WDFW considers killing 1 or more Onion Creek wolves, Couse wolf death unsuccessful so far

WENATCHEE — The gray wolf, a keystone predator, is an integral component of the ecosystems to which it typically belongs. The wide range of habitats in which wolves can thrive reflects their adaptability as a species, and includes temperate forests, mountains, tundra, taiga, and grasslands.

The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife is again considering killing a wolf or wolves from the Onion Creek wolf pack, after a dead calf was found Monday in the pack territory in northeast Washington, according to a release. The death was “consistent with a confirmed wolf depredation.”

On Sept. 19, the WDFW said it killed a yearling female and an adult male from the Onion Creek wolf pack. WDFW Director Kelly Susewind approved the killing of up to two wolves from the pack “in response to repeated depredations of cattle in Stevens and Pend Oreille counties,” according to a WDFW release Sept. 12. The department said it had three confirmed livestock deaths attributed to the pack since Aug. 10.

With the removal of the two wolves in September, the lethal removal authorization expired, and an evaluation period started. The WDFW may kill another Onion Creek wolf or wolves if it finds more “livestock depredations indicating a renewed pattern of depredation,” according to the release.

Measures, like “daily to near-daily range riding, human presence, removing sick and injured cattle from the range, and livestock carcass sanitation,” were used to deter wolves from the livestock before using lethal removal, according to the WDFW.

A gray wolf is spotted in February 2020 between Stevens Pass and Leavenworth at a wolverine research station.

As of Tuesday, the WDFW said it didn’t kill a wolf from the Couse wolf pack territory despite continued, ongoing efforts.

Susewind on Sept. 24 approved killing “one adult wolf from the Couse wolf pack in southeast Washington, in response to repeated depredations of cattle in Asotin County,” according to a release.

The WDFW said the Couse pack caused one dead calf, confirmed injuries on a cow and two calves, and possible “injuries on another cow within a 10-month rolling window of time,” according to the release.

The authorization to kill a Couse wolf expires on Oct. 8 or after a killing.

WDFW will provide a final report on lethal removal actions during 2024 in the Washington Gray Wolf Conservation and Management 2024 Annual Report, published in spring 2025, according to the release.