. They said they estimate between 812 and 1,193 wolves currently roam the state, with 972 likely the best estimate... Wisconsin's current wolf management plan, which dates back to 1999, calls for capping the population at 350 wolves..,
DNA test confirms wolf killed in upstate New York September 26, 2022 NEWS10 ABC
... Recent tests confirmed that an animal killed during a coyote hunt in upstate New York last year was a wolf ... it is only the third wolf identified in the wild statewide in 25 years. Wolves are protected in New York as an endangered species...
Colorado stakeholder group outlines recommendations about when wolves could be killed August 2, 2022 The Aspen Times
... Recommendations also consider what to do if the presence of wolves leads to a decline in ungulate — deer, elk, moose — populations in a particular area. The group agreed these wolves could be relocated, but they did not take a vote on whether they could be killed...
Federal Wildlife Services to limit predator killing methods in Idaho July 5, 2022 Idaho Mountain Express
... prohibitions contained in the settlement should give Wildlife Services time to evaluate the results of killing restriction ... The agreements also preclude Wildlife Services from killing predators to bolster deer and elk populations...
143 sheep killed fleeing from wolves in southwestern Idaho June 2, 2022 The Washington Post
... Idaho lawmakers last year approved a law, backed by ranchers, greatly expanding wolf killing in what some lawmakers stated could reduce the wolf population by 90%... Backers said expanding wolf killing would reduce the wolf population and attacks on livestock while also boosting deer and elk herds...
"Conflict Between Wolves and Humans" Becomes the Reason Behind Swedish Government's Decision to Cull Wolf Population by Half May 25, Nature World News
... The Swedish parliament has voted to reduce the wolf population to 170 individuals, the lowest number in the range of 170 to 270, which would allow the nation to satisfy the EU's species and habitats directive conservation standards...
When wolves returned to California, so did ‘crazy’ rumors March 14, 2022 Seattle Times
... There are an estimated 6,000 wolves in the lower 48 states. California’s current wolves dispersed from three modern populations: Yellowstone, Idaho and northwest Montana... The last of the state’s original wild wolves was killed by a hunter in Lassen County in Northern California in 1924...
US court reinstates gray wolf endangered species protections February 11, 2022 YAHOO!News
... A 26-page ruling issued Thursday by Judge Jeffrey White in a case brought by wildlife groups found the Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) had erred in its October 2020 decision to remove the apex predators from the Endangered Species Act (ESA), where they were first listed in the 1970s...
9 Endangered Red Wolves To Be Released In North Carolina February 9, 2022 Kiss 95.1
... The nine red wolves include a family and two breeding pairs. The animals will come from five different zoo facilities ...
Montana wildlife officials mull wolf hunt limits January 28, 2022 TheHill
... according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. In 2020, the agency said the gray wolf population had reached 6,000 in the lower 48 states ...
Wisconsin's fall wolf hunt is on hold. Several lawsuits could affect whether it moves forward. December 6, 2021 Wisconsin Public Radio
... on hold since a Dane County judge issued a temporary injunction in October ... a coalition of wildlife advocacy and animal protection groups filed a lawsuit ... the population had grown to around 1,100 wolves prior to the February hunt ...
Idaho reaches deal to reimburse hunters who kill wolves October 11, 2021 MSN.com
... up to $200,000 to be divided into payments for hunters and trappers who kill wolves ... wolves that are blamed for attacking livestock and reducing deer ...
Montana wolf hunt criticized by Yellowstone Park superintendent September 27, 2021 Montana, Helena Independent Record
... The legislation approved snaring and a longer hunting season, as well as baiting and night hunting at the discretion of the Montana Fish and Wildlife Commission. Lawmakers cited reduced elk and deer populations in northwestern Montana for the changes...
Oregon expands wolf kill due to threat to livestock September 18, 2021 Idaho Statesman
...“This pack has made a shift in their behavior,” says Roblyn Brown, ODFW Wolf Coordinator. “Instead of the occasional opportunistic killing of a vulnerable calf, now they are targeting livestock despite the high numbers of elk and deer in the area where the depredations have occurred and extensive human presence to haze wolves.” ...
For Utah, the war on wolf protections seems to never end July 30, 2021 The Salt Lake Tribune
... state officials filed a motion to intervene in a lawsuit brought by environmental groups that are trying to reverse a decision ... delisting the gray wolf under the Endangered Species Act... Utah alleges wolves’ appetite for big game poses a financial threat to the state. Predicting that deer and elk numbers would plummet ...
