The California Department of Fish and Wildlife reports three confirmed or probable livestock kills or injuries by gray wolves in Plumas County so far in 2026.
These incidents occurred before April 13, according to recent data.
The agency named three new wolf packs after observing their presence for six months. These are the Interstate Pack in northern Modoc County, the Whitehorse Pack in western Modoc and eastern Siskiyou counties, and the Long Valley Pack covering eastern Sierra, eastern Plumas, and southern Lassen counties.
This raises the total number of wolf packs in California to 12.
Several wolf packs remain active in Plumas County. The Diamond Pack operates in eastern Plumas and southern Lassen counties but has no wolves with active tracking collars.
The Grizzly Pack is active in southern Plumas County without active collars.
The Ice Cave Pack covers parts of western Lassen, northern Plumas, eastern Shasta, and northern Tehama counties. One wolf’s collar stopped transmitting GPS data but still works on VHF.
The Lassen Pack is present in northern Plumas and southern Lassen counties with no active collars.
The Long Valley Pack was confirmed through genetic analysis tied to a 2025 livestock depredation event in Sierra County. This pack continues to be recorded into 2026 but lacks active collars.
CDFW monitors these packs using camera traps and ground surveys.
Two dispersing wolves passed through Plumas County in early 2026. One female, known as WHA29F, left the Whaleback Pack late in 2025 and traveled through multiple counties before returning to eastern Shasta County.
Another male, WHA22M from the 2023 Whaleback Pack litter, was detected genetically at a depredation site in southern Plumas County.
The agency notes that uncollared dispersing wolves are probably present in California at all times. Staff have detected such wolves regularly since 2011.
You can find more details in the March 2026 edition of “California’s Known Wolves – Past and Present” on the CDFW website.
CDFW encourages the public to report any wolf sightings to help with monitoring efforts.
Have you spotted a wolf near your community? Reporting it could support conservation and livestock protection efforts.
