Serving Lincoln County for more than a century!
Serving Lincoln County for more than a century!
Gamewardens to propose 'sensitive' status
Wolves were the hot topic at a Memorial Hall meeting Tuesday, June 18.
DAVENPORT - Officials from the state Dept. of Fish and Wildlife and the Lincoln County Cattlemen's Association visited Memorial Hall to address a controversial topic with local farmers and stakeholders Tuesday, June 18. And this time, the topic at hand wasn't wind turbines...it was wolves.
Wolves have been a topic of contention between state bureaucrats, animal/environmental activists and farmers and ranchers since the carnivores have steadily repopulated in Washington in the past 15 years, particularly in northeast Washington.
No packs are currently being tracked in Lincoln County, but the Sprague pack was recorded as recently as 2022. Farmers and landowners frequently relate anecdotal wolf sightings, but those aren't always reported to Fish and Wildlife.
That's a fact officials speaking Tuesday hope to change.
"If you even think it could be a wolf, call us right away," gamewarden JoLynn Beauchene said.
Wolf biologist Trent Roussin said more activity is being seen south of Lake Roosevelt.
"That's why we're having this meeting," he said.
Most male wolves in Washington range between 92-95 pounds, with females around 75 pounds, he said. Tracked wolves commonly feast on deer, with moose second and elk a distant third.
About 12 to 20 livestock have been killed each year by wolves, Roussin said.
Fish and Wildlife is currently monitoring 37 wolves from 15 packs. 36 wolf deaths were recorded in 2023, 23 of which were legal hunts on tribal reservations.
Other causes of death included vehicle crashes, agency kills related to livestock confrontations and poachers. One wolf was killed by a cougar.
That prompted Bill Reinbold of Egypt to inquire who "wins between a wolf and a cougar."
Roussin said the cougar usually wins those fights in Washington, which he said isn't the case in areas like Montana and Yellowstone National Park.
Wildlife conflict specialist Reagan Harris said wolves will typically attack cattle at the base of the neck, hamstrings and front thighs. An attack is probably from a bear if the steer was attacked on top of the neck, while cougars also target the throat.
Owners of domestic animals, like ranchers, can legally kill one gray wolf if, as Beauchene put it, the domestic animal will be killed or severely injured if no action is taken.
Kills can only be done by the owner, an immediate family member or documented employee. A neighbor who saw a wolf attacking a nearby herd wouldn't have any legal course to take, other than firing shots into the ground or air to try and scare the animal.
There is no limit on the number of wolves or other wild animals that can be killed in the name of self-defense or defense of another person, per state RCW.
Wolves are currently considered endangered west of the Cascades, but are delisted in Eastern Washington. Roussin said biologists and gamewardens feel that wolves should be considered less protected, down to "sensitive" status.
That will be presented to the Fish and Wildlife Commission Saturday, June 22 that will also include open public input. Those who want to provide public comment must register ahead of time on Fish and Wildlife's website.
"We have a petition recommending downlisting wolves to sensitive," Roussin said.
A potential hurdle with that recommendation is that wolf listings can only be upgraded or downgraded statewide, and not regionally, per state law. While present, wolves are much less common in Western Washington than they are in northeast and southeast parts of the state.
A decision from the Commission is expected in mid-July, Roussin said.
Cattlemen's Association president Matt Schneider asked whether a delisting to "sensitive" would allow for controlled hunting. Roussin said that would likely be part of the discussion surrounding the delisting process.
Drew Lawson is the editor of the Davenport Times. He is a graduate of Eastern Washington University.
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