Biologist: At least 2 packs live in Boundary County

A local biologist with Idaho Department of Fish and Game says the agency doesn’t have a good hand on Boundary County’s wolf population, but there are at least two established packs.

“We certainly have had numerous sightings,” said Wayne Wakkinen, a wildlife research biologist with Fish and Game. “We know there’s many more wolves around. We haven’t trapped or radio-collared them to have really good estimates.”

One group is called the Boundary Back in the Hall Mountain area. There other is called the Calder Mountain Pack.

There is some wildlife loss. Within Idaho, it’s estimated that each wolf consumes about 16.5 deer or elk per year, Wakkinen said.

He also believes a farmer in the Hall Mountain area last year lost some cows to wolves, for which the farmer was reimbursed.

“We had a group in the Grass Creek this year, but I don’t think there’s any known losses,” Wakkinen said.