Feds to consider protections for Southeast Alaska’s wolves July 27, 2021 KTOO
... A notice in the federal register published on Tuesday found merit to a conservationist coalition’s 111-page petition ... one of the co-authors of the petition, says the legacy of clear-cuts is to blame for loss of deer herds, not predators...
Michigan, Oregon AGs say feds improperly delisted gray wolves July 26, 2021 mlive.com
... Wolves were wiped out across most of the U.S. by the 1930s under government-sponsored poisoning and trapping campaigns. A remnant population in the western Great Lakes region has expanded to about 4,400 animals across Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin since wolves were listed under the Endangered Species Act in 1973...
Groups to Sue Idaho Over Wolf Kill – State Laws Violate Endangered Species Act July 24, 2021 The Sierra Nevada Ally
... It is estimated that roughly 1,500 gray wolves live in Idaho, and in May of this year, Idaho lawmakers passed S1211, a bill that enables the year-around trapping of wolves on private property... a coalition of ten environmental groups filed a 60-day notice of intent to sue the state over S1211 ..,
After being driven to near extinction, wolves are back in Washington. Can we coexist with them? July 1, 2021 Florida News Times
... They are what are called “coursing” predators, flowing like a river over the land, running animals to exhaustion, culling the weak, the sick and the small. It is no accident that wolf pups are born the same time elk and deer birth their young—creating food for the growing wolf pack...
US state reports first litter of wolf pups in 80 years June 10, 2021 Colorado, AFP
... "Colorado is now home to our first wolf litter since the 1940s," said Governor Jared Polis ... Coloradans narrowly voted last year in favor of a law to reintroduce the predator by 2023. A quarter of a million wolves once roamed from coast to coast before European settlers embarked on campaigns of eradication ..,
Gianforte signs wolf trapper 'reimbursement' bill April 23, 2021 Montana Standard
... a bill Friday allowing private payment for expenses to successful wolf trappers and hunters... protect elk and deer populations, and as a general means of predator control ...
Montezuma County commissioners assert opposition to wolves April 2, 2021 Colorado, The Durango Herald
... Commissioners passed a resolution March 23 called “Making Montezuma County A Sanctuary From Wolf Reintroduction.” ... “A big concern is that wolves will follow migrating deer and elk into the valleys where people are living, and cause problems,” ...
Wolves in the UP February 27, 2021 Wisconsin, Escanaba Daily Press
... Wisconsin’s data shows that wolves are responsible for more than 31% of deer killed in 17 northern counties. Also, they kill more than gun-deer hunters in the four-county area of Iron, Ashlund, Douglas and Forest...
Study: Wolves have plenty of great habitat – in Mexico February 5, 2021, Payson Roundup
... AZGFD Assistant Director Clay Crowder hailed the new study, saying “Mexico contained 90% of the Mexican wolf’s historical habitat, so it is unjustified to force recovery entirely in the United States... there are an estimated 163 Mexican gray wolves in Arizona and New Mexico and perhaps 30 more in Mexico’s Sierra Madre mountain range..,
Extended wolf trapping seasons draws debate January 29, 2021 Montana Standard
... Hunters in northwest Montana where wolf densities are highest have reported fewer deer, elk and moose in recent years ... Recommendations brought to the commission to increase wolf harvest went ignored, and HB 225 would provide legislative direction to move forward ...
Prince of Wales trappers report 68 wolves taken in 2020 January 21, 2021 Alaska, KTOO
... Prince of Wales residents have testified in hearings that the true wolf population is higher than official estimates. Many blame the canine predators for the deer population falling in a place where venison is an affordable alternative to expensive store-bought meat...
Montana lawmakers considering several wolf management bills January 20, 2021 Montana, Helena Independent Record
... “Basically every drainage you go into you find wolves and the packs just keep expanding,” Brown said of the areas he hunts. “With elk and deer numbers, you’re not seeing them up in the hills. You might still see quite a few but they’re pushed down out of the hills and onto private land.” ...
Colorado begins wolf reintroduction plans OK'd by voters January 14, 2021 Washington Post
... By spring or summer, state wildlife officials will start identifying donor populations and locations for reintroduction; slowly begin development of a management plan; and create procedures for settling claims by ranchers, farmers and others who lose livestock to or have property damaged by wolves...
