Wolf photographed near Ardenvoir probably just passing through

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Wolf photographed near Ardenvoir probably just passing through

Wednesday, February 13, 2013

Craig Monette photo

Craig Monette of Chelan snapped several photos of this wolf Monday on North Fork Mud Creek Road near Ardenvoir. Monette, an avid outdoorsman, was traveling up the road on a snowmobile when he sighted the wolf. “I think people ought to know there are wolves in Chelan County,” he said.

ENTIAT — Craig Monette was shocked when he saw what was walking toward him while snowmobiling up the North Fork of Mud Creek Road Monday.

“At first I thought it was a coyote,” said Monette, of Chelan. “Then I realized it was a wolf. It was like seeing a UFO. I had to stop and get my camera out of my backpack. I thought it would take off, but it just kept coming at me.”

The wolf came within about 100 feet of him before running off. Monette shot several digital photos with a Canon SX30 and a telephoto setting. He brought prints to The Wenatchee World and to the local office of the state Department of Fish and Wildlife.

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“I think people ought to know there are wolves in Chelan County,” he said. A blowup of the photos shows the wolf had been tagged.

“They were absolutely incredible photos,” said David Volson, a wildlife biologist for Fish and Wildlife in Wenatchee. Volson said a blowup of the photos allowed him to read the number on the tag in the wolf’s ear and positively identify it as a young female that was caught and tagged last fall in the Teanaway Valley. There are two documented wolf packs along the east slopes of the Cascades, he said, the Teanaway Wolf Pack in northern Kittitas County and the Lookout Wolf Pack in western Okanogan County.

The wolf Monette photographed is probably about 2 years old and out looking for a new home, Volson said.

“We know wolves are dispersers,” he said. At about 2 years of age, some will travel 50 to 75 miles or more looking for new territory. Volson said biologists recently tracked one wolf from the Teanaway who was fitted with a remote collar all the way to Canada, nearly 300 miles. He thinks this wolf may be following a similar route.

The wildlife department has worked extensively using remote cameras and ground and aerial surveillance to determine if there are wolf packs in Chelan County. A few dispersing wolves have been sited or reported, but there is no evidence that there are resident wolves in the area.

“I’ve been flying over the Entiat Valley all year for a deer survey and I’ve never seen a wolf track,” he said. “But it makes sense that we could have wolves traveling through here. This one was beautiful and very healthy looking.”

Monette, a self-described avid sportsman, also photographed a moose with two calves and a couple of elk in the area Monday. He said he’s seen wolves in Montana before, but never one in this area and never so close. It was an exciting and slightly unnerving experience, he said.

“They have a place in life like everything, but people should know they’re out there,” he said.

Rick Steigmeyer: 664-7151

steigmeyer@wenatcheeworld.com

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Mikeh 3 months, 1 week ago

Salmon, Idaho ... here we come.

lonedog3 3 months, 1 week ago

I’ve been flying over the Entiat Valley all year for a deer survey and I’ve never seen a wolf track,” he said. “But it makes sense that we could have wolves traveling through here. This one was beautiful and very healthy looking.” Now that's some fantastic eyesight seeing wolf tracks from a plane!

beauwy 3 months ago

Low elevation helicopter surveys, close enough to see antler points Joe. Very easy to see and ID animal tracks to species, especially for a trained and experienced wildlife biologist. He's not on the Horizon hop to SeaTac.

CJohn 3 months, 1 week ago

Beautiful animal. Nice photo.

carol 3 months, 1 week ago

Ditto.

JimboBear 3 months, 1 week ago

If she's trying to get to Canada, I'd be more than happy to volunteer my pickup as a taxi service. Non stop from Ardenvoir to the border just north of Omak, and I'll throw in two meals. One to keep her sated until we reach the border and one to toss across the line to make sure she crosses and thinks the pickings will be much easier up there in the liberal north country. I'll even buy the gas.

NorthEasttoNorthwest 3 months ago

Got to love the undertones of anti-Canada. Got to love rural America.

