Oregon Wolves Kill Again!

Oregon Wolves

Joseph,OR – 2 full grown cows in a week have been killed by wolves in Eastern Oregon's Imnaha wolf pack.  Both kills were within one week on the same ranch as these wolves are becoming bolder by the day. 

"We are seeing a significant change in their behavior – they are going after larger animals," Michelle Dennehy, spokeswoman for the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife in Salem, said today. 


Which begs the questions if they are becoming more daring and going after bigger game what is to stop them from pursuing a small child
Last year, Imnaha pack wolves generally restricted their prey to small calves, and most of their activities occurred during the spring. Now, the pack appears to be shifting to larger yearlings and fully grown cattle, and are killing later into the winter. 

The department confirmed Tuesday that a yearling heifer was found dead on private land. The latest adult cow was found on the same ranch and probably died Tuesday morning or Monday night, said Dennehy. The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife's stance is that the lethal removal of "problem" wolves that are killing ranchers' cattle is appropriate, she said. A "kill order" was issued for the Imnaha pack's alpha male and a younger wolf, but was blocked by a lawsuit. 

Dennehy said ODFW has issued "caught in the act" permits to 33 ranchers, permitting them to shoot and kill wolves that are seen biting, wounding or killing livestock. However, the permit language is specific, and ranchers cannot shoot a wolf unless they see it in the midst of an attack, she said. Since wolves typically hunt at night, it's unlikely that a rancher would catch one in the act of attacking livestock, she said. 


This is a win for livestock and wildlife advocates as ranchers will be able to protect their stock and eliminate at least some of these predators.

Wolf Warning to Oregon!

Western Idaho Gray Wolf

Wolf research on Idaho ranch shows wolves are not as far off as we think. The 3 year study shows that wolves in the Snake river area of Oregon are moving just yards from cattle and other live stock as well as within walking distance of houses. 

Here is a excerpt: "It showed the wolf came into proximity of all 10 collared cows at one time or another. The wolf came within about 500 yards of all 10 on 784 occasions. It came within 100 yards on 54 occasions, according to information Anderson provided. On several occasions, the wolf and collared cattle were basically in the same spot, according to his records.

Anderson's presentation also highlights how the collared wolf came within 500 yards of homes around the ranch on 307 occasions, and lingered a full day within 300 yards of a ranch lodge.

"The wolf stayed there all day," Anderson said, pointing to an aerial photo of the site. "And that's a well-traveled country road right there. It actually came down and we had wolf manure in the garden."

full article @eastoregonian

These statistics are helping to make the case that wolves are more daring and closer than we think.  Hopefully it doesn't take a death to prove that wolves are a real threat to humans as well as livestock and game.

Wolves in Oregon on the move to Southern Oregon

The OR-7 wolf that has been track from upper-eastern Oregon has made his way down to the Crater Lake area of Southern Oregon.  The OR-7 wolf had found an elk herd and a yearling calf that it had been feeding on the last couple of days. In the Lolo area of Idaho the Elk population has been cut drastically by the introduction of wolves over the past several years.  Oregonian Article

The ODFW estimates there to be 24 known wolves in Oregon and only 1 in the Cascade mountains.  I and many others feel this number is grossly understated and that Oregon's population of gray wolves is currently in the 100's.  As for the assertion that  there is only one wolf in the Cascades, I personally have seen a wolf in the cascades while hunting 5 years ago.  I have also talked with many others who have seen them in the Diamond lake area.  One gentlemen that I talked with got an Elk down at sunset, camped out and heard howls all around his camp at night and found wolf tracks everywhere the next morning.

I only think our wolf problem in Oregon has just begun, we need to take a cue from Idaho and start controlling these predators now before our Elk and Deer populations are depleted!