Sheri A. Buller, Ronald N. Schultz, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, 8770 Highway J, Woodruff, WI 54568, USA; Bruce E. Kohn, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, PO Box 576, Rhinelander, WI 54501, USA; Adrian P. Wydeven, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, PO Box 220, Park Falls, WI 54552, USA

Wisconsin's wolf population has been increasing about 20% per year since 1984 and is expanding its range eastward. Between 1984-1999, twenty-three radio-collared dispersing wolves were located weekly to determine how new packs were formed. When the dispersing wolves were located in the same general area for a period of time, efforts were made to observe the animals from the air to see if they were associating with other wolves. If this appeared to be the case, track searches were conducted during the breeding season to determine if pair bonding had occurred. Pack formation and pup production were confirmed the following summer through howling surveys, track surveys, and evidence from telemetry data.

Of the 23 dispersing wolves, 8 females and 2 males started new packs. For the females, the average distance between natal pack territory and new pack territory was 50.0 km, for males it was 53.6 km. New packs were formed when dispersing wolves met and paired with another disperser or when they replaced old or dead alphas in an existing pack. In at least 3 cases, lone male wolves > 4 years old maintained pack territories until a disperser arrived and they pair bonded.