Welcome to Wolf Watch!          WOLF NEWS  |  Cat's new Wolf Book
Wyoming news reporter Cat Urbigkit lives in the heart of wolf country, near Big Piney, Wyoming, a few hundred miles south of Yellowstone National Park. As a news reporter, rancher, researcher and Wyoming resident, she has followed the wolf issue for many years and written many articles on the topic, as well as an upcoming book on the history of wolves in Wyoming.
   The goal of this website is to present up-to-date, accurate information about what is happening with wolves, focusing on wolves in the Rocky Mountains, but referring to wolf happenings outside our region when there is some local relevance. Rather than an agenda-driven advocacy site, this is the place to be for the facts about wolves, with a strong focus on what’s happening on the ground.
   We invite those living in areas inhabited by wolves to contact Cat with news tips, photographs, or other information. We also invite those who want to support this endeavor to sign on as sponsors, and for our re aders to support those sponsors.

Article by Cat & Jim Urbigkit: Using dogs to help protect livestock from predators (May, 2010)

2011 WOLF NEWS
2010 Wolf Watch Story Archive
2009 Wolf Watch Story Archive
2008 Wolf Watch Story Archive
2007/2006 Watch Wolf Story Archive

5/22/12: Two Denali wolves killed outside
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) Two wolves known to inhabit Denali National Park in Alaska have been legally harvested outside the park. But the loss of two breeding females from some of the most visible wolf packs in the world (sounds like Yellowstone) has conservationists in an uproar, demanding the establishment of a buffer zone outside the park...... (Click on the link above for the complete story.)

5/22/12: UP overcrowded with wolves?
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) Government officials killed eight wolves in and around Ironwood, Michigan recently. Is the presence of two wolf packs around town an indication that the Upper Peninsula may be overcrowded with wolves?.... (Click on the link above for the complete story.)

5/22/12: Kill order for 2 Idaho wolves
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) A wolf attack on a domestic sheep herd left at least a dozen lambs as orphans in Idaho, and federal officials are now on the hunt for two wolves...... (Click on the link above for the complete story.)

5/22/12: Utah still searches for wolf pack
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) State wildlife officials are still searching for a wolf pack in Utah. A biologist reports that she believes a wolf did respond to the electronic howling she broadcast in the Diamond Fork Canyon area..... (Click on the link above for the complete story.)

5/20/12: Wyoming wolf killed in South Dakota
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) A reportedly 130-pound wolf believed to have originated in Wyoming was recently found dead along a road on the Pine Ridge Reservation, South Dakota..... (Click on the link above for the complete story.)

5/11/12: Second Jackson Hole wolf killed
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) A second wolf has been killed by federal wildlife officials because it had become habituated to humans and human development..... (Click on the link above for the complete story.)

5/11/12: Wolf photographed in California
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) The Oregon wolf that has traveled to California only to return to Oregon, is now back in California and has been photographed there. The three-year old male wolf was apparently in the company of three coyotes, according to news accounts..... (Click on the link above for the complete story.)

5/7/12: Montana proposes major wolf hunt overhaul
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) Montana may allow wolf trapping, allow each hunter to take up to three wolves, eliminate hunt area quotas, and other measures in order to lower the number of wolves in the state's population..... (Click on the link above for the complete story.)

5/6/12: Alaska wolf travels 2,100 miles
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) Alaska wildlife officials were able to track a wolf for 2,100 miles before finding the animal dead of starvation..... (Click on the link above for the complete story.)

5/4/12: Alaska holds off on wolf kill
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) Alaska wildlife officials have agreed to try to find another way to boost the Kenai moose population, implementing a one-year delay on its proposal to bump up the wolf kill in the area.... (Click on the link above for the complete story.)

5/4/12: Oregon wolves killing sheep
(By Oregon Department of Fish & Game) A May 2 investigation by ODFW confirmed that four penned sheep (two ewes, two lambs) were killed by a wolf on private land east of Weston, Ore. in northern Umatilla County. One additional lamb is missing and believed to have been killed by the wolf. The incident occurred in an area not known to be frequented by one of Oregon’s known wolf packs (Imnaha, Wenaha, Walla Walla, Snake River) but by two wolves discovered last August in the northern Mt Emily wildlife management unit. Based on evidence at the scene, wildlife biologists believe a single wolf was involved in the depredation..... (Click on the link above for the complete story.)