JimboBear 3 months ago

Yep! "Got to love rural America"

I can assure you it beats urban Seattle or Boston. If the Pacific NW seems so terrible to you, Amtrak runs back to the east coast and all the 3 foot snow storms and power outages too. Or . . . . it's only a bit more that 100 miles for you to reach Canada. Then you can be in rural Canada and see if that is a bit more liberal than Seattle and therefore more to your liking.

NorthEasttoNorthwest 3 months ago

Does it? Sounds like you guys don't get out much. I'm just saying stop acting like a bunch of rednecks. Funny, we city folk know your environment better than you do. You guys are afraid to set foot in a city- we have real 'animals' here; bad humans. Just pointing out the overall backwardness of the rural western interior. There are lots of good people out your way, but comments like yours just feed the stereotypes. Canada is a beautiful place full of great people. Don't take them for granted. Ever been? You probably grew up 50 yards from the border and have never owned a passport. The USA's best allie throughout history, yet you talk down to them like you are Princess Diana. Sorry, took a one way direct flight out here. I love the Pacific Northwest and I am here to stay. I'll be sure to influence the politics greatly while I am here. Maybe your forefathers should have stayed out East- where there are less wolves. bears, cougars, "Indians", Mexicans, and all other things that you scared to death of.

lonedog3 3 months, 1 week ago

If she is looking for new territory I would rather see her transported to the west side! Let them see just how cute these wolf packs can be. There is a reason why they call groups of submarines "wolf Packs"

JimboBear 3 months, 1 week ago

Hey! Regardless of what you hear Joe, everyone on the west side is not a bad guy.

lonedog3 3 months, 1 week ago

ok we will keep them out of your neighborhood Jimbo! LOL

JimboBear 3 months, 1 week ago

Ha! Sounds like a deal! :-)

ranchers 3 months, 1 week ago

Try Seattle or Olympia.

NorthEasttoNorthwest 3 months ago

We will welcome them out here. We aren't a bunch of scared cowards like many that live in the Interior West are. I lived in rural New England and then Boston for a while before here. Coy-wolves have come back into New England and have fully urbanized. They run amongst glass highrises downtown even. What did Bostonians do? Nothing. No hysteria. No fear. No grabbing a personal arsenal. No hatred. We adapted. I thought you westerners were more rugged but the more I read these comments sections of small-twon newpapers, the more you guys sound like a bunch of wimps. Man up.

_Buckmaster 3 months, 1 week ago

"probably just passing through.." riggghhhttttttt

“I’ve been flying over the Entiat Valley.. I’ve never seen a wolf track..” Them are some good eagle eyes there lol

Dixie 3 months ago

NorthEast, you are correct about lots of unfounded fear and ignorance around here. The American Indians lived for millennia with wolves and had no problems. When Europeans and their livestock arrived is when all predators became “bad” or “evil” due to fear and prejudice brought over from the Old Country. In reality the family dog when allowed to run loose will pack up with other dogs in the neighborhood and do more damage to wildlife, livestock, pets and people that all the natural predators combined. If ranchers and hunters would be truthful with themselves they would agree I am correct. The northern part of the US did not have coyotes until fearful Europeans wiped out the wolf as wolves and coyotes do not coexist, by killing off their enemy coyotes expanded north. Too bad the first whites didn’t learn more from the original inhabitants instead of paying bounties for their scalps much like they did/do with predators. So much for Christian values I guess.

NorthEasttoNorthwest 3 months ago

Yup, agreed. As someone said above, replace the word "wolf", with "Indian', 150 years ago. Same culture, alive and well. The sins of our fathers.

tunnelman 2 months, 3 weeks ago

I am just thankful that our state is using science to guide the repopulation efforts. On one hand, I believe that wolves are needed to bring balance back to our ecosystem; on the other, people that live in these areas are concerned about what will happen to their livelihoods. Extreme positions on both ends are the largest threat to what should be a reasoned argument.