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

Doesn't seem that long ago that OR7 made the news when he traveled through here on his way to California. He came back through and miraculously "found a mate" near the liberal utopia of Ashland, Oregon, where there hasn't been wolves in decades. Wonder how that 2nd wolf got where he could find it?

Kept crossing the tracks today as we were scouting for bear country. Spread over a large area, they seem to have taken root and are actively hunting our blacktail deer! There goes our record book deer! Pisses me off no end to think about them, in addition to bear and cougar we already have, killing our tremendous bucks.

There was a rumor going around recently that someone had caught 22 wolves on a trail camera not far from Crater Lake. They're not wasting any time. Better enjoy what hunting we have left while we can.

I'm a little pissed, they are multiplying here in my area as well, and we are very close to the Washington border. So.....they are not only in southern, eastern oregon, they are in Northern Oregon as well... Are fish and game, or other state agencies transplanting these sob's here right under our noses??? I'm going yote hunting next weekend....

Game warden told me, when I mentioned seeing one near the Nevada / Idaho border, "we don't have wolves in this state, it was a big coyote. if you see it again, shoot it."

Ya know, I would almost bet my house that the mate(s) to OR7 were planted. I've lived and hunted in Oregon (all over) for 52 years and never seen a wolf track until now. We crossed the tracks at least 10 times today and it looked like from 2 to 5 wolves in the groups. They are going to clean out our game in no time with their efficiency and numbers, at least all the game except what lives in town.

This isn't sound big game management, it's a feel good program initiated and pushed down our throats by people that aren't looking at, or don't care about, the big picture. These wolves are covering a lot of ground and animals that big need to eat a lot of protein.

Sorry you saw a wolf track.
They have been in the wallowas for years.
Get used to it, they ain't going away.
Btw,
That pic is sorta like a Bigfoot film.
You need a better phone or camera.

If you knew how much a wolf, wolves traveled you would realize that your wolves likely are not being planted, but are dispersing from other areas to new habitat with no wolves in it. Lots of wolves in the states east of you. We once had a set of wolves we were after move 13 air miles in one night.

Anyone know if UDAP bear spray would work on them? I've got a daughter who just moved to Oregon and enjoys hiking, especially near Crater Lake.

I hunted the Wallowas for many years, and never crossed a track. I've been told they are there. There must not be very damn many considering the hundreds of hours I've glassed and thousands of miles I've traveled there.

What's alarming about these wolves is they just recently "arrived" and already are multiplying like nobodies business. That's the point though isn't it? They've been in the Wallowas for years and you never see sign of one, they show up here and there's already reports of packs numbering 2 dozen! It seems like they are breeding to fill a vacuum leaving me thinking the large numbers of wolves will make very quick work of our blacktail deer and even our bears.
In the last three or four years there have been small numbers of elk showing up in the Applegate Unit, where traditionally ODFW has said there were none. I guess we can expect those to go away now too. I saw no sign of elk yesterday, maybe they're already gone.

The report I heard about the trail camera capturing images of that large group of wolves was near the Rabbit Ears, a natural rock formation that sticks up out of the forest 20-30 miles from Crater Lake as the crow flies. We can always hope I heard wrong on the numbers of wolves, but I got that it was 22. I used to elk hunt near there and it is ideal wolf habitat. Your daughter could easily carry a firearm that would be more reassuring under the circumstances. If true, that is a large group of wolves and I would think the dynamic might change the larger the group involved. I would worry that a large group might not be easily intimidated.

There are local companies offering firearms training in Medford or Grants Pass. If I can help your daughter get connected let me know but you should be able to Google it.

Anybody would be a fool to think the gov't wouldn't relocate wolves behind the our backs .

The game feds don't give a ratsbutt about us hunters/trappers/fishermen .

Talk to any cowman in Enterprise or Joseph.

The gummint didn't have a bounty on wolves for years just for grins

From a 2016 article.
It won't let me copy the pic with the article.

In this 2014 photo, a wolf from the Snake River Pack passed a remote camera in eastern Wallowa County. Wildlife biologists are gathering data on Oregon’s wolf population even as increased numbers complicate long-term management of the animals. (Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife photo)





ENTERPRISE — As the end of the year approaches, wildlife biologists are gathering data on Oregon’s wolf population even as increased numbers complicate long-term management of the animals.

In Flora, Shamrock Pack sightings have become a regular occurrence. Mike Hansen, assistant wildlife biologist at the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife Enterprise office, said this week he investigated a report of wolves in and around a ranch house in northern Wallowa County.

Hansen said confirmed wolf tracks were seen coming through a horse pasture, within 50 feet of the house and within a foot of a chain-link dog kennel.

“The homeowner said this was not the first time,” Hansen said. “They had seen wolves in their yard on at least three occasions.”

Last week, a homeowner reacting to her dog barking inside the house saw wolves approximately 40 feet from the front door.