5/1/12: Utah still searching for wolf pack
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) Wildlife officials in Utah are still searching for what may be a pack of wolves in the northern portion of the state. Animals have been returning the howls broadcast by a biologist.... (Click on the link above for the complete story.)

5/1/12: Confirmed calf kill in Sublette County
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) The Sublette Examiner reports that state wildlife officials have confirmed that a dead calf in the Hoback Basin is a wolf kill...... (Click on the link above for the complete story.)

5/1/12: Wyoming wolf regulations passed
(By US Fish and Wildlife Service) Following the recent approval of four documents that clarify Wyoming’s approach to wolf management, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is reopening the comment period on May 1 regarding the proposal to remove the gray wolf population in Wyoming from the Federal List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife. If this proposal is finalized, the gray wolf would be delisted in Wyoming under the Endangered Species Act (ESA), the nonessential experimental population designation would be removed, and future management for this species would be conducted by the appropriate State, Tribal, or Federal wildlife managers..... (Click on the link above for the complete story.)

4/29/12: Wyoming wolf regulations passed
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) The Wyoming Game and Fish Commission has approved regulations for a proposed fall 2012 wolf hunting season. Wolves remain under federal protection at this time, and federal officials are expected to issue a decision about delisting wolves in the state later this year.... (Click on the link above for the complete story.)

4/24/12: Wolf poachers get probation
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) Three members of a family involved in the killing of two wolves from the first wolf pack present in Washington state in decades have been convicted. They pleaded guilty to a variety of charges in a deal with federal prosecutors and will none will receive jail time. Hefty fines, ranging from $5,000 to $38,500, are part of the deal..... (Click on the link above for the complete story.)

4/24/12: Wolf killed in western Germany
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) The first wolf sighted in western Germany in 123 years, according to news accounts, has been found dead, apparently shot. The 66-pound male wolf was found by hikers..... (Click on the link above for the complete story.)

4/24/12: Wisconsin depredation payment woes
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) Wisconsin's wolf depredation oversight is shifting to the state Department of Natural Resources, and those impacted by wolf depredations may not be happy with the change. Payments for wolf depredations may only occur once a year, and may be pro-rated, so producers may not be fully compensated for their losses after all..... (Click on the link above for the complete story.)

4/24/12: Wolf population threatens northern Russia
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) The wolf population in northern Russia's Yakutia region exceeds 4,000 animals, and these wolves are endangering the livelihoods of local people due to depredations on livestock herds..... (Click on the link above for the complete story.)

4/24/12: One Jackson Hole wolf killed
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) One of the wolves known to be roaming Jackson Hole subdivisions has been killed by federal officials. An adult female wolf was euthanized by wildlife officials because of its apparent lack of fear of humans..... (Click on the link above for the complete story.)

4/14/12: Wisconsin plans fall wolf hunt
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) Wisconsin plans to host a wolf hunting season this fall, the first for a state east of the Mississippi River for decades....... (Click on the link above for the complete story.)

4/14/12: Support waning for Mexican wolf program
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) More stakeholders are leaving the table, indicating that support for the Mexican wolf recovery program continues to wane. According to the Associated Press: "The exodus started last summer with the New Mexico Game and Fish Department. In late March, Grant and Sierra counties abandoned the agreement, and the New Mexico Department of Agriculture joined them earlier this week." Now the New Mexico Cattle Grower's Association has abandoned the process as well...... (Click on the link above for the complete story.)

4/14/12: Biologists advocate wolf reintroduction for Isle Royale
(By International Wolf Center) Wolf populations on Isle Royale are the lowest since monitoring began in the late 1950s. This troubles some researchers who are concerned about the future of wolves on the island and feel humans need to intervene and introduce more wolves to keep them as a part of that ecosystem..... (Click on the link above for the complete story.)

