Censusing wolves in a 1.5-million-acre study area is a difficult task, and we have no direct information on which to base a population estimate. However, some deductions can be made about the relative population densities in our study area between the period 1948 to 1953 and the period of the present study, 1967 to 1969.
R. A. Rausch (1967a) hypothesized that the frequency of large packs is higher when population density is high, and presented evidence supporting this idea. On this assumption, a comparison of pack-size distributions between various periods can indicate relative population densities between periods. The advantage of this method is that it eliminates the usual type of year-to-year biases in wolf censuses such as might result from differences in precise census route, type of aircraft, skill of observers, and other conditions. Only a difference that would cause a bias in the size of the packs seen would be of importance.
Therefore, we tested the difference in size distributions of population units between the 1948-53 study period and the present period ([table 1]), using a Kolmogorov-Smirnov two-sample test (Siegel 1956). The average "pack" size in the earlier years was 2.8, compared with 4.2 at present; thus pack sizes are significantly larger at present (95 percent level). This indicates that the population density from 1967 to 1969 may have been higher than from 1948 to 1953. This apparent change may be attributable to a reduction in snaring, trapping, and aerial hunting that took place between the two periods as a result of changes in State game regulations.
A similar comparison between our observations from 1967 and those from 1968-69 ([table 1]) shows no significant difference between these years, so it appears that the density of wolves in our area has remained about the same over the period of three winters. This agrees with the results of several other studies summarized by Mech (1970) in which wolf populations unaffected by man have been found to remain relatively stable from year to year.
DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS
The movements, behavior, and ecology of the wolves in our study area during winter are variable, and are influenced considerably by snow conditions. This may explain the fact that in late February 1969 wolves 1051, 1053, and 1055 suddenly extended their travels and range ([fig. F-34] and [table 4]).
However, increased travel may have resulted from other factors. For one thing, the wolves apparently did not need to spend so much time hunting as before. Because of the deep snow, the ability of wolves to capture deer increased, and the animals had a surplus of food. Perhaps under such conditions wolves may use more of their energy for traveling than for hunting.
Figure 34.—Net weekly (straight-line) distances traveled by three radiotagged wolves.