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Sheep Killing Wolf Killed

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Anonymous

Guest
They finally got our neighbor counties troublesome wolf...F&G can't figure out where it came from :???: :roll: I'd be willing to bet the wolf came down out of Canada as they are seen in our area way more often than the Moose and Goose boys wish to admit...But it goes back to "If you don't look- you will not see."

Agents kill wolf sought in attacks on sheep
By MIKE STARK
Of The Gazette Staff

The mystery killer has been killed. Federal agents Thursday morning shot a 106-pound wolf believed to be responsible for sheep kills in Garfield, McCone and Dawson counties late last year and earlier this year.

About 120 sheep died and others were injured in a spate of attacks that had local livestock owners on edge for months. There was frequent speculation among wildlife experts and locals that the elusive predator was either a wolf or wolf hybrid. Some thought there was more than one animal stalking the sheep.

"We do think it was a single animal and this chapter is closed," Carolyn Sime, head of Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks' wolf program, said Thursday evening.

On Wednesday, a landowner in Garfield County reported large canid tracks in deep snow on his property, Sime said. Even though there had been no confirmed reports of wolf attacks for months, Wildlife Services, a federal agency, was authorized to search for the animal and kill it. Crews in the air spotted the wolf on private land north of Highway 200 between Jordan and Circle on Thursday morning and shot it.

State wildlife officials later confirmed the animal was a male wolf, about 4 years old and in good condition. The only thing unusual was its reddish color, Sime said.

The kill should provide some relief for livestock owners frustrated for months about a lack of progress in the case.

"This has been a long haul for those folks, and we really appreciate their patience in how long it's taken to get this situation addressed," Sime said.

There are still plenty of questions about the wolf. Chief among them is where it came from. Wolves, especially males, are known for traveling far in search of food.

The wolf shot Thursday was more than 150 miles from the fringes of the greater Yellowstone ecosystem, where the wolf population has grown to more than 300 since reintroduction in 1995 and 1996.

DNA evidence from the wolf that was killed, which didn't have a radio collar or ear tags, will be analyzed to see where it came from, but that process could take months, Sime said.

The Eastern Montana attacks were first reported in late December 2005 and happened sporadically over the next several months. Wildlife officials said the animal seemed to be roaming a wide swath of land, killing sheep and then moving on.

Several landowners were issued 45-day permits to shoot wolves that were seen attacking livestock in the area, but nothing more happened.

Reports were scant over the summer. But on Oct. 13, wildlife officials were called to investigate an attack on two sheep on land where depredations had previously occurred, Sime said. Signs of a wolf couldn't be positively confirmed, but it appeared to be the same animal as before.

The tracks in the snow spotted Wednesday matched earlier tracks seen in the area.

"That was an important consideration," Sime said. "We needed to know we were working with the same animal."

The dead wolf was brought to Billings on Thursday evening and is scheduled to be transported to the state wildlife veterinary laboratory in Bozeman.

Sime praised the coordination among state and federal agencies and those who live in the area. Though the wolf shot Thursday appears to be the one responsible for the sheep depredations, Sime said, wildlife officials would return to the area if there are reports of more attacks.
 

Judith

Well-known member
Evidence points to a "Single" wolf eh. Interesting that, considering they are highly social animals that run in packs. Be pretty weird to have a "lone" wolf for over a years time. Do the wildlife experts know anything about wolf behavior at all? While it does happen from time to time that a wolf is exiled from his or her family. They generally search pretty darn hard to hook up with another. A year would be a long time for a "lone" wolf.ld be really interesting if this fella turns out to be a red wolf. If he truely was 106 pounds he is kinda big to be one but heck it would still be neat if he was. The red wolf is one of the world’s most endangered wild canids. Once common throughout the southeastern United States, red wolf populations were decimated by the 1960s due to intensive predator control programs and loss of habitat. A remnant population of red wolves was found along the Gulf coast of Texas and Louisiana.
 