4/14/12: Reward of up to $57K for info on wolf shooting
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) A single gunshot wound killed a Mexican gray wolf in southeastern Arizona in March, and now the reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the responsible person totals $57,000.... (Click on the link above for the complete story.)

4/14/12: Wolf killed in New Brunswick
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) A hunter shot and killed an 86-poound wolf in New Brunswick recently, the first such confirmed event since 1876.... (Click on the link above for the complete story.)

4/5/12: Wolves bountied in Armenia
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) A severe cold snap in Armenia has resulted in wolves coming into villages, preying on livestock and becoming bold near humans. In response, government officials offered a bounty on wolves, and according to a recent report in the Armenian Weekly, about 170 wolves have now been killed.... (Click on the link above for the complete story.)

4/4/12: Oregon grants $82K in wolf impact funds
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) Oregon officials have approved grant funding for livestock producers impacted by wolves in eight counties, with a total of about $82,000..... (Click on the link above for the complete story.)

4/4/12: Wyoming wolf meetings to be internet broadcast
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) The Wyoming Game and Fish Department is partnering with the Wyoming Distance Learning Center to broadcast, via the internet, 3 public wolf regulation meetings in April. The meetings are designed to provide information and gather public comments on the department's draft revised wolf management and wolf hunting regulations, which are currently open for public comment. Meetings will be held in Pinedale on April 9th, Jackson on April 10th, and Lander on April 11th...... (Click on the link above for the complete story.)

3/27/12: Vancouver Island wolf attacks prompt warnings
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) Residents on Vancouver Island are being warned to keep a close watch over their children and pets after two dogs were killed by wolves...... (Click on the link above for the complete story.)

3/27/12: Idaho hikes wolf bag limits
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) In a move aimed at reducing the wolf population, Idaho wildlife officials have agreed to boost bag limits, and expand trapping and hunting seasons..... (Click on the link above for the complete story.)

3/27/12: Washington has five wolf packs
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) Washington state now has five wolf packs..... (Click on the link above for the complete story.)

3/24/12: Wolf hunt regs proposed, meetings set
(By Wyoming Game & Fish Department) The Wyoming Game and Fish Department has drafted new regulations covering wolf management and wolf hunting. Promulgating regulations is the next step towards getting wolves in Wyoming removed from the federal list of threatened and endangered species in Wyoming. Wyoming Governor Matt Mead and Interior Secretary Ken Salazar reached an agreement to move forward with delisting. Under the agreement, Wyoming will maintain at least 100 wolves and 10 breeding pairs outside of Yellowstone National Park and the Wind River Reservation. The current Trophy Game Management Area in northwest Wyoming will extend about 50 miles to the south from its current location near the Wyoming/Idaho border. Wolves in this seasonal expansion area will be managed as trophy game from Oct. 15 to the last day of February. During the rest of the year, wolves in this seasonal expansion area will be designated as predators. The Wyoming Game and Fish Commission will consider the proposed regulations governing gray wolf management and gray wolf hunting in Wyoming at its April 25-26 meeting in Casper. The draft regulations will be presented at a series of public meetings around the state during March and April. .... (Click on the link above for the complete story.)

3/21/12: Wolf killed in China after human attacks
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) A wolf has been killed in China after seven attacks on humans. Government officials are not sure that the animal that was killed is the one responsible for the attacks. A photo is included with the story from China Daily. .... (Click on the link above for the complete story.)

3/21/12: Utah swamped with wolf/coyote calls
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) Utah wildlife officials have been swamped with reports of possible wolf sightings, with some of those sightings attributed to coyotes. Regardless of the coyote reports, video camera surveillance and tracks prove that a large canine that appears to be a wolf was recently documented in Utah..... (Click on the link above for the complete story.)

3/21/12: Wolves kill four dogs in Teton County
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) Wolves killed four dogs in Teton County during the month of March, according to a news account in the Jackson Hole News & Guide...... (Click on the link above for the complete story.)

3/21/12: Elk foundation offers money to kill wolves
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation is offering to kick in $50,000 for Montana wildlife officials to undertake a more aggressive wolf control program...... (Click on the link above for the complete story.)