Wolf management badly needed in Michigan's Upper Peninsula January 15, 2021 Iron Mountain Daily News
... our 2020 deer season in the U.P. was a disaster and will probably go down as one of the worst in history. Our deer herd in the U.P. is in serious decline. Predators — wolves in particular — have decimated our deer herd...
Wolves lost endangered species protection this year. Idaho may offer a glimpse of what’s ahead for them nationwide January 10, 2021 Idaho Mountain Express
... the commission opened up year-round wolf hunting in most of Idaho’s game units via conference call on Feb. 20. “Wolf predation on livestock and other domestic animals remains chronic in certain areas and … continues to have a negative effect on elk populations,” the commission stated in February...
How the Isle Royale wolf-moose study began December 11, 2020 Minnesota, Duluth News Tribune
... The moose-wolf relationship on Isle Royale eventually went sour for the wolves. With warmer winters limiting ice bridges to the mainland, and no new wolves venturing out the island, the animals became inbred and suffered genetic deformities...
Controversial wolf season extended for Prince of Wales Island November 9, 2020 Alaska, Alaska Public Media News
... island resident hunters said too many wolves were preying on deer... resident hunters and trappers told wildlife managers were under-counting wolves: state and federal officials recently released their fall 2019 estimate of 316 wolves in and around Prince of Wales...
Gorilla warfare November 7, 2020 Alaska, craigmedred.news
... With Sitka blacktail deer overrunning, Coronation Island ... the Alaska Department of Fish and Game 60 years ago decided to try to “balance” nature... released four wolves ... in December 1967 ... No deer tracks were seen... By the 1980s, the last wolf was gone from the island...
A warm, quiet deer opener north of Duluth November 7, 2020 Minnesota, Duluth News Tribune
... deer numbers have been down for the past decade or so thanks to repeated heavy-snow winters. “And wolves. The wolves really came in about 10 years ago and it hasn’t been the same,’’ ..,
Wolves preying on beavers in Minnesota reshape wetlands November 13, 2020 Washington Post
... they tend to hunt alone for smaller prey, including fawns and beavers, in summer. ... “Once a wolf takes out a beaver,” Gable said, “it takes a while for another beaver to return to the site.” ... Wolves preying on beavers profoundly affect northern Minnesota’s wetland ecosystems because dams built by individual beavers — those not associated with beaver colonies — quickly fall apart...
State withholds Prince of Wales wolf population estimate from subsistence council October 22, 2020 Alaska, KRBD
... Hunters say the wolf population is healthy and blame the predator for keeping down the deer herds. Another view is that deer habitat has been lost to commercial clear cuts, especially on Prince of Wales... officials refused this week to share their numbers with a regional council tasked with advising subsistence hunting and trapping on federal land...
Environmentalists say Washington’s wolf program is broken September 8, 2020 Washington, Heraldnet.com
... The current plan does not account for the declining population of deer and other ungulates that provide food for wolves in the wild, which has knocked the predator-prey relationship out of balance ...The DFW estimates the state’s wolf population grew to 145 animals in 26 packs in 2019..,
Wolf researchers in Voyageurs National Park believe unlikely food source may be behind moose success August 3, 2020 Minnesota, Minneapolis Star Tribune
... Beavers are so abundant in Voyageurs National Park that they may be helping moose populations by becoming food for wolves... a small and isolated moose population is surviving, even as others in Minnesota have been cut in half or wiped out...
In western Colorado, wary ranchers eye wolves’ arrival and fear urban voters will introduce more July 26, 2020 The Denver Post
... “we have sporadically observed a small pack of six wolves that appear to have entered northwest Colorado either via the adjacent Uintah Mountains or across Wyoming.” They’ve been eating “native prey, primarily elk and deer. …
Endangered Species petition filed for Southeast Alaska wolves July 15, 2020 KRBD
... the state doesn’t believe Southeast Alaska’s wolves are endangered... The Center for Biological Diversity ... blames the decline in Prince of Wales Island’s deer habitat on the legacy of clear cuts which peaked in the 1980s and 90s...
