Current Numbers: 5
Pack status: Active. Designated in 2016.
The Sherman Pack was confirmed in 2016 with a minimum count of five wolves.
In 2017, the pack had one human-caused mortality and one wolf killed by the state wildlife agency. At the end of 2017, only one wolf was still using the territory, and the pack was officially disbanded.
The Sherman Pack was re-designated in 2018. It had a minimum of two wolves at the end of 2018, and did not have breeding pair status for the year. The 2019 annual survey did not detect any wolves remaining in the pack.
The pack re-established in 2021 with four confirmed wolves in the territory. In 2022, there were three wolves in the pack territory, and in 2023, there were six wolves in the pack.
In October 2024, WA178F dispersed from the Sherman territory and was legally harvested in southern British Columbia in November 2024. The year-end minimum wolf count for the pack was five, and they were considered a successful breeding pair.
In January 2025, one wolf was captured and collared in this pack. In May, one adult male wolf was killed while reportedly chasing cattle. In August, WDFW killed a non-breeding, adult female wolf in response to livestock predations.
In October 2025, WDFW approved the killing of another Sherman Pack wolf in response to repeated livestock conflicts. At this time, there were only two adult females in the pack, struggling to care for their pups after months of relentless persecution, poaching, and state-sanctioned killing. However, in response to a petition filed by Washington Wildlife First, Predator Defense, and the Kettle Range Conservation Group that stated the WDFW kill order against the Sherman Pack was arbitrary, capricious, and unscientific, a King County Superior Court commissioner entered a temporary restraining order that prohibited WDFW from lethally removing the wolf.
Unfortunately, by the end of the month, the King County Superior Court Judge Suzanne Parisien denied the request for a Preliminary Injunction to protect what remains of the Sherman wolf family. This allowed WDFW to issue another kill order at any time. The battle to protect the Sherman Pack is still ongoing.
Useful Links
Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife – Sherman Pack