3/17/12: Jackson wolves attack dog
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) The wolves roaming in Jackson Hole – already slated for removal because of their habituation to humans – have attacked and severely injured a dog, according to news reports...... (Click on the link above for the complete story.)

3/17/12: Isle Royale wolves may go extinct
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) America's longest-running study on wolves may soon end. With only nine wolves left on the island, wolf biologists confirm this severely inbred and isolated population may soon become extinct...... (Click on the link above for the complete story.)

3/17/12: Court upholds wolf delisting
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) A federal court has upheld the congressional action that resulted in wolves being delisted in Montana and Idaho, and protects that action from litigation by wolf advocates..... (Click on the link above for the complete story.)

3/15/12: Wolf killed in South Dakota
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) The animal shot in South Dakota six weeks ago has been confirmed to have been a wolf. State officials now suggest the wolf probably originated in the Great Lakes region..... (Click on the link above for the complete story.)

3/15/12: German wolves dine on deer
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) Wolf researchers in Germany report that wolves that have resettled that country are mostly dining on deer, with domestic livestock found in only a fraction of samples collected...... (Click on the link above for the complete story.)

3/12/12: Wyoming wolf hunt regs proposed
(By Wyoming Game & Fish Department) The Wyoming Game and Fish Department has drafted new regulations covering wolf management and wolf hunting. Promulgating regulations is the next step towards getting wolves in Wyoming removed from the federal list of threatened and endangered species in Wyoming. Last August, Wyoming Governor Matt Mead and Interior Secretary Ken Salazar reached an agreement to move forward with delisting. Under the agreement, Wyoming will maintain at least 100 wolves and 10 breeding pairs outside of Yellowstone National Park and the Wind River Reservation..... (Click on the link above for the complete story.)

3/12/12: WA launches wolf report website
(By Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife) The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) now has an online reporting system for receiving information from the public about the state’s growing wolf population. Anyone who believes they have seen a wolf, heard one howl, or found other evidence of wolves anywhere in the state is encouraged to file a report on WDFW’s website. The information provided in the reports will help wildlife managers document wolf activity and build a database on wolves in Washington.... (Click on the link above for the complete story.)

3/12/12: Utah team searches for wolf pack
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) Federal and state officials continue the search for a pack of wolves, or wolf hybrids, outside Springville, Utah.... (Click on the link above for the complete story.)

3/12/12: Wyoming wolf count: At least 230
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service annual wolf monitoring report has been released, and here’s a summary of information about Wyoming’s wolf population. From 2009 through 2011, the 3-year mean wolf population size in Wyoming (WY=outside Yellowstone National Park) was 233 (SD = 11.4; range = 224- 246). In 2011, the WY wolf population was >230 wolves in >38 packs including >19 breeding pairs which represented a slight decline in the total number of wolves from 2010 (246); however, the population remained at the 3-year average. At least 15 lone wolves were identified and located throughout the western portion of the state. Average pack size was 6.1 wolves per pack and average litter size was 3.6 pups per litter as of 31 December 2011. There were documented 51 mortalities (18% of the population). Causes of mortality included: agency control = 36; under investigation or unknown = 6; human caused = 6; and natural = 3...... (Click on the link above for the complete story.)

3/12/12: Rockies wolf population: 1,774 minimum
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has released its annual report for wolf recovery in the Northern Rocky Mountain Distinct Population Segment (NRM DPS) for 2011. That report notes: As of December 31, 2011, the minimum estimated gray wolf population within the NRM DPS was composed of at least 1,774 wolves in 287 packs (groups of two or more wolves with territories inside the NRM DPS that persisted until December 31, 2011. At least 109 packs met the definition of a breeding pair (packs that contained at least one adult male, one adult female, and two or more pups on December 31, 2011). At the end of 2011, there was a minimum of 431 wolves in the Northwest Montana Recovery Area (NWMT), 499 in the Greater Yellowstone Recovery Area (GYA), and 797 in the Central Idaho Recovery Area. .... (Click on the link above for the complete story.)

3/7/12: Utah wolf pack?
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) It appears Utah may have its first official wolf pack. The pack of four large canines were seen in eastern Utah County, east of Springville. .... (Click on the link above for the complete story.)