Wolves are moving Gros Ventre elk, but not so much killing them June 28, 2020 Wyoming, Wyoming News
... Preliminarily, wolf numbers appear to be a major environmental influence that causes the elk herd to abandon the Gros Ventre in favor of the National Elk Refuge... Wyoming Game and Fish officials said it’s undesirable to have wolves push most of the elk out of the Gros Ventre...
Environmentalists renew effort to protect Southeast Alaska wolves June 22, 2020 Alaska, KRBD
... Many resident hunters insist the wolf population is under-counted and blame predators for the decline of the deer population. Conservationists point to the legacy of clear cut logging for the loss of deer habitat...
In Colorado, Wolves Are on the Ballot May 14, 2020 Sierra Magazine
... Initiative 107, a November ballot measure to reintroduce gray wolves west of the Continental Divide... It will be the first time that the reintroduction of wolves anywhere in the United States is decided by popular vote... Today, the International Wolf Center estimates that there are 5,500 gray wolves in the continental United States...
WDFW to start trapping wolves in NE Washington May 1, 2020 Washington, Capital Press
... Fish and Wildlife will put a high priority on putting collars on the members of packs that have a history of attacking livestock or are being tracked for ongoing research into how wolves are affecting its wild prey, such as deer...
Groups request federal protection for Southeast Alaska wolf population April 23, 2020 Alaska, Anchorage Daily News
... Some residents argue the wolf population is much higher than official estimates and they blame wolf packs for killing deer prized by subsistence hunters... Environmentalists unsuccessfully petitioned the federal government twice to list the Alexander Archipelago wolves as an endangered species...
Minnesota paying out 135K annually due to wolf kills February 22, 2020 MPR News
... Every year, gray wolves kill dozens, if not hundreds, of farm animals in Minnesota. ... in the last decade, the Minnesota Department of Agriculture has paid out an average of $135,000 on about 110 wolf depredation claims each year ... there do seem to be more wolf kills when the whitetail deer population ... goes down quickly ...
Wolf pack structure is interesting view of a family dynamic February 13, 2020 Minnesota, Minneapolis Star Tribune
... The population of gray wolves, also known as timber wolves, is about 13,000 in the United States, with the majority living in Alaska. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources estimates that there are 2,650 wolves in the state..,
Talking wolves' diets with U of M February 12, 2020 Minnesota, UMN News
... In the winter time, wolves in the Greater Voyageurs Ecosystem ... mainly hunt and kill deer, though wolves do kill the occasional snowshoe hare and, rarely, a moose... During the summer, wolves in our area mainly eat beavers, deer fawns and blueberries ...
Don't be fooled about wolves February 12, 2020 Colorado, Loveland Reporter-Herald
"... the wolf does not belong in settled landscapes... wolves degrade via hybridization with domestic dogs and coyotes into worthless hybrids ... when wolves are introduced into Colorado and are free to multiply, your moose will be exterminated, and your deer and elk will be exterminated ..." [Dr. Geist is a behavioral ecologist and professor ... one of the world’s most respected authorities on the behavior, ecology and conservation]
North Fork deer herds are threatened January 15, 2020 Wyoming, Cody Enterprise
... decline of the mule deer and white-tailed deer herds on the North Fork of the Shoshone River... attributed to, the harsh winters of 2016-17, and very healthy wolf, grizzly bear and mountain lion populations... The wolves more than any other predator follow the deer to the Central Plateau ...
Minnesota DNR will talk with critics on wildlife area logging January 3, 2020 Duluth News Tribune
... Duluth area wildlife managers wrote in the letter to the commissioner, saying they had proposed reserving selected stands of older forest for fisher and marten habitat and winter habitat for deer and moose. If the DNR plan goes through, WMAs in the Duluth region “will no longer support adequate habitat for many species,'' ....
The price of ballot box biology: Forced wolf reintroduction in Colorado December 27, 2019 Colorado, Tri-State Livestock News
... “If you look at central Idaho, the Lolo Zone, in 1992 there were approximately 10,000 elk there, one of the great established herds at that time,” Holyoak said. “By 2017, the size of that herd was less than 1,900. That’s not solely wolves but that’s adding wolves to a predator mix that’s almost a full menu of predators ...
Should Gray Wolves Be Reintroduced To Colorado? December 5, 2019 Colorado,
HPPR
... Wolves were last known to be living in Colorado in the 1940s... one of the biologists Mike Phillips, who happens to be a Montana state senator that I spoke with in my reporting, told me he thinks it would probably take around 45 relocated wolves over the period of three years to establish a viable population...
