Refer to the January 23 blog entry: I learned recently that the wayward Toklat West male was snared together with an unidentified female on about January 23, outside the central east park boundary.  This information was provided to the National Park Service by a local trapper; NPS declined to provide the trapper’s identity or a more specific location for the snaring site.  Recall from the January 23 entry that I last observed the male alone in this area on January 11-12, some 30 miles east of the established territory. There were no known additional observations until he was snared.  

 

I found the rest of the group (also called Grant Creek) during my latest observations, January 29-February 2.  The breeding female had been alone inside the established territory but as of these latest observations was back together with the two missing wolves - one likely a pup, the other a young adult (possibly a male), still inside the territory.  It is a guess as to how/why the male ended up along the east park boundary and where the two missing wolves were.  Nor can it be determined if he was dispersing or on a foray from which he would have returned eventually.

 

Now the fate of the adult Eagle male is in question.  Refer again to the January 23 entry.  There was no information on the Eagle wolves subsequent to my January 11-12 observations until I found the male on January 30-February 2.  He was 45-50 miles northeast of the established Eagle territory, ranging mostly inside the dangerous northeast park boundary trapping-hunting area shown in red on the map in the December 2 blog entry.  This was not as much of a surprise as the Toklat West male’s eastward venture.  Eagle is one of the central groups of Denali with a history of migrating northeastward for varying winter intervals to hunt caribou (Dec 2007 paper, Reports2 page).  I have not seen the two Eagle pups since they were with the male (their father) at his dead mate’s location on January 12.  One was limping on a hind leg, but injured legs and feet are not uncommon for wolves or necessarily a continuing problem.  All four of the Eagle wolves seemed to be eating well over the previous couple of months.  

 

Another family group, Castle, with a territory primarily inside the northwest corner of the park/preserve (southwest of Lake Minchumina), is at risk from the state’s formal aerial wolf-killing program.  When I located the six Castle wolves on February 2, they were on a foray outside the park/preserve, within the McGrath aerial-killing area.  

 

Since late October, trappers have killed wolves from at least five Denali study groups - Lower Savage (decimated), Toklat East (decimated), White (decimated?), Stampede, and Toklat West.  A sixth group, Margaret, is a good possibility.  Hunters shot wolves from two other groups in September - at least one wolf from Toklat Springs, two from Swift West.  The Eagle male may still be inside the dangerous northeast boundary trapping area.  Castle is at risk from state-permitted aerial wolf hunters.  Toklat (East Fork) has already ventured into or very near the northeast boundary trapping area at least twice this winter and is seldom more than a few hours from another (unpredictable) venture there.  

 

In other words, about half of the 20 Denali study groups (Nov 9 entry) are known or likely to have been hit by trappers or hunters since September or are currently at risk.