3/6/12: Wolf leaves California
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) The wolf that wandered into California and made the headlines in doing so, has once again left the state and is back in Oregon...... (Click on the link above for the complete story.)

3/6/12: Wolf deal passes WY legislature
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) The Wyoming Legislature has approved legislation aimed at getting wolves removed from federal protections..... (Click on the link above for the complete story.)

2/29/12: Kalispell residents aren't keen on wolf at school
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) Having a wolf video-taped on the grounds at the middle school doesn't sit well with residents of Kalispell, Montana..... (Click on the link above for the complete story.)

2/29/12: Idaho senator withdraws wolf bill
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) Idaho state senator Jeff Siddoway has withdrawn his proposed bill that would expand the methods in which wolves could be legally killed in that state, citing fears that if enacted, the legislation could enable wolves to fall back under federal protection.... (Click on the link above for the complete story.)

2/29/12: Jackson residents struggle with wolf fate
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) The Jackson Hole News & Guide has posted a follow-up article on responses to the federal decision to kill three or four human-habituated wolves in a residential subdivision.... (Click on the link above for the complete story.)

2/28/12: Jackson wolves to be killed
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) Jackson Hole media outlets are reporting that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will kill the three or four wolves that are hanging out in a residential area, near homes, people, and pets. These habituated wolves pose a threat to human safety, so will be killed.... (Click on the link above for the complete story.)

2/26/12: Wolves filmed in Jackson residential yards
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) The town limits of Jackson Hole appear to hold some attraction for wolves. There have been numerous reports and photos of wolves within town subdivisions in the last few months, and now resident James Peck video-taped two wolves as they roamed through his yard. JH Underground posted the video... (Click on the link above for the complete story.)

2/26/12: Kalispell has wolf visitor as well
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) It's not just Jackson Hole that is having wolves visit inside town limits. The Missoulian reports that a wolf was recently video taped inside the city of Kalispell by a police officer using his dashboard camera.... (Click on the link above for the complete story.)

2/26/12: Wyoming wolf population up
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service issued an update on wolves in the Northern Rockies and surrounding regions. Updates are for Wyoming, Idaho, Utah, Montana, Washington, and Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks. The update gives the latest statistics on pack numbers and livestock depredations. Over 300 wolves, with more than 48 packs, are reported in Wyoming.... (Click on the link above for the complete story.)

2/26/12: Wyoming senate pulls money from wolf bill
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) The Casper Star-Tribune reports that the Wyoming Senate has pulled $200,000 of funds that were slated to go to the Wyoming Animal Management Board for wolf control in the predator zone of state. .... (Click on the link above for the complete story.)

2/26/12: Idaho: $1.2M on wolves in 2011
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) Idaho wildlife officials report that wolf-related expenditures in FY2010 totaled more than $1.7 million, and in FY2011, more than $1.2 million. They set Idaho’s second wolf hunting season for fall 2011 and winter 2012 and the first regulated public wolf trapping season in the lower 48 states. Idaho sold more than 31,600 wolf hunting tags and 200 wolf trapping tags (as of December 2011) for the season...... (Click on the link above for the complete story.)

2/26/12: Fourteen Idaho wolves killed in control actions
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) Fourteen wolves have been killed in Idaho this month under a plan to reduce the wolf population in the Lolo zone, where the local elk herd is suffering.... (Click on the link above for the complete story.)

2/26/12: Oregon watches Idaho wolf experience
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) Oregon officials are watching the impact wolves have had on elk populations in Idaho. Richard Cockle of The Oregonian has written an interesting article about it..... (Click on the link above for the complete story.)

2/26/12: Wolves in Mexico poisoned
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) Four of the five Mexican gray wolves recently reintroduced to a mountain range just south of the U.S./Mexico border have been found dead from poisoning.... (Click on the link above for the complete story.)

