Pack and population level estimates of wolf pup survival in the Greater Voyageurs Ecosystem

Abstract

Dataset for Hynes et al. 2026 where the authors used a combination of pup counts at dens and remote camera observations to estimate annual survival and recruitment of wolf pups (Canis lupus) in the Greater Voyageurs Ecosystem, Minnesota, USA, from 2019 to 2025. They estimated recruitment for 33 packs over 92 pack-years and survival for 23 litters from 13 packs. Mean annual pup recruitment was 1.27 pups per pack, and mean annual pup survival was 0.29. They observed that annual wolf pup recruitment and survival rates varied substantially among years and packs, which was likely a result of differences in food availability and the ability of breeding animals to acquire sufficient prey to provision dependent pups. They found that pup survival was negatively related to litter size. Although most (71%) wolf pups born during the study did not survive their first biological year, the population remained relatively stable, suggesting that recruitment rates were sufficient to sustain the high-density wolf population over time. These data underscore the potential of integrative monitoring approaches to advance the understanding of wolf reproductive ecology.