State wildlife managers say they have found no evidence that wolves have had significant impacts on Washington’s big-game herds.
Some wolf packs are shifting territories and the state is trying to monitor their activities, said Dave Ware, Washington Fish and Wildlife wolf program leader.
This spring, state wolf research trappers have placed additional transmitting collars on two yearlings in the Smackout Pack, a female in the Profanity Peak Pack, a female in the Dirty Shirt Pack and a female in the Lookout Pack.
In total, 14 wolves in 10 packs have state-monitored collars. The Colville Tribe may also have collars on one or two packs.
“At this point in wolf recovery, we are not seeing anything in the harvest or survey data that would indicate a decline in deer, elk, or moose populations,” Ware said.
