The Luna Pack has been dealing us misery and we have had no time to report it!

July 8, 2006

Stopped on the road to help a couple that we thought had a flat tire.  They did not.  They were watching a herd of elk thru a spotting scope and with binoculars.  Their name was Owensby.

While visiting with them I spotted a wolf slipping thru the elk herd.  It dropped out of site in a draw and came out of it about 5 to 10 minutes later heading to our herd of cows with baby calves sleeping.  The four of us watched as the wolf began to get closer and closer to the cows.  It began to slip up on one sleeping babe, circled it 3 times and the calf woke up, stood up then with curiously stuck it nose toward the wolf!  When the wolf began to go for the calf Donnie shot a warning shot and scared the wolf away.  But the wolf only went deeper into the cow herd!!

Monday we had Don Gatlin and his 9 year old son Tye riding with us to check the same herd.  Donnie saw 2 male wolves and continued to look thru the cattle.  Tye then joined Donnie looking at the cows.

The two of them (Donnie and Tye) began to see wolves!  A total of SIX!!! and they were  very close!!  Donnie did not want to traumatize Tye.  Tye told Donnie that he was armed with a knife!  Donnie told Tye they would be just fine cause Donnie also had a knife.  (HA!)

The Luna pac had killed a full grow cow elk.  She was fresh.

Tuesday I rode up near the pac and they were in the same area.  TOO close to the cows again!!

Found a gate that was OPEN  into the Corner Mt airstrip pasture.  NO ONE is up here except the Forest Service, fire people and the wolf team!!  The road has a 'CLOSED' sign sitting on it!  So who opened the gate and let 15 of our cows thru????  We are not supposed to be in the Corner Mt allotment and this is the THIRD time in the last month that someone has left a gate open! 

Donnie checked the dead elk and in less than 24 hours they had completely eaten it!  Where is the next meal??

Wednesday I left Donnie, his horse and 2 cow dogs out in the area.  They rode up within 5 feet of a wolf pup!!!  The Luna mother came charging up to be near the pup.  Our dogs chased the pup over the ridge and down in a draw to the Luna female!

Guess they were hungry cause  I found a dead cow (beef).  She was fresh and a nice cow that was doing well and had a calf.  As I write this we are waiting on Jess and Richard.  Hope that they get to her before the wolves finish the carcass off.

Came to the cabin to make phone calls and the Forest Service (Collin Ewing) was on the answering machine to tell us to get our cows off the Corner Mt airstrip!!  We had already done that YESTERDAY!  But who knows....did they put cows thru the gate again???

This is 26 miles from our cabin and it will be very expensive to go up there just to try to keep the wolves from killing everyday!  What a nightmare!