The Stranger Pack formed in 2015.
At the end of 2016, the pack had a minimum of four members, but was not counted as a breeding pair for the year. The pack had a minimum of three members at the end of 2017, and was was not counted as a breeding pair for the year.
The Stranger Pack had a minimum count of 4 wolves at the end of 2018, and was counted as a breeding pair for the year.
In April 2019, a collared adult male pack member was killed in a legal hunt on the Spokane Indian Reservation. In May 2019, wolf biologists collared a yearling female. In the same month, another female wolf who was likely a member of the pack was shot and killed by hikers who felt threatened when she emerged from the forest along the trail. The state wildlife agency investigated and determined the hikers were legally within their rights to use lethal force.
In November 2019, a collared female wolf (WA91F) from the pack dispersed toward Spokane, WA, and then into Idaho. She was killed the following month as part of Idaho’s legal wolf hunting season. Another member of the pack was killed “in the act” by a WA landowner who believed she presented a threat to human safety. This is legal under Washington’s “caught in the act” rules for wolves.
The 2020-2021 winter survey counted a minimum of five wolves in this pack and a successful breeding pair.
Current numbers: 5
Pack status: Designated in 2015.
Useful Links
Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife – Stranger Pack