Fewer Yellowstone wolves equals no wolf-on-wolf deaths November 11, 2019
East Idaho News
... “Project staff detected 151 kills that were definitely, probably, or possibly made by wolves in 2018: 95 elk (62.9%), 25 bison (16.6%), 11 mule deer (7.3%), 3 deer of unknown species (2.0%), 2 coyotes (3.0%), 2 pronghorn (1.3%), 1 grizzly bear (0.6%), 1 mountain lion (0.6%), and 11 unidentified animals (7.3%). The composition of wolf-killed elk was: 22.1% calves, 6.3% yearlings, 22.1% adult females, 37.9% adult males, 3.2% adults of unknown sex, and 8.4% of unknown sex and age.” ...
Caribou numbers up 49 per cent after four-year wolf cull October 8, 2019 British Columbia, Vancouver Sun
... The population of three mountain caribou herds in the South Peace region has risen by 49 per cent just four years into an experimental wolf cull program ... the report concludes “it is highly recommended that wolf reduction continue to be implemented” until the herds are self-sustaining...
Chronic Wasting Disease, We're the Wolves Now August 28, 2019 Montana,
Flathead Beacon
.... One theory is that wolves may be a natural, biological control over the spread of CWD by targeting the sick and weak, thinning the herd of infected animals. Someday we may have an answer to that theory, but the presence of wolves in the country surrounding Libby wasn’t enough to prevent the disease from arriving in the first place...
Killings of another Washington wolf pack sparks debate over predator management August 19, 2019 KING5
... WDFW is beginning a study to collar wolves, cougars, bobcats, moose, deer and elk to track predator and prey interactions. There has been no baseline assessment to understand how a wolf's prey, like deer, elk, etc. have changed as wolf numbers have grown...
When biologists stocked Alaska with wolves August 16, 2019
... in 1960: on Coronation Island ... a high density of blacktailed deer and no wolves... biologists from Fish and Game released two pairs of wolves ... in 1964: at least 13 wolves... in 1965: no sign of deer on the north side of the island ... February 1966: only three wolves ...wolf scats ... suggesting the animals had resorted to cannibalism ... August 1966: just three sets of fresh deer tracks... in 1983: no evidence of wolves, but the deer were once again plentiful...
Washington Fish and Wildlife to resume killing wolves July 31, 2019 Capital Press
... Washington Fish and Wildlife will again target a wolfpack preying on cattle in the Kettle River Range ... Cattlemen say the wolves have thinned deer herds and turned to cattle for food...
A 'perfect policy storm' cuts puma numbers by almost half near Jackson, Wyoming August 1, 2018 Mongabay.com
... A 14-year study following 134 tagged mountain lions north of Jackson, Wyoming, found a 48 percent reduction in their numbers. The researchers found that the combination of the reintroduction of wolves and increases in elk and mountain lion hunting led to the precipitous drop...
US Moves to Take Wolf Off Endangered List, But California Protections Still Strong March 15, 2019 KQED
... If the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service moves forward with its plan to take the gray wolf off the Endangered Species list, it may be bad news for wolves around the country, but California wolves will still be protected under state environmental laws... Now more than 5,000 of the animals live in the lower 48 states ...
Wolf reintroduction an unwelcome idea in Moffat County February 22, 2018 Colorado,
Craig Daily Press
... Colorado is within the historic range for gray wolves ... In the room Tuesday, no one spoke in favor of reintroduction ... Big game hunters worry about the impact wolves can have on deer, elk and moose populations... elk make up 90 percent of wolves' diet ...
How Washington ranchers are learning to cope with wolves, with lessons from Uganda February 24, 2017 PRI
... a deer ran across the road ... wolves ... Johnson was out with his dogs when one of them — Lance — disappeared... by the time I realized he was gone ... That night, Johnson saddled his horse and grabbed his gun. “I was going to kill every wolf in the Teanaway,” ...
Wolf hunting in the West September 29, 2016 Montana, Tri-State Livestock News
... Darby, Montana ... Deer and elk numbers are still down but we’re seeing a slight increase again in the elk... The Fish and Game Department sells an unlimited number of [wolf] tags but there are quotas in some areas; once those target numbers are reached, the hunt is closed...