ADFG Seeking Hunters’ Harvested Southeast Alaska Wolves For Research Purposes

The following is courtesy of the Alaska Department of Fish and Game:

ADFG DWC Requests Wolf Harvest Samples

Ketchikan, AK – The Alaska Department of Fish and Game, Division of Wildlife Conservation is asking for assistance in collecting additional samples from harvested wolves from Southeast Alaska. The samples requested are:

• Skin sample (wolves harvested from Game Management Units 1-3, 5)

A small piece of skin with hair attached (1.5 inches long x 0.25 inches wide).

Sealers will collect a skin sample from anywhere along the cut edge of the hide using a sterile blade.

• Muscle sample (wolves harvested from Game Management Units 1-3, 5)

A small piece of muscle about the size of a dime. Sealers will collect a muscle sample using a sterile blade.

• Foreleg bones (wolves harvested from Game Management Unit 2 only)

An entire foreleg bone (radius and ulna, see picture) from the front leg of the wolf. Sealers will collect foreleg.

The skin and muscle samples can be used for genetic and diet analyses, and the foreleg bones allow ADF&G to determine age class of harvested wolves (pup or adult).

These samples aid ADF&G in providing the most accurate estimate of the wolf population in Game Management Unit 2, they allow the department to determine genetic structure of wolves in Southeast Alaska and reveal information on wolf diet.

Thank you for your participation.

Sealing requirements

State sealing requirements for wolves harvested in all Game Management Units outside of Unit 2 require all hides to be sealed within 30 days of take.

State sealing requirements for wolves harvested in GMU 2 require all hides to be sequentially numbered by the hunter or trapper, who must call the ADF&G Ketchikan office at (907) 225-2475 within 7 days of take to report the date and location of take, and all hides must be sealed within 15 days of take. These regulations are intended to assist in sustainable harvest management.

Foreleg Bones Requested: