Home Forums Hunting & Shooting General Big Game Oregon's got the wolves, for real

A friend that has lived in Wallowa for decades and hunts back in the Wilderness area in the mtns has said for probably at least ten years now that wolves had made their way from Idaho and that he thought he wasn't seeing as many elk because of them.

'Round here alot of elk have left the forest and are in the river breaks with the chukar and snakes or in the edges of the farm fields and draws.
My guess would be better visibility of attacking predators...

Fireball lives in Oregon. How many states do you reckon are East of Oregon?

You might try Idaho. Montana isn't very far away either. Both have lots of wolves that could head towards Oregon.

Some one needs a compass......

In 2011 I hunted the Eagle Cap Wilderness in N.E. OR. ,drop camp. Spent 6 days and lots of glassing and did not see one deer. I surely heard the wolf's at night. I ran into a couple of local hunters and they confirmed they have never seen it that bad and will not be returning to hunt the area in the future.

Granted, Idaho's wolfs in the Frank Church Wilderness are thriving and expanding. Hunted there too. It's a matter of time before they overtake many territories and states, managed or not. They are an apex predator. Today's political correct policies will only help them.

They mysteriously have established a pack in the Siskiyou Mountains of N. CA. They have been keeping the info. very suttle.

I hunted N.E. Ca. for deer 3 years ago X5B. North of Susanville. I saw a ranch with exceptionally large kennels about a 100 yards from the road. I later ran into a local and I inquired. He said a lady lives there and raises wolfs. A couple of years earlier while she was entering the kennel to feed, the gate was mysteriously propped open and a few escaped to start a new life. Intentional or unintentional, you be the judge.

There are groups for the wolf that are so committed in their introduction everywhere. Laws or no laws, I would not put it passed them, to introduce them anywhere at their whim.

Wolves deny us hunting opportunities wherever they roam. Thanks leftist scum!

I’m going to go out on a limb and say more than one.

We had someone raising wolves locally as well. Surprise, they're not anymore. They were known to escape as well. Tell ya what, one of us try to raise an invasive species, say pigs, and let some loose ODFW would be on our ass like white on rice, but because it's wolves it's big business for them, let em go.

Come to think of it pigs would be a great food source for wolves. Hmmmm.

Most domesticated wolf dogs, or wolf hybrids don't last long. They can't hunt, so they starve to death, or they get shot because they aren't afraid of people and just stand there. And if there is a pack of real wolves around, they will kill them in short order.

I love all the conspiracy theories I hear about wolves...

atse knows a bit about wolves guys, he's been hunting them for the feds for 20 years here in Montana. Same goes for Ulvejaeger. I know both of these men well, and when they talk about wolves you should listen...

If he’s a Second Lieutenant, don’t give him a map either! LOL!

Thank you

The elk population in my backyard has gone from 114K to 37K in the last 10yrs. Deer is down, but not as much. Antelope is down about 40%.
Before this happens to your area, gut shooting wolves, so they die somewhere else, is your best option.

Today's Headlines

IDFG says it culled wolves in Lolo Zone

Agency announces aerial gunning by federal agency killed 10 wolves


Lewiston - Idaho recently resumed its efforts to cull wolf numbers in the remote Lolo Zone near the Idaho-Montana state line following a one-year hiatus.

The Idaho Department of Fish and Game announced Tuesday that 10 wolves were killed during an aerial gunning operation that started late last month. Tanya Espinosa, a spokeswoman from the federal Wildlife Services agency at Riverdale, Md., confirmed that her agency carried out the wolf-control operation at the behest of Fish and Game officials.

According to an Idaho Fish and Game news release, the wolves were killed in an effort to reduce predation on elk herds in the area. Although the loss of forage caused by aging brush fields and the conversion of young forest to middle age has been blamed for the long-term drop in elk numbers in the Lolo, predation on elk cows and calves is now the primary factor limiting recovery of the herds, according to the news release.

