Montana Gray Wolf Conservation and Management 2010 Annual Report
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Montana Gray Wolf Conservation and Management 2010 Annual Report A cooperative effort by Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks, USDA Wildlife Services, Glacier National Park, Yellowstone National Park, Blackfeet Nation, and The Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes MFWP by photo Liz Bradley This report presents information on the status, distribution, and management of wolves in the State of Montana, from January 1, 2010 to December 31, 2010. It is also available at: www.fwp.mt.gov/wildthings/wolf This report may be copied in its original form and distributed as needed. Suggested Citation: Sime, Carolyn A., V. Asher, L. Bradley, N. Lance, K. Laudon, M. Ross, A. Nelson, and J. Steuber. 2011. Montana gray wolf conservation and management 2010 annual report. Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks. Helena, Montana. 168 pp TABLE OF CONTENTS MONTANA EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ......................................................................... 1 INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND ..................................................................... 3 Delisting Efforts and Ligation in 2007 - 2010 ...................................................... 4 STATEWIDE PROGRAM OVERVIEW......................................................................... 8 Overview of Wolf Ecology in Montana ................................................................ 9 Population Estimation and Monitoring Methods .................................................. 11 Border Packs ......................................................................................................... 13 Montana Statewide Wolf Population and Distribution ......................................... 14 Fair Chase, Regulated Public Hunting .................................................................. 19 MFWP Wildlife Lab Surveillance of Wolf Mortality and Diseases ..................... 20 2010 Documented Statewide Wolf Mortalities..................................................... 28 Wolf –Livestock Interactions in Montana: General Overview ............................ 30 Depredation Incidents in 2010 .............................................................................. 36 Montana Livestock Loss Reduction and Mitigation Program: ............................. 34 PACK SUMMARIES ....................................................................................................... 40 Northwest Montana ............................................................................................... 40 Overview ................................................................................................... 40 Verified Packs (Table 1a in Appendix 3) ................................................. 42 Verified Border Packs Counting in the Idaho Population (Table 3 in Appendix 3) ................................................................ 59 Verified Border Packs in Canada that do not count in the Montana Estimate ........................................................................ 59 Miscellaneous / Lone Individuals ............................................................. 60 Suspected Packs ........................................................................................ 61 Western Montana .................................................................................................. 62 Overview ................................................................................................... 62 Verified Packs (Table 1c in Appendix 3) ................................................. 62 Verified Border Packs Counting in the Idaho Population (Table 3 in Appendix 3) ................................................................ 71 Miscellaneous / Lone Individuals ............................................................. 71 Suspected Packs ........................................................................................ 71 Other Miscellaneous Information ............................................................ 72 Southwest Montana ............................................................................................... 72 Overview ................................................................................................... 72 Verified Packs (Table 1b in Appendix 3) ................................................. 74 Verified Border Packs Counting in the Wyoming Population (Table 2 in Appendix 3) ................................................................ 80 Miscellaneous / Lone Individuals ............................................................. 80 Suspected Packs ........................................................................................ 81 OUTREACH AND EDUCATION ................................................................................... 82 RESEARCH, FIELD STUDIES, and PROJECT PUBLICATIONS ............................... 82 LAW ENFORCEMENT ................................................................................................... 91 FUNDING......................................................................................................................... 92 ii PERSONNEL AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ............................................................ 94 LITERATURE CITED AND NORTHERN ROCKY MOUNTAIN WOLF BIBLIOGRAPHY: 2002-2010 .................................................................. 97 APPENDIX 1: MONTANA CONTACT LIST ............................................................... 128 APPENDIX 2: GRAY WOLF CHRONOLOGY IN MONTANA ................................. 130 APPENDIX 3: NORTHERN ROCKIES WOLF PACK TABLES ................................. 137 Table 1a. Montana wolf packs and population data for Montana‟s portion of the Northwest Montana Recovery Area, 2010. ................................................................... 139 Table 1b. Montana wolf packs and population data for Montana‟s portion of the Greater Yellowstone Experimental Area, 2010. ............................................................. 142 Table 1c. Montana wolf packs and population data for Montana‟s portion of the Central Idaho Experimental Area and Montana statewide totals, 2010. .................................... 143 Table 2a. Wyoming wolf packs (outside of Yellowstone National Park) and population data for Wyoming‟s portion of the Greater Yellowstone Recovery Area, 2010. ........................... 145 Table 2b. Yellowstone National Park (YNP) wolf packs and population data for YNP‟s portion of the Greater Yellowstone Recovery Area, 2010. .............................................. 146 Table 2c. Wolf population data for the Greater Yellowstone Recovery Area, 2010. ................................................................... 148 Table 3a. Idaho wolf packs and population data for Idaho‟s portion of the Central Idaho Recovery Area, 2010. ...................... 149 Table 3b. Idaho wolf packs and population data for Idaho‟s portion of the Northwest Montana Recovery Area, 2010............................................................................................... 152 Table 3c. Idaho wolf packs and population data for Idaho‟s portion of the Greater Yellowstone Recovery Area, 2010............................................................................................... 152 Table 3d. Wolf population data for the Central Idaho Experimental Area, 2010. ............................................................. 153 Table 4a. Northern Rocky Mountain minimum fall wolf population and breeding pairs, 1980-2010, by Federal Recovery Area . ............................................................................ 154 Table 4b. Northern Rocky Mountain minimum fall wolf population and breeding pairs, 1980-2010, by State. .................... 155 Table 5a. Northern Rocky Mountain States confirmed wolf depredation, 1987-2010, by Federal Recovery Area. ................... 156 iii Table 5b. Northern Rocky Mountain States confirmed wolf depredation, 1987-2010, by state. ................................................. 157 Table 5c. Confirmed wolf depredation elsewhere in the Northern Rocky Mountain Distinct Population Segment, 2010................... 158 Table 6. Wolf Packs and Population data for Oregon and Washington inside the Northern Rocky Distinct Population Segment 2010. ............................................................ 159 Table 7 Wolf Packs and Population Data for Washington outside the Northern Rocky Mountain Distinct Population Segment, 2010. ........................................................... 159 APPENDIX 4: NORTHERN ROCKIES PACK DISTRIBUTION MAPS 2010 ........... 160 Figure 1. Central Idaho, Northwest Montana and Greater Yellowstone wolf recovery areas (Key: Tables 1, 2, 3). ............... 161 Figure 2. Northwest Montana wolf recovery area (Key: Table 1a, 3b). .......................................................................................... 162 Figure 3. Greater Yellowstone Wolf Recovery Area (Key: Tables 1b, 2a, 2b, and 3c). ............................................................ 163 Figure 4. Central Idaho Wolf Recovery Area (Key: Tables 1c, 3a). ................................................................................................ 164 Figure 7. Wolf Packs in Oregon and Washington (Key Tables 6, 7).................................................................................... 165 APPENDIX 5: NORTHERN ROCKIES WOLF POPULATION GRAPHS ................. 166 Figure 5. Northern Rocky Mountain wolf population trends 1980-2010, by recovery area. ........................................................ 167 Figure 6. Northern Rocky