Sherman Pack wolf killed after fifth cattle attack in Ferry County

ENDANGERED SPECIES — The first wolf from the Sherman Pack was shot today in an effort to stop wolf attacks on cattle in Ferry County, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife reports.

The Sherman Pack was associated with a confirmed cattle kill on Monday. It was the fifth cattle depredation associated to the pack this year.  The depredation occurred within the Colville National Forest, in the same vicinity as the previous four depredations. The area is being patrolled by range riders.

The department director, on Aug. 25, authorized incremental lethal control of the pack in accordance with established protocols after nonlethal prevention techniques failed.

Now the agency will wait and monitor wolf activities.  No more wolves from the Sherman Pack will be killed unless they resume attacking cattle.

Meanwhile, monitoring continues on the Smackout Pack in Stevens County. Between July 20 and July 30, the department removed two wolves from the Smackout Pack to stop cattle attacks. The evaluation period continues to assess the effect of that action on the pack’s behavior.

Details of what’s going on and a history of the efforts to curtail wolf attacks by the Sherman Pack as well as the Smackout Pack are available on the agency’s gray wolf update webpage .