Resident shoots wolf after it bothers dog

A Boundary County man will not be charged for shooting a wolf in his yard that was bothering his dog.

Lowell Graber, who lives on Meadow Creek Road 7 miles north of Highway 2, was justified in shooting the 96-pound male wolf, said Greg Johnson senior conservation conservation officer for Idaho Department of Fish and Game.

“You can’t just shoot an animal if it is just there, there has to be some indication that the animal is going to do something bad,” said Johnson.

Fish and Game can also be contacted before a shooting takes place if someone feels threatened by wildlife.

 Johnson said he thinks the wolf was interested in Graber’s dog or the dog food he had out on the porch.

We have seen this before, they (wolves) play with them (dogs), mate with them and it is possible he wanted to eat the dog,” he said.

According to Johnson, sightings of wolves have become more common in the area.  He said if an   animal appears to be a threat to a pet or person, the animal can be shot without a tag, however the Department of Fish and Game needs to be contacted immediately and the agency will confiscate the animal, the shooter is not allowed to keep it if he does not have a tag.

Graber was awakened at 2 a.m. by the alarming bark of his Healer about two weeks ago.

Graber who lives seven miles north on Meadowcreek Road, got up looked out the window to see his dog barking into the trees about 30 feet from his house.  Graber went to the window in the living room to see better, and by the time he got there, a wolf was standing in his driveway. 

“The kids were just making a snowman in the yard the other day was my first thought,” Graber said. “The wolf has obviously been hanging around, the dog has been barking on and off for a couple weeks”.

“The wolf was fixated on my dog,” he continued.  “And my dog just kept barking at him as he stood silent staring at him (his dog).”

Graber retrieved his .223 rifle.  When he came back, his dog was going nuts and had run up to the porch.  According to Graber, the wolf  was on the grass in his yard.  He said the wolf was not afraid of the motion lights or the barking dog.

“That is what freaked me out,” said Graber.” “He was obviously not afraid.”

He slid open a window, and shot the wolf.  Graber said the wolf ran out onto the driveway, where he died.

“My wife had not woken up until she heard the shot, then ran into the dining room and saw me standing there in my skivvies with a rifle in my hand,” said Graber.

Graber is a father of five children ages 3 through 8 including a new born baby.  Coincidentally the baby came the day after the wolf shooting.

“We sort of blame the wolf for the baby arriving coming two weeks early,” Graber said.

The wolf had a tracking collar, which was placed on him about two years ago in Eureka, Mont., according to Johnson.

Three nights later according to Graber his dog starting barking at 3 a.m.  Again it was in an alarming tone and Graber grabbed his flashlight and investigated.  He saw a smaller female wolf standing at the edge of the trees in Graber’s garden, he fired a shot into the ground and the wolf left.

Graber said he hadn’t seen or heard another wolf in about two weeks. 

Graber had a wolf tag in 2009.  He immediately reported it to The Idaho Department of Fish and Game. 

Gary Stueve of 3 Heart Outfitters was in the area cat hunting the same morning and saw Graber and asked if he needed help.  Graber told him about the wolf, and Stueve and Graber walked the property.  Stueve said it appeared that there had been three wolves according to tracks he spotted tracks around the yard. Stueve also mentioned that he knew of at least one pack that runs up in the area.  He saw tracks of a large wolf with a 50 inch stride which is comparable to the stride of a Moose.

Johnson confirmed that there are two packs that travel between Hall Mountain and Deer Creek. 

“These animals can travel huge distances, this one came from Eureka, Mont. and may have been looking for a mate or was trying to get accepted into a local pack,”  Johnson said.

According to Johnson attacks on humans by wolves are unlikely and he said he would not lose any sleep over worrying about attacks on humans.