2/21/12: Idaho wolf had parvo
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) On January 22, a Hailey, Idaho area homeowner killed a wolf that had been observed near his house for at least two days and was acting sick or injured. Immediately after killing the wolf, the homeowner notified Idaho Fish and Game. Two Fish and Game officers arrived and retrieved the dead wolf, a juvenile female. The animal was emaciated and had green fluid diarrhea. Fish and Game wildlife veterinarian Mark Drew preformed a standard necropsy, including submitting tissue samples to test for rabies as well as parvovirus - a common canine virus. Test results were negative for rabies. On February 14, lab reports came back positive for parvo, which causes vomiting and diarrhea, and ultimately death from dehydration. Parvovirus is highly contagious, and is often fatal in canids, including wolves. Pups between six weeks and six months are more susceptible than adults. Domestic dogs can be vaccinated against parvovirus..... (Click on the link above for the complete story.)

2/19/12: Wyoming advances wolf bill
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) The Associated Press reports that a Wyoming legislative panel has advanced a bill that is aimed at having the state gain control of wolf management.... (Click on the link above for the complete story.)

2/19/12: Saving California wolves new revenue source
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) Since California now has one documented wolf, environmental groups are seizing the event as a revenue-generating opportunity. An email news alert went out from the Center for Biological Diversity, urging people to "Help Save California's Wolves," by donating to the CBD. The one-sentence plea to send money to save California wolves was repeated four times in a 400-word letter..... (Click on the link above for the complete story.)

2/19/12: Montana wolf hunt ends below quota
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) Montana's wolf hunting season has ended, with 166 wolves harvested, well below the quota of 220 set by state wildlife officials..... (Click on the link above for the complete story.)

2/19/12: Of wolf packs and ravens
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) The Juneau Empire has posted an essay examining the impact of success of a hunting wolf pack, and the wolf's relationship with the raven.... (Click on the link above for the complete story.)

2/19/12: Oregon legislation targets two wolves
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) It may take legislative action to enable the killing of two livestock-killing wolves in Oregon. That's why the Oregon House passed a bill allowing the action, after a court blocked the killing of the wolves, citing state protections for endangered species..... (Click on the link above for the complete story.)

2/19/12: Yellowstone wolf encounter essay
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) A woman from Ontario, Canada traveled to Yellowstone National Park in winter to learn about wolves. Her essay was printed in a newspaper in Canada..... (Click on the link above for the complete story.)

2/13/12: Montana wolf hunt winds down
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) Despite extending the season, the Montana wolf hunt is winding down with harvest less than state officials had hoped, according to the Daily Inter Lake...... (Click on the link above for the complete story.)

2/10/12: Idaho proposes more wolf harvest freedom
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) An Idaho legislator is proposing changes to state statute to allow the use of ultralight aircraft and using live bait to kill wolves...... (Click on the link above for the complete story.)

2/10/12: Utah targets wolf hunting
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) A Utah senator is proposing legislation that would provide for wolf hunting in the state, while admitting that "technically, there are none" in the state..... (Click on the link above for the complete story.)

2/6/12: Oregon prepares to deal with wolf depredations
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) State grant money will be used to compensate livestock producers in Oregon for losses from wold depredations. The statewide compensation fund totals $100,000, and local committees are being formed to oversee claims...... (Click on the link above for the complete story.)

2/6/12: Arizona wolf numbers up
(By Arizona Game & Fish Department ) The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), Arizona Game and Fish Department and other partners in the Mexican Wolf Reintroduction Project announced earlier on February 4th that the endangered Mexican wolf population count increased to a minimum of 58 wolves compared to last year’s count of 50...... (Click on the link above for the complete story.)

2/6/12: Wolf killed near Custer, SD
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) Federal officials are investigating the killing of a wolf near Custer, South Dakota, according to the Rapid City Journal..... (Click on the link above for the complete story.)

2/2/12: Contrasting wolf status in North Dakota
(By North Dakota Game & Fish Department) A pack of wolves attacked local residents in a town in the Karelia region Russia. This area is in the northwestern region of Russia, near the border with Finland. When police responded to a report of a man attacked by wolves on a town street, they found several wolves waiting outside the doors to an apartment building. Two of the animals were shot when they attacked the officers. This region of Russia has been experiencing extremely cold temperatures in recent weeks..... (Click on the link above for the complete story.)