The wolves have been seen on Lost Prairie outside of Flora multiple times. So far, they have not shown aggression in these residential sightings. However, the Shamrock Pack has been implicated in livestock kills, most recently a calf found badly injured last month on the Zumwalt Prairie. The calf had to be euthanized, according to Rod Childers, a member of the Oregon Cattlemen’s Association wolf committee.

As wolf numbers and packs increase, the territories change. Biologists are trying to sort out wolf packs that are now inhabiting the Imnaha River country where the state’s best-known pack, the Imnaha Pack, was established around 2008.

Last spring, the aging alpha male and crippled alpha female of the Imnaha Pack, along with two of their offspring, were killed by wildlife managers after repeated loss to livestock over the course of a few months in a relatively small area northeast of Enterprise. Hansen said as other packs expand their territory, OR-4 and the three wolves running with him last year may have been pushed into the prairie.

“As alphas get older and weak, they are not as successful at reproducing, the pack diminishes and the pack next door pushes them out of their territory,” Hansen said.

While four members of the Imnaha Pack were eliminated, Hansen said four other wolves thought to be part of the pack remained on the divide between the Imnaha and Snake rivers.

Pack territories often can change, even within a year.

“We’ve seen it with the Imnaha pack and others,” Hansen said.

OR-35, a female wolf originally from Umatilla County, was in the Sled Springs Wildlife Unit last month when her collar information indicated she went to the Wenaha Wilderness in Washington.

“Territories are very fluid, and trying to keep track without radios is pretty difficult,” Hansen said. “Even then, you don’t know the reason they moved.”

In October, responding to repeated wolf reports in the Imnaha Wildlife Unit of 11, 12 and 13 wolves, Pat Matthews, Enterprise’s head biologist, trapped and collared a wolf.

“We thought, ‘Great, now we will learn what’s going on,’ and this one turns out to be a disperser,” Hansen said.

The wolf’s radio collar information indicates not long after he was collared, the wolf crossed the Snake River and is now in Idaho’s Frank Church Wilderness, leaving the wolves in the Imnaha River corridor still uncollared and the identity of 14 wolves filmed loping along the east side of the upper Imnaha Canyon unknown.

When asked what pack those wolves might be — Snake River, South Snake River or an expansion of the remaining Imnaha pack — Hansen said right now, it’s anybody’s guess.

The Snake River Pack’s territory appears to still be mostly on the lower Imnaha River in the Snake River Wildlife Unit, while the South Snake River Pack are not where they were last year on the Baker County line. Two other wolves, a male and female pair, have occupied that country in recent months. Roblyn Brown, acting state wolf biologist, said so far this year pups have not been seen with that pair.

Some of Wallowa County’s other well-known wolves, the Wenaha Pack, are off the radar with no collared members reporting data for the last year and a half. The Sled Springs Pack was essentially decimated last summer when the alpha male and female were found dead in north-central Wallowa County.

As biologists continue to get numbers for the 2016 wolf management annual report, Hansen said remote cameras have been installed to get counts of pups. He said they will also fly to locate animals and later in the winter they may try to capture and collar wolves from a helicopter.

http://www.lagrandeobserver.com/news/4876850-151/biologists-begin-wolf-counts

They are spreading over Wallowa County seemingly a little more each year. About three years ago they were around Seldom Seen Ranch. Two years ago I saw tracks and heard howls when camped near Nooregard ranch.

They are a real scourge for the ranchers. They get to absorb most of the costs, get little help when there is a problem and the wolf lovers don't stick to their deals.

Imagine your kids 4 H animal gutted by the house and having to have it happen three times in 6 months before they do anything.

Yeah, that talks alot about one here and there, or a few at a time. About like what you'd expect after a few years. We already have a report of 22 together and they just got here.

Wolves sounds like big business for the govt biologists don't they? Wonder why they want them so bad.

There were packs in the Wallowas and river breaks years back.
As I said, ask any rancher there.
Just as they did in Idaho for years, the F&G would come to a kill site, "take evidence" but never be able to "confirm" it was wolves.....so it "must have been coyotes".
So the rancher can't shoot it, like he can a coyote, and he gets no compensation to boot.
Not saying it's F&G's fault either. They have both hands tied behind their back.

I mentioned this thread to her last night and she said she already knew about the wolves. Unfortunately, she is only 19 and unable to carry a CW, so UDAP will be the next best thing, but I do agree, a very large group and possibly a not so large group may not be easily intimidated. Like I told her, unless you're armed, a wolf is one step higher on the food chain than you are.

ETA: One thing I don't like is, Oregon doesn't recognize a WV CHP, so when I come out there in a few months, I can't carry; liberal bastrds! On the upside, my daughter increased the conservative population of Oregon by one.

Check into open carry laws in Oregon.

Will do; don't know how that slipped by me.

Will do; don't know how that slipped by me.[/quote]

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