Judith

Well-known member
Not too likely last I heard there were only about 100 Reds total :) Almost all of those are in captivity from the 14 pairs that were captured. Heck Reds are tiny too just 80 pounds of dog. You shouldnt need to worry to much :twisted:
 

Northern Rancher

Well-known member
A wolf killed some sheep and the wolf got killed-this is news? I can imagine phoning our local paper with that bombshell-I can garantee no 'Stop the Presses'. A problem predator got eliminated-that's the way it should work. Maybe they shot an irish setter lol.
 

Judith

Well-known member
I bet it was an irish setter :) I here those pooches can be ferocious LOL I doubt the game warden would know it wasnt a wolf.....
 

Happy go lucky

Well-known member
Judith where did you get your degree or do you studies on wolves at? Wolves can get much larger than 106 I'm betting this wolf was no more than 3 years old at best. adults can range 130-140lbs yearlings can reach 80-90lbs with little problems. Wolves at 2 years of age show the most for being transients and more often are alone or in a single pair.

If I where a betting man and it was close to the Jordan area I'm betting an offshoot of yellowstone. There are a few packs between livingston and laurel, to head east into Jordan area wouldn't be all that hard.
 

Judith

Well-known member
Red wolves average 80 pounds. So if it was a red they are much smaller than timber wolves. Like I said if this wolf was 106 pounds he would have been timber just not sure about his color. Nope don't have a degree in wolves, but I know my wolves. I worked for a wildlife park in kamloops for a couple years. Feel free to check out the red wolf on the internet. Ya don't need a degree to know your facts.
 

IL Rancher

Well-known member
Montana would be an awful strange place for a red wolf.. Probably just a red phase timber... those critters come in a rainbow of colors, that is for sure.. Kind of like Yotes.. A black yote or a red yote shows up and everyone screams hybrid or wolf because they are not real comon compared to the typical ones.. Had a lovely red phase yote shot on this farm last year... Found him hanging from an old barbwire fence, looks like he tried to jump but didn't have the strength from the wound in his chest...

WE have had a couple transients found around this state from Minnesota according to the DNA tests, they were a long way from home, typically they were young males, maybe 2 year olds... It would be a happy hunting ground for wolves around here with all the deer..
 

Happy go lucky

Well-known member
IL rancher thanks for pointing that out to Judith, the red wolf is a southern species of wolf and would not be found in Montana or the likes, timber wolves are what is in these areas.

Just as coyote run the color gambit so do the timbers as Il rancher mentioned.
 

IL Rancher

Well-known member
I think the red wolves are having a hyrbidization problem too the last time I heard.. Concern that they were breeding in the wild with Coyotes and that there might not even be a true redwolf around anymore.... Of course there was also the argument going around that they were simply a grey wolf X with a Coyote but I don't think that went very far... Can't remember,I used to follow that stuff a lot more than I do now.. Now, it is hard enough to keep track of what is going on local let alone looking for stuff on other areas of the country..

Either that or it was an Irish Setter... Or a redbone coonhound... I can see both of those being mistaken for wolves, lol.
 

Judith

Well-known member
I'm still going with the setter :)

It's been a long while since I've seen a wolf when I ride in the chilcotin. ALOT more grizzly though, the bloody critters are everywhere. In this area they are dark grey and can be almost solid black. ( I've never seen a black, but they are around) They still give ya the creeps the way they slink through the trees. (Shudders)
 
A

Anonymous

Guest
www.billingsgazette.com

You can click on the picture to enlarge it--don't look much like a setter...

I've seen wolves that ran the gamet of shades and colors- from almost pure black to silver to light and reddish tinged....I don't think this will solve all their problems as some of the ranchers from that area are sure that some of the kills have been by mountain lions.....
 

Northern Rancher

Well-known member
Your alot more likely to get a coyote/dog X than the other way around-I garantee that if it's a wolf cross the daddy is a timber wolf-wolves eat male dogs with relish-I've never heard of a wolf crossing with a 'yote either-when they take a yote out for for dinner it's for dinner not for romance lol. The best wolf bait going is a frozen dog-freeze them upright on a lake bed than sit a circle of traps around them off a snowmobile-if there's wolves there you'll catch them. My friend caught a real pretty wolf last year almost a pure blond-those jet black ones look good too. At least they killed something so everybody can sleep at night-hope it was their sheep killer.
 