2/2/12: Wolf pack attacks town residents in Russia
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) A pack of wolves attacked local residents in a town in the Karelia region Russia. This area is in the northwestern region of Russia, near the border with Finland. When police responded to a report of a man attacked by wolves on a town street, they found several wolves waiting outside the doors to an apartment building. Two of the animals were shot when they attacked the officers. This region of Russia has been experiencing extremely cold temperatures in recent weeks..... (Click on the link above for the complete story.)

1/31/12: Montana to study wolf mortality impacts
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) The University of Montana will soon study how wolf deaths affect pack stability and population growth, according to the Missoulian. The research will focus on wolves in Yellowstone National Park, northern Idaho, and in Alberta..... (Click on the link above for the complete story.)

1/31/12: Wolves in Germany
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) Wolves in Germany appear to be making a comeback, with their preferred prey being wild boar..... (Click on the link above for the complete story.)

1/31/12: Hunting wolves can be difficult
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) As Minnesota prepare for the possibility of offering wolf hunting this fall, the Grand Forks Herald talks to hunters who have pursued wolves in Canada, and learned that a successful hunt can be difficult...... (Click on the link above for the complete story.)

1/31/12: Dealing with habituated Mexican wolves
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) Wolf populations in the Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest are now officially delisted. The Times Union reports what people in Michigan think of the delisting..... (Click on the link above for the complete story.)

1/31/12: Great Lakes wolf update
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) Wolf populations in the Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest are now officially delisted. The Times Union reports what people in Michigan think of the delisting..... (Click on the link above for the complete story.)

1/31/12: 'The Grey' slammed by wolf advocates
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) The LA Times reports that wolf advocates and animal rights advocates are outraged about the new movie "The Grey" for its portrayal of wolves. The survival thriller movie that recently premiered features plane crash survivors (oil rig workers!) who must survive a pack of wolves. Peta for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) and other animals rights groups are calling for a boycott of the movie..... (Click on the link above for the complete story.)

1/27/12: Wyoming wolf bill filed
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) Draft legislation has been filed in the Wyoming Legislature that, if successful, will make changes to statute to comply with the deal struck between federal wildlife officials and Governor Matt Mead that will result in the delisting of wolves in the state. The bill is Senate File 41..... (Click on the link above for the complete story.)

1/27/12: Wolves a tool to cull elk herds
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) During a public comment process for a federal agency plan, someone suggested wolves be used as a tool to control elk herds on a national wildlife refuge in southern Colorado. Now the federal agency must examine that option. The Pueblo Chieftain reports that managers will consider the possibility of using wolves to cull elk herds on the Baca National Wildlife Refuge as it moves through the planning process.... (Click on the link above for the complete story.)

1/25/12: Wolf attack in Tajikistan
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) Media reports indicate at least six people have been attacked by wolves in Tajikistan in recent weeks. Heavy snowfall has forced wolves from the high country into local villages, where both livestock and humans have been attacked.... (Click on the link above for the complete story.)

1/25/12: Howling over wolf plan
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) The Jackson Hole Weekly has reviewed some of the comments submitted on the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service proposal to delist wolves in Wyoming, and found much concern over the allowance for "predator" status in part of the state.... (Click on the link above for the complete story.)

1/19/12: Feds won't enforce Alaska wolf decision
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) Federal officials at Kenai National Wildlife Refuge won't allow wolf control within the refuge. That's in conflict with the state's goal of knocking back the wolf population..... (Click on the link above for the complete story.)

1/19/12: Feds consider parkway wolf hunt
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) The Jackson Hole News & Guide reports that federal officials may consider allowing wolf hunting within the John D. Rockefeller Jr. Memorial Parkway..... (Click on the link above for the complete story.)

1/15/12: Mead backs off wolf comments
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) The Jackson Hole News and Guide reports that Wyoming Governor Matt Mead backed away from earlier comments that the Wyoming wolf plan may allow wolf hunting in Grand Teton National Park.... (Click on the link above for the complete story.)

1/12/12: Wolves in Jackson subdivision
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) A pack of wolves ventured into a Jackson Hole subdivision in early January, possibly signaling a spread south from Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks..... (Click on the link above for the complete story.)

