Two wolves were killed Jan. 19 by federal Wildlife Services agents near the confluence of the Salmon River and the East Fork of the Salmon in Custer County.
The wolves, a male and female from the Buffalo Ridge pack, had killed one calf on private property.
The lethal control action—authorized by the Idaho Department of Fish and Game—was the first since management was passed from federal to state level on Jan. 5. Wildlife Services and Fish and Game will continue to work jointly on wolf depredation cases in Idaho.
According to a press release, Wildlife Services and Fish and Game officials had unsuccessfully attempted to trap the wolves for four days, which is when Fish and Game authorized the lethal action.
On Jan. 19, the wolves were shot from a fixed-wing aircraft near the calf carcass.
Initially, it was thought that wolves from the East Fork pack were responsible for the depredation. But on Jan. 16, the signal of B-196, of the Buffalo Ridge pack, was picked up near the site. The Buffalo Ridge pack had killed cattle near the same location last January.
Teresa Howes, a spokeswoman with Wildlife Services, said the investigation of depredation cases is critical, since wolves aren't always responsible for the killing.
"Sometimes it's dogs," or other wildlife, she said. "We're the experts to help mitigate issues between wildlife and livestock—that's what we do."
Wildlife Services investigated 93 wolf complaint cases in 2005. Twenty wolves were killed.
