Trapper in Montana nabs wandering wolf

LIVINGSTON, Mont. — A wolf that had wandered far afield was captured in the Paradise Valley last week, just a few days after a resident pack had attacked sheep for the first time.

The wolf, a male at least 2 years old, wore a radio collar and ear tags and had last been spotted west of Salmon, Idaho, on Oct. 22, according to Carter Niemeyer, wolf recovery coordinator for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Idaho.

That same wolf was captured Dec. 19 by a leghold trap south of here, in the Eight Mile area.

The trap is owned by a private trapper seeking coyotes, who notified authorities when he found he had captured a wolf instead.

"I respect the man," Niemeyer said of the trapper. "That kind of response is admirable."

The wolf had traveled about 180 air miles, which translates into a lot more than that, considering the rough country between central Idaho and the Paradise Valley.

"There are a lot of wrinkles in between," Niemeyer said.

The wolf was part of the Moyer Basin pack, which is suspected in some livestock depredations. Niemeyer said the animal started wandering away from the eight-member pack in August. His signal was picked up Oct. 22, but he wasn't located again until he turned up in Montana last week.

Wolves occasionally break off from their pack and disperse over large distances, sometimes hundreds of miles.

"More and more, it's going to be demonstrated that these wolves have the ability to go great distances," Niemeyer said.

The animal was released from the trap, unharmed except for a sore foot.

It was fitted with a new radio collar and is now considered part of the Yellowstone population of wolves.

Last spring, a similar event happened when a Yellowstone wolf wandered to an area north of Boise and was captured. That animal has been collared and is now considered part of the Idaho population.

"We traded, I guess," Niemeyer said in a telephone interview. "We're even, for the time being."

The swap also illustrates that it's possible for separate wolf populations to connect, something that's been a goal for wolf advocates.