1/12/12: Changes proposed to Wyoming wolf plan
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) Wyoming's wolf management plan provides that wolves will be managed as trophy game animals in northwestern Wyoming, including Grand Teton National Park, the John D. Rockefeller Jr. Memorial Parkway, and the National Elk Refuge. The fact that this means state officials could allow for hunting within these areas is of concern to certain officials, and now a state legislator says the plan must be changed.... (Click on the link above for the complete story.)

1/12/12: California launches website for one wolf
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) California officials have launched an official gray wolf webpage in response to the documentation that a wolf wandered into the state from Oregon..... (Click on the link above for the complete story.)

1/12/12: California deals with wolf worries
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) California wildlife officials are meeting with county officials in one region of that state where a gray wolf was confirmed to have taken up residence after roaming into the state from Oregon. The meetings allow the state to provide information about the wolf's movements, and to discuss state options for management..... (Click on the link above for the complete story.)

1/12/12: Montana may extend wolf season, again
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) Montana wildlife officials may extend the wolf hunting season for the West Fork of the Bitterroot, since only 3 of the 18-wolf quota have been taken so far..... (Click on the link above for the complete story.)

1/12/12: Wolf protests, vigil, in Idaho
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) Wolf advocates, and those opposed to the damage done by the species, held demonstrations in northern Idaho recently. While one group held a "full moon vigil to remember wolves killed by hunters," another group, dressed in hunting camo and carrying anti-wolf signs, also holds a gathering.... (Click on the link above for the complete story.)

1/10/12: Yellowstone wolf pack wanders
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) Lack of snow in Yellowstone National Park has enabled the Mollie's wolf pack to migrated more than 20 miles into Yellowstone's Lamar Valley, invading the turf of the resident pack there â€" the Agate Creek pack. The Mollie's pack was on the move earlier in the winter, intruding upon the Mary Mountain pack territory, and killing its alpha male..... (Click on the link above for the complete story.)

1/6/12: Northern Rockies wolf update
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service reports updates on wolves in the Northern Rockies. Livestock conflicts in Wyoming: In 2011, wolves killed > 66 livestock (36 cattle and 30 sheep) in Wyoming. Two packs [Green River (15 cattle) and Dog Creek (17 sheep) and 1 wolf in the Big Horn Mountains (10 sheep) were responsible for 42 depredations (64% of the total number of depredations). Fifteen packs (41% of WY packs in 2011) were involved in > 1 depredation; 8 packs (22%) were involved in > 2 depredations; and 6 packs (16%) were involved in > 3 depredations in 2011...... (Click on the link above for the complete story.)

1/6/12: Scientist takes issue with WY wolf plan
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) One of five scientists reviewing Wyoming's wolf plan, at the request of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, is critical of the plan. Read an article that summarizes the reviewer's comments, or read the views of all five reviewers..... (Click on the link above for the complete story.)

1/5/12: Tribal view of wolf recovery
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) “One is an act of man the other is an act of wolf," - that's the words of a tribal representative in Oregon, talking about wolves expanding their range into tribal territory naturally, or through reintroduction. The Wallowa Chieftain has printed an interesting article about the views of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation's policies for wolf management.... (Click on the link above for the complete story.)

1/5/12: Montana wolf hunt protecting Yellowstone wolves
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) Yellowstone National Park officials have noted that changes to Montana's wolf hunting seasons has resulted in further protection for wolves in the area near the park.... (Click on the link above for the complete story.)

1/4/12: Minnesota looks at wolf hunt specifics
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) Minnesota wildlife officials are looking at how to structure the state's first wolf hunting and trapping seasons in decades. The Star-Tribune has an article with tips on effective hunting methods..... (Click on the link above for the complete story.)

1/4/12: Wolf documented in California
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) A lone, radio-collared wolf has been documented crossing from Oregon into California, giving the state its first confirmed wolf presence in decades.... (Click on the link above for the complete story.)

2011 Wolf Watch Story Archive

2010 Wolf Watch Story Archive

2009 Wolf Watch Story Archive

2008 Wolf Watch Story Archive

2007/2006 Wolf Watch Story Archive