Idaho did not kill any wolves in the Lolo Zone in 2017, but did carry out wolf control there in six of the past seven years, including the removal of 21 wolves in 2016, 19 in 2015 and 23 in 2014. The agency's news release said such operations are consistent with the state's Elk Management Plan, the Lolo Predation Management Plan, as well as the 2002 Wolf Conservation and Management Plan. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service approved the 2002 plan as a precursor to removing wolves in Idaho and elsewhere from the endangered species list.

Jim Hayden, Idaho's wolf manager, said the operation was not announced before it took place because of a combination of security concerns and the difficulty in scheduling such events with helicopter availability and clear weather.

"You need recent snow for tracking and good safe flying weather and a helicopter," Hayden said. "A lot of times we have the right conditions and everyone is here and we can't access a helicopter."

Environmental groups that are critical of the state's wolf-control operations, as well as the state's refusal to make the public aware before they are carried out, panned the announcement of the latest round of killings.

"I think it's a very unpopular program and that is why they are not telling people," said Gary Macfarlane, ecosystem defense director at the Moscow-based Friends of the Clearwater. "The government operating in secrecy is not the way we do things in America, but apparently they think we are in East Germany or something."

Andrea Santarsiere, a senior attorney for the Center For Biological Diversity at Driggs, Idaho, said: "It's tragic that our tax dollars paid for Wildlife Services to kill 10 more wolves under the guise of protecting elk struggling from habitat loss and degradation."

The Fish and Game news release noted the operation was funded through money raised by the sale of hunting and fishing licenses and transferred to Idaho's Wolf Depredation Control Board.

Many elk hunters back the efforts to control wolves, especially in remote areas like the Lolo Zone, where rough terrain and snowy conditions make it difficult for hunters and trappers to gain access in the winter.

"I think it just continues to maybe set the precedent that Idaho is going to manage (wolves) and it's going to include using all the tools," said Steve Alder, executive director of Idaho For Wildlife at Lewiston. "As we have learned from Alaska and Canada, hunting and trapping wolves sometimes isn't adequate - yeah, in the front-range country (hunters and trappers) can handle it, but in the backcountry, it's tough.

Alder also said the department's willingness to thin wolf numbers helps its reputation with many hunters.

"When we see this, we know the department is looking out for sportsmen and trying to help and using its tools," he said. "It really helps me to not be as frustrated towards the Fish and Game. We do appreciate the department for doing this."

According to the news release, hunters and trappers have been able to kill 22 wolves in the Lolo Zone this fall and winter.

Elk numbers in the Lolo Zone have plummeted over the past 25 years. In 1989, there were about 16,000 elk there. Last year, biologists counted about 2,000. The slide began in the 1990s and was blamed on habitat degradation, harsh winters and predation - first from bears and mountain lions, and then from wolves.

Over that time period, the department has reduced the number of elk tags sold for the Lolo Zone; liberalized seasons and bag limits for wolves, bears and lions; and worked with the U.S. Forest Service on habitat improvement projects.

Sounds like wolves are good at their jobs. Thanks for the posts wageslave.

Idaho has a very liberal wolf hunting season and tags are cheap but normally you don't just run out and shoot your 5 wolves. They're very hard to come by. While we have a large population, we also have a huge amount of very rugged country for them to run in. Hunters can't possibly keep up with the reproduction rate. Trappers take a fair number but the population is still growing.

You guys got a wolf problem hey, say goodbye to your ungulates.
I and many others here in BC never had a chance to say goodbye as these wolves cleaned out the Moose, Mule deer, and Whitetails in many parts of BC, it only took a few years.
Having never had a Wolf issue before most were caught offguard as to how much and many a Wolf will kill, I find out a Wolf will kill 10-15 Elk a year, so a pack will take out alot.
Much of the problem lies with the Wolf loving community that are up in arms over killing any of these predators, does your government bow down to these azzhats or will they do a cull regardless of public opinion?

Govt is infiltrated by activists that seek policy making positions.


I went to Idaho and bought an out of state tag, and you are right, they are hard to find! I only chased them a day or two tho, around Salmon. Mostly sightseeing and bird hunting.

Let me know when you get to Oregon. Maybe we can get together.
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Will do.