WDFW kills wolf from Sherman pack in Ferry County

A wolf in Ferry County was killed Tuesday in response to a series of attacks on cattle.

Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife staff killed an adult female wolf from the Sherman pack, according to a news release. It was a nonbreeding wolf.

The action came a day after WDFW director Kelly Susewind signed off on “incremental lethal removal” for wolves there after the pack was blamed for the deaths of three calves and the injury of two others.

Following the killing of the female wolf, WDFW will now enter an evaluation period, according to Wednesday’s release. That means agency officials will monitor the pack’s activity and decide whether more wolves need to die to keep the pack from continuing to prey on cattle.

It’s the second time in the past month that WDFW has killed a wolf in Ferry County. In late July, the agency dropped a wolf from the Togo pack after the agency pinned two dead calves and another injured calf on wolves from that pack.

The Togo pack roams a territory in the northern portion of the Kettle Range, not far from Canada. The Sherman pack’s territory is just south of the Togo’s.

WDFW started investigating cattle deaths in the Sherman pack’s territory on Aug. 18. Agency staff were called out to look at one dead calf and two injured calves.

They confirmed that the dead calf had been attacked by a wolf. The injuries were deemed “probable” wolf attacks that were likely separate incidents.

Three days later, WDFW returned to investigate two more dead calves. Those were confirmed as wolf kills.

The calves belonged to one livestock producer.

WDFW’s release says nonlethal wolf deterrents were in place such as range riding and regular human presence.

This was the second time this year that WDFW mulled lethal removal for the Sherman pack, which consisted of at least five wolves and a breeding pair during WDFW’s year-end count.

In May, WDFW considered killing wolves from the pack after investigating one dead calf and four injured calves within its territory.

WDFW declined the use of lethal force in that case because officials weren’t sure the Sherman pack was responsible for all of the cattle attacks that took place in May. The first three depredations that month were pinned on the Sherman pack, but they couldn’t confirm the pack had a role in calf injuries discovered later that month.

In July, WDFW announced that the wolves involved were a new group roaming west of the Kettle Crest and north of Highway 20.

The group doesn’t have a name. WDFW staff are monitoring it and will determine at the end of the year if it’s a new pack or breeding pair.