Feds shoot, kill three wolves that killed Dillon-area sheep

Federal trappers shot and killed three wolves last week that had repeatedly killed sheep in the Blacktail Valley south of Dillon. The wolves had killed four adult ewes over two days when they were spotted in the private pasture in the Rock Creek drainage, said Carolyn Sime, wolf program coordinator for the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks. Trappers from the air spotted four wolves and shot three black wolves before the fourth one, a gray wolf, escaped. Sime said the wolves were responsible for an attack on sheep in June, when they killed five ewes and four lambs in the area. She said the sheep rancher had taken steps to keep wolves away but the predators were persistent. “This producer had stepped up efforts with dogs and herders,” she said. “Despite all the non-lethal tools, the wolves figured this out and it wasn’t going to stop.” Three ewes were killed and one was injured on the ranch on Oct. 7. Another attack occurred on Oct. 14, when one ewe was killed, and FWP authorized that any wolves seen in the pasture be killed. The livestock attacks occurred on the property of Jon and Kathy Konen, who last year lost more than 120 sheep to wolves in a single attack...more