Dusty wolf attacks just rumors

An account of wolves killing horses in the LaCrosse or Dusty area appears to have been a false rumor. State Fish and Wildlife Officer Doug King last Thursday said he was aware of the account but unable to substantiate the report.

King told the Gazette last Thursday he was aware of the rumor and was investigating. Contacted Monday, King said he concluded it did not happen.

WDFW Region Director Steve Pozzanghera said area enforcement officers spent a lot of time tracking down any information about wolf kills and he said there was “no substance to the rumors.”

Pozzanghera, however, added he won’t rule out that wolves could be in the LaCrosse-Dusty area.

“We take any reports seriously,” he said. “It’s not like it couldn’t happen in the area. We know we’ve got transients moving in and out of northeast Oregon and western Idaho.

“Now they’re looking for food,” he said. “They’re not just in a timberland habitat. This time of year, they’re checking things out.”

He said a wolf pack is defined as two or more wolves traveling together.

Pozzanghera said attacks on livestock in general are uncommon and attacks on horses are unusual.

Wolves normally attack sheep and calves, he said.

The larger wolf packs in Washington are in the north central part of the state. WDFW officers have placed radio transmitters on some wolves and since the radios have been activated, WDFW officials have determined that home ranges for the packs are more than 250 square miles. Pozzanghera said they are seeing even larger ranges in Washington.

The ranges can fluctuate in size depending on the time of year.

When packs have pups, range size is reduced. But when the pack is hunting for elk and deer, ranges expand as wolves follow food sources. Young male wolves venture away from packs as they establish their own territories.

In Idaho, a confirmed wolf attack on a horse was reported Aug. 20 at West Pass Creek, about 20 miles south of Clayton, according to an Idaho Fish and Game Department wildlife manager in Boise.

A WDFW web site map, which charts wolf sightings in the last year, lists the latest sighting close to St. John Nov. 3. It also lists a sighting in the Steptoe Butte area last January.

Pozzanghera encourages anyone who sees a wolf or any evidence of wolves to report it immediately to wdfw.wa.gov.