A

Anonymous

Guest
Heres an update on our local sheep killing wolf.....

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Officials don't know if predator was wolf or where it came from
By MIKE STARK
Of The Gazette Staff

Was it a wolf or wasn't it?

The mysterious, sheep-killing predator shot and killed a month ago between Jordan and Circle was initially thought to be a wolf.

But now, wildlife officials aren't so sure.


"Frankly, it has mixed characteristics," said Carolyn Sime, head of the wolf program for Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks. Some clues indicate that it's not a wolf from among the 1,200 or so that live in Montana, Wyoming and Idaho. The animal shot in Garfield County in early November had shades of orange, red and yellow in its fur, unlike the Northern Rockies wolves, which tend more toward browns, blacks and grays.

The orangish coat may be more indicative of wolves that roam the upper Great Lakes region, Sime said.

The animal also had long claws and teeth in good condition, somewhat unusual for a 4-year-old wolf, raising the possibility it might be a hybrid that had spent some time in captivity, Sime said.

On the other hand, the wolf was fairly large at 106 pounds with a big head and hunting skills, which suggests it was wild,
Sime said.

"Right now," Sime said, "we're just as curious as everyone else."

Whatever it was, it had landowners in McCone, Garfield and Dawson counties on alert for months. About 120 sheep were killed and others were hurt in a series of attacks that started about a year ago.

The animal roamed wide swaths of the landscape, occasionally attacking sheep before moving on only to circle back later. Several landowners were given permits to shoot if it was seen attacking livestock, but it was never caught in the act.

The animal eluded trackers for months until this fall, when footprints were spotted in deep snow. Agents with Wildlife Services shot it from the air Nov. 2.

The animal was initially reported as a wolf, but closer inspection raised concerns about the identification.

Muscle tissue has been sent to the University of California Los Angeles, where scientists have been analyzing DNA from the Northern Rockies wolf population and putting together a sort of family tree.

The animal's carcass was sent to the National Fish and Wildlife Forensics Laboratory in Ashland, Ore., for genetic analysis.

The work could take several months to complete.

Sime said that if the animal is a wolf that came in from the Rockies or Canada or the upper Midwest, the genetic testing should provide clear evidence. It wouldn't be the first time that a wolf has wandered hundreds of miles. In recent years, wolves from Yellowstone have been found in Utah and Colorado.

"If it's neither of those, the question becomes 'OK, what is this animal and where is it from?' " Sime said. "The uncertainty level goes up a lot."
 

Aaron

Well-known member
Judith said:
Evidence points to a "Single" wolf eh. Interesting that, considering they are highly social animals that run in packs. Be pretty weird to have a "lone" wolf for over a years time. Do the wildlife experts know anything about wolf behavior at all? While it does happen from time to time that a wolf is exiled from his or her family. They generally search pretty darn hard to hook up with another. A year would be a long time for a "lone" wolf.ld be really interesting if this fella turns out to be a red wolf. If he truely was 106 pounds he is kinda big to be one but heck it would still be neat if he was. The red wolf is one of the world’s most endangered wild canids. Once common throughout the southeastern United States, red wolf populations were decimated by the 1960s due to intensive predator control programs and loss of habitat. A remnant population of red wolves was found along the Gulf coast of Texas and Louisiana.

If a male gets big enough, he will travel alone. We had a lobo timber wolf here in the mid-90's that would keep an eye on all the local cowherds. He was alone because there was always one set of tracks, never two, and he was big. Easily 100 lbs. He must have died eventually because two smaller timbers moved into his territory about 6 years ago.
 

Shorthornguy

Well-known member
Here in Wisconsin wolves are still on the endangered list $10,000.00 fine for shooting one. Legistation is in progress now to delist them. Here we see more wolves than we do coyotes. Not far from hre last fall a dog was tied to a back porch. Wolf came and had him a meal. Several weeks ago we had one come 200 ft from the house. We watched him for 20 minutes.
He was a small one about 70-80 lbs. Hope I don't lose any stock to them.
 
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