The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife says the Grouse Flats wolfpack is to blame for the killing of a calf in Asotin County.
The calf was discovered Monday inside a pasture about 5 miles northwest of Anatone. A ranch worker reportedly observed a wolf at the carcass and satellite tracking data from a collar worn by a member of the Grouse Flats pack indicated the wolves were close to the pasture at the time of the kill.
The pack was determined to be responsible for killing another calf on the agency’s 4-O Wildlife Management Area on July 8, and has now killed three cows in the past 10 months.
According to the agency’s wolf management policy, lethal removal of wolves can be considered if a pack is determined to have killed four cows or other domestic animals in a 10-month period, or three within 30 days.
The Grouse Flats pack roams the Blue Mountains and was first identified in the summer of 2017 and confirmed later that year. Along with the Touchet, Butte Creek and Tucannon packs, it is one of at least four packs in southeastern Washington. (Lewiston Tribune)
