Livestock depredation by wolves declined in 2013

Associated Press

Montana’s general wolf season has much looser rules than in past years. Last season, hunters and trappers took 225 wolves compared to 121 in the 2011-12 season. A longer season and lower prices on non-residential tags may have been a contributing factor in the increase in wolves taken.

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One year doesn’t make a trend, but as Montana hunters and trappers have increased their wolf harvest, claims for livestock depredation reimbursement fell in 2013. “I do think the trapping and the hunting both have really helped out the livestock producers,” said George Edwards, livestock loss program coordinator for the Livestock Loss Board. “It seems to be a huge reduction in conflicts from a claims standpoint.”

In 2012, 125 claims were filed with the Department of Livestock’s board, which paid out $102,700. In 2013, 96 claims were filed at a cost of $86,800. Beginning in October, the board began paying for grizzly bear depredation, so that figure includes four cattle deaths in Park County attributed to a grizzly. Claims are paid out of the state’s general fund and the livestock losses have to be confirmed as wolf or grizzly bear kills by Wildlife Services.

Hunter, trapper take

So far this year, hunters have killed 119 wolves, while trappers have taken 36. This year is the first of a more aggressive hunting season allowed by Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks. Hunters are now allowed to purchase up to three wolf tags, the hunting season was extended into mid-March and the price of a nonresident wolf tag was reduced from $350 to $50.

Last season, hunters and trappers took 225 wolves compared to 121 in the 2011-12 season. In 2012, Wildlife Services, the animal-control arm of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, killed 104 wolves. In 2013, that dropped to 70. “We have seen a decline in the number of wolf depredations,” said John Steuber, state director for Wildlife Services. “But it’s just one year, so it’s hard to say that’s a trend. Until we see three, four, five years in a row, I’d be cautious about saying depredations are declining.”
The increasing wolf harvest has not yet made much of a change to FWP’s estimate of the number of wolves in the state. At the end of the

2012-13 season, it was estimated there were 625 wolves spread out across the western half of the state compared to 653 the previous year. FWP would prefer to see the wolf population closer to 425 animals.

Butte-based FWP wolf biologist Nathan Lance said he’s seen no behavioral changes in wolves based on increased hunting pressure. “They’re a carnivore. They are secret and elusive anyway,” he said.
With such a large landscape to roam — up to 300 square miles for some packs in his region — hunters have a hard time finding the animals. So whether the wolf harvest goes up this season compared to last is hard to predict. Especially since after the general deer and elk season, which ended the weekend after Thanksgiving, most hunters stow their rifles.

Biggest loser

Out of the counties that claim livestock losses to wolves, Beaverhead is consistently at the top of the heap, often closely trailed by Madison, Glacier and Lewis and Clark counties. In 2013, Beaverhead County livestock producers received $22,170 for 14 cattle and one sheep death. The next highest payout went to Lewis and Clark County producers who received $11,200 for seven sheep killed by wolves.

Lance attributed Beaverhead’s status to the fact that the large county has a lot of cattle in wolf territory. “The other thing that’s unique to the Big Hole part of Beaverhead County is that it has a migratory elk herd,” he said. “If the wolves don’t follow the elk, they have lower game numbers.”
Edwards said with calving season beginning for some cattle ranchers, claims will typically start to go up. Steuber said his Wildlife Services office gets most of its calls when ranchers move their cattle onto summer range in May and June.

Edwards noted that the loss board did get some one-time loss prevention funds to help producers this year — $100,000 for grants — for which there was “huge interest.” That money can fund projects like carcass removal and range riders to help prevent depredation.

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