Wolves sought in cattle killings
Cattle rancher Ed Jonas listens to what sounded like howling wolves while kneeling Tuesday morning next to one of two heifers killed by wolves 10 miles southwest of Kila. “We [ranchers] work hard. This is tough work,” Jonas said. “And the government is going to say we can’t protect our own property. But they are going to protect the people on Wall Street with those big bailouts.” Garrett Cheen/Daily Inter Lake
Two valuable heifers have been killed by a pack of wolves west of Kalispell, incensing the livestock owner and raising concerns among other ranchers in the area.
"I've had enough of people who want to coddle wolves … I am really upset about this," said Ed Jonas, owner of Blacktail Mountain Ranch near Rollins.
Jonas learned Tuesday morning that two heifers were found dead on another ranch where he was grazing them just off Browns Meadow Road southwest of Kila.
Kent Laudon, a Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks biologist who monitors wolves in Northwest Montana, said a federal trapper who investigated later in the day confirmed that the cows were killed by wolves.
Laudon said efforts are under way to remove two wolves from the pack.
Laudon happened to be conducting aerial surveys of radio-collared wolves Tuesday morning, and he spotted the Hog Heaven Pack.
"I did locate the Hog Heaven Pack, and they are close" to the area where the cows were killed, Laudon said.
Laudon said he saw 10 wolves, two of which are fitted with radio collars. Five wolves are believed to be pups born in April.
For Jonas, the loss of two heifers is a magnified loss because they were Scottish Highland stock that he interbreeds with Piedmontese to produce a "Highmont" breed that is marketed for their low-cholesterol beef.
"I haven't got over the shock of it yet because these were beautiful heifers," said Jonas, who hauled the cows all the way from Nebraska.
The long-term breeding potential of the heifers and their offspring amounts to a value in the "ballpark of $40,000 to $50,000," said Jonas, adding that no compensation program can cover the loss.
Replacing the heifers could cost up to $5,000 and take up to a year.
Jonas is incensed about protections for wolves that recently were reinstated due to litigation, after a brief period when wolves were removed from protection under the Endangered Species Act.
Montana has adopted a wolf management program that allows for livestock owners to use lethal force to protect their animals, but those provisions are currently superseded by the Endangered Species Act.
"This is a major setback," Jonas said. "At what point does a rancher have a right to defend their property?"
Jonas removed other cows from the Browns Meadow pasture Wednesday, taking them back to Rollins. Other ranchers in the Browns Meadow area are concerned about the presence of the Hog Heaven Pack.
"I certainly have concern," said Pete Wade, who has cows on the same property where Jonas' heifers were killed. "I have animals there and I have the same number about a mile-and-a-half to the south."
Wade said he plans to move his cattle to another pasture near Kila rather than waiting to see whether they fall prey to wolves.
"It's just irresponsible to leave your animals there if there's a chance once one of them will get killed," he said. "Since you can't shoot [wolves] it's the only practical choice."
Jonas said there is a general frustration among livestock owners about the confirmation requirements that must be met before the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Wildlife Services division can pursue lethal actions on wolf packs.
Livestock sometimes vanish or their remains are found in conditions for which no confirmation is possible that wolves were responsible.
Wade recently lost a 400-pound calf in the Browns Meadow area. When he found the carcass, "there was almost nothing left," he said.
Wade is convinced that wolves were responsible, but he did not attempt to have it verified as a wolf kill.
Laudon said the decision to remove just two wolves from the pack involves several considerations.
"We try to take a balanced, incremental approach," he said. "We look at things like pack history, we look at how many animals are in the pack. We look at the level of depredation at the moment and the potential for more problems."
If killing two wolves doesn't put an end to the problem, more wolves could be removed from the pack. Chronic livestock depredation has led to the complete removal of packs in the past.
Reporter Jim Mann may be reached at 758-4407 or by e-mail at jmann@dailyinterlake.com