Movement patterns of barren-ground wolves in the Central Canadian Arctic

We collected information on the movement patterns of wolves (Canis lupus) c aptured within a 30,000-km(2) area in the Northwest Territories and western Nunavut. Currently, diamond mining and road construction are occurring in the area used by these migratory wolves for denning. During summers of 1997 and 1998, 23 wolves in 19 different packs were captured and fitted with co llar-mounted satellite transmitters. Areas used by these wolves varied seas onally and seemed to correspond to movements of migratory caribou (Rangifer tarandus). Annual home-range sizes (95% minimum convex polygon), averaged 63,058 km(2) +/- 12,836 SE for males and 44,936 +/- 7,564 km(2) for females . Wolves began to restrict movements around a den site on the tundra by lat e April. They did not depart from their summer ranges until late October, a fter which they followed caribou to their wintering grounds. Straight-line distances from the most distant location on the winter range to the den sit e averaged 508 +/- 26 kin during 1997-1998 and 265 +/- 15 km in 1998-1999 ( P < 0.01). Home range in summer averaged 2,022 +/- 659 km(2) for males and 1,130 +/- 251 km(2) for females. No difference was detected between sexes o r years. All but 2 of 15 wolves returned to <25 km of a previous den, and 2 wolves returned to the same den site. We believe that human activities tha t disturb or displace denning wolves, or that alter the distribution or tim ing of caribou movements, will have negative affects on reproductive succes s of wolves.