Doomed Wolf Pack Laying Low

The Boulder wolf pack has eluded a federal trapper’s initial search for its pups, the first step in eliminating the pack because its three adults have killed cattle.

“It’s a tremendous long shot to go in there and find them, even with our best knowledge,” said Carter Niemeyer, a wolf management specialist for the Agriculture Department.

The plan is to relocate the pups to Idaho, then kill the three remaining adults.

“We knew the timber patch they were in, and we found tracks indicating they had been there, but …,” he said.

Another attempt to locate the pups will be made next week.

The female is wearing a radio collar but stays up to 3 miles from the pups during daytime hours when U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service officials monitor her movements, Niemeyer said.

The other two adult wolves, not collared, apparently are minding the pups during the day.