Each morning Jeremy Heft wakes up and straps on a pair of work boots. If the weather permits, he’ll slide on a jacket for an added layer of warmth, possibly a stocking cap over his silver, shoulder-length hair.
The Pennsylvania native then climbs into his small, dark blue pick-up truck, driving away from the more populated portion of Winchester, Idaho, toward tall trees and open farmlands. Cars and semi-trucks hum in the distance.
Tucked beneath a grove of Ponderosa pines sits Kuckuc, an old, female gray wolf. Lying among long grass and deer carcasses, she waits for Heft to arrive at the three-quarter of an acre fenced enclosure just outside the 374-member city.
Heft exits the vehicle and heads to the gate. He undoes the two sets of locks and steps inside, walking along the enclosure as Kuckuc’s golden eyes watch on. Her body shifts in response to his slow, calculated movements.
This dance continues between the two for some time until she becomes comfortable with his presence. It’s their daily routine, one they’ve been doing for more than a year — at least at this location.
“It’s a marathon — seven days a week,” Heft said. “There’s no sick days, there’s no vacation and there’s no weekends. It’s a grind … but I’m her constant.”
Last of the pack
Until October 2017, Kuckuc lived in a larger enclosure with her sister, XayXayx, on a 300-acre parcel of Nez Perce land.
The area served as the base for the Wolf Education and Research Center (WERC) for more than 20 years before the tribe terminated the group’s lease.
Heft, who joined WERC in December 1998 as an intern prior to becoming their official biologist, said the nonprofit organization was created to educate the state about wolves through research and provide sanctuary for these creatures.
“It is a very profound thing when people get to see a live wolf before them,” Heft said.
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Initially, the group housed the 11-member Sawtooth Pack, starting in 1996.
The organization didn’t plan on caring for another pack until the Sawtooth completely died out, Heft said, but they received a call in April 2008 from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, whose officials had recently confiscated 17 wolves from a house outside of Nampa, Idaho, in Owyhee County.
The previous owners hadn’t properly cared for or socialized the pack, making them a danger to themselves and others.
Unable to take all 17 wolves, Heft hand selected his new five-member pack — the Owyhee — who would carry on the WERC legacy after the passing of the last two Sawtooth members.
Due to natural causes and old age, the group soon dwindled to only Kuckuc and XayXayx as of last October.
But the move to their new location was too much for XayXayx to handle. Since the wolves had to be heavily sedated, Heft said it took a major toll on their older bodies.
While trying to revive XayXayx, she had an aneurysm in her lung and died under anesthesia.
“There was nothing we could do … it was absolutely heartbreaking for us,” Heft said. “And now, unfortunately, Kuckuc has to go through this solo.”
Reintroduction
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The state of Idaho has a complicated history with wolves, dating back to 1915, when Congress appropriated $125,000 for their removal, as well as coyotes and other predators, from the west, according to the Idaho Department of Fish and Game. By 1930, the wolves were completely gone.
Wolves didn’t officially make their return until Jan. 1995 — almost 80 years later. Fifteen were released in central Idaho under the supervision of the Nez Perce Tribe.
By 1998, officials estimated more than 100 wolves were living in Idaho.
Conservation efforts soon shifted in 2006 from the tribe to the state, and by May 2009, wolves were removed from the endangered species list.
Four months later, the first regulated hunt opened in Idaho with a limit of 220 wolves statewide — 188 were killed. They were quickly reclassified as endangered in August 2010, which lasted less than a year before they were removed again, and wolf tags went back on sale.
Now, people can hunt and trap wolves in certain areas, starting in July or October and ending in March.
A balancing act
Like Heft, Justin Webb spends a majority of his day studying wolves — their movements and hunting patterns.
But Webb, the executive director of the Foundation for Wildlife Management, is more concerned with ungulate — deer, moose and elk — populations in the state.
Since the reintroduction period, Webb said these animals have suffered greatly due to wolf depredation.
The nonprofit organization, which works closely with Fish and Game, aims to preserve ungulates across the state by reimbursing hunters and trappers for their operational cost — anywhere from $250 to $1,000.
“I was extremely excited to see my first wolf,” the Sandpoint native said. “But what I wasn’t excited to see was areas once filled with elk or deer to be almost empty. I see changes happening in our wildlife populations, and it’s just heartbreaking. I want my (children) to experience North Idaho the way I’ve been so blessed to get to experience it.”
From 2014 to 2016, Fish and Game officials report wolves accounted for less than 1 percent of radio-collared cow elk deaths, preceded by cougars and hunters.
Webb said wolves have maxed out their carrying capacity within the state, even killing one another due to territory issues. They have also pressured other predators into taking down more prey.
Webb said the group has saved more than 160,000 elk and killed around 450 wolves.
“I really try hard to make it clear to people that we are not an anti-wolf group; we are a pro-elk, pro-moose, pro-deer, pro-predator/prey balance organization. We don’t have a hatred for wolves, we just simply want to find a happy medium, so all of our wildlife can thrive,” Webb said. “It’s highly emotional from both sides and complex, but we hope to find a balancing act.”
However, Heft said wolves aren’t as much of danger to ungulate populations as many suggest — although, they can affect local groups temporarily.
Alex Brizee | Blot Magazine
Heft said the wolf’s primary enemy is the hunter.
“The reality is that wolves are not killing elk across the state, but they are changing the behavior of the elk because they hunt in a particular fashion,” he said. “When wolves were removed from the area, elk became stagnate after they learned they really didn’t have to run away from anything — that’s no longer the case.”
Heft said wolves remove sick or injured animals, since they are easier to kill, improving future populations and benefiting the hunting community.
“Human hunters and wolves are hunting on opposite ends of the spectrum,” he said. “They are not in direct competition, they’re actually dependent on one another.”
Heft also said it’s important to take a more neutral position and work together to find comprehensive solutions.
Heft hopes to continue educating people on wolf behaviors and misconceptions. But first, he hopes, to finish building the new WERC site, which should be ready for visitors in the spring.
“We’re hurting right now, but we’re not giving up anytime soon,” he said.
Story by Olivia Heersink
Graphic by Cadence Moffitt
Desgin by Cadence Moffitt