Apgar pack likely behind pet attacks

Wolves that have recently attacked pets in the Blankenship and Coram areas likely came from a fairly new pack living near Apgar Mountain in Glacier National Park, according to Montana Fish, Wildlife Parks biologist Kent Laudon.

Laudon said he had three additional but unconfirmed reports of wolves attacking dogs on the east side of Teakettle Mountain last month. Wolves attack dogs as a territorial response, he said, but they will partially eat a dog if they kill it.

A landowner can kill a wolf if he catches it in the act of attacking a dog, livestock or a person, but the law does not extend to cats, Laudon noted.

Laudon said the Apgar pack consists of about six wolves - a mix of adults and yearlings. He was able to trap a yearling female last month and place a radio collar on it, but after a recent flight, he was unable to track down the wolf.

Wolves in Northwest Montana range over an average of 190 square miles, he noted, and the North and Middle forks of the Flathead River, which flank Apgar, pose no barrier. Laudon said he even had a collared wolf that apparently swam across the Hungry Horse Reservoir.

Laudon noted the recent number of pet attacks seems high for this pack. Other packs in the state, such as the Nine Mile Pack west of Missoula and the Murphy Lake Pack, have lived near people for decades with few pet conflicts.

People who see a wolf should make noise and scare it off so it doesn't become comfortable around homes, he said.

A hunter with a wolf tag can currently harvest a wolf with a bow and arrow. When general rifle season opens, hunters with tags can shoot a wolf. All kills must be reported within 12 hours. Wolves inside Glacier Park's boundaries are wholly protected. Hunting is illegal in the Park.