My understanding is that there are usually an "Alpha" male and female in most wolf packs.  The male, usually the strongest and most aggressive one, fights the other males for breeding rights, and the female is the leader.  If a rancher shoots either Alpha then the pack falls into a lower state of order, and breeding diminishes for a while.  When Fish and Feathers employees do the culling, or the public is given permits, there is usually no distinction made between the Alpha's and other wolves.  Were clear photos made (remotely activated Go Pro's) available, the Alpha's could be identified, and spared.  A good reason for sparing the Alphas is that wolves are intelligent enough to understand that hunting around certain areas almost always gets some of their pack killed, and the Alphas then display avoidance behavior.  A lot of the culling takes place in the deep woods, where the Alphas can't get any clue as to why they are being killed, nor where there may be "safe" areas.