DANIEL - A total of 28 wolves have been killed by animal damage control specialists in Sublette County this year, with six killed in the last several days.

Two wolves were killed Friday in the Daniel region, then four more on Tuesday, federal officials said.

On Dec. 7, USDA Wildlife Services personnel confirmed another calf killed on private land by the uncollared Daniel wolf pack, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

"This pack has killed numerous livestock throughout this spring and summer, as well as last year" in an area of checkerboard private and public land ownership that is used extensively for livestock production, the agency said. The area is also interspersed with state elk feedgrounds that draw and hold dispersing wolves.

Wyoming Game and Fish Department elk feedground manager Gary Hornberger said wolves have chased elk off the North Piney feedground to the extent that the elk didn't return, but moved to lower elevations, including onto the Bench Corral elk feedground north of Marbleton. In addition, wolves chased the elk off the Franz feedground on at least three occasions since feeding began earlier this month, he said.

Because the Daniel wolf pack has been involved in repeated livestock depredation, Wildlife Services was authorized to remove all remaining pack members, the Fish and Wildlife Service reported.

On Friday, Wildlife Services used fixed-wing aircraft to kill two adult gray wolves out of the pack known to be in the area. On Tuesday, four more wolves from the pack were killed. Mike Jimenez of the Fish and Wildlife Service said there are at least two wolves left in the area and control is ongoing.

So far in 2005, federal control agents have removed 41 wolves from Wyoming's wolf population, including the 28 in Sublette County. Jimenez said there are at least 120 wolves inside Wyoming and outside Yellowstone National Park, including 12 or 13 packs inhabiting regions outside the park.

Wyoming's wolf population continues to grow, Jimenez said, even though control efforts result in an annual removal of about 20 percent of the state's wolf population that roams outside the national parks.