Wolf pack to be reduced

Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks has determined that four of the seven wolves in the Fishtrap Pack should be killed to reduce livestock depredation at McGinnis Meadows. The pack is believed to be responsible for killing a cow last month and then injuring a calf at a neighboring ranch two weeks ago. “This is atypical from what we’ve been seeing in the past,” said Kent Laudon, FWP wolf management specialist. Before the two recent incidences, the pack had been attributed to three confirmed livestock kills and one livestock injury since 2005, a relatively low number, according to Laudon. The Fishtrap Pack’s territory covers about 250 square miles roughly bordered by Silver Butte and Thompson River, Highway 2 and Fishtrap River. Shortly after the pack killed a Dexter cow at a small McGinnis Meadows ranch last month, a neighboring rancher reported wolves harassing his yearling calves, Laudon said...read more