Guess the Snake River wasn't much of a barrier....ya'll are welcome.



OREGON

Wolves hit record number, expand to central Cascades

Published: Tuesday, April 9, 2019


A record number of wolves are roaming the forests and fields of Oregon, 20 years after the species returned to the state.

The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife reported yesterday that the number of known wolves in Oregon at the end of 2018 was 137, a 10% increase over the previous year. There are likely even more wolves because not all individuals or packs are located during the winter count.

"The ongoing recovery of Oregon's wolf population is something to celebrate, and perhaps 2019 will be the year that wolves return home to the Oregon Coast Range and Siskiyou Mountains," said Nick Cady, legal director of Cascadia Wildlands, a conservation organization.

Still, the group warned against lifting wolf protections — as the Trump administration is proposing — saying it would be premature and a setback for the species that was almost exterminated in the contiguous United States.

Sixteen wolf packs — defined as four or more wolves traveling together in winter — were documented during the Oregon count, up from 12 packs in 2017. For the second straight year, resident wolves were documented in a new area of the state: the central portion of the Cascade Range.

Confirmed wolf attacks on domesticated animals increased 65% from the previous year, with 28 confirmed incidents, most of them on calves. But the attacks have not kept pace with the increase in wolf population over the past nine years.

Wildlife agency spokeswoman Michelle Dennehy attributed it to use of nonlethal measures by the department and ranchers, such as removing carcass and bone piles, electrified flagging, deterrent lighting and other scare devices.

Despite the territorial expansion, the objective of maintaining four breeding pairs in central and western Oregon for three years had not been reached. In the east, the objective of seven breeding pairs was exceeded.

Oregon delisted wolves from its Endangered Species Act in 2016, though they're protected statewide as a special status game mammal. Wolves in central and western Oregon continue to be federally listed as an endangered species. — Andrew Selsky, Associated Press

Well --gee -- thank-you -- you could have at least dropped off a couple of breeding pairs in the forest park in portland. My aunt raises sheep on the southern or coast, they have had 2 attacks on the neihboring ranches (one with 22 dead on with 27 dead ) the owners can't get them to declare it "wolf". they have been dealing with bears,coyotes and cougars for many years so they know what those attacks usually look like and are not quick to place blame on the animal if they can't figure out which species was the culprit so i believe them.

Just what a rancher or farmer needs now if they could just declare Shortage and 10x the price of produce might be alright

Well there you have it share and share a like maybe a grizzley or 2 also ,,, that and antis tring to take trapping from each state in the west.....
and

You could have kept them all in Idaho. Won't be long and the deer and elk herds will be showing the effects of the packs.

I think you are already seeing the effects in the N.E. corner of the state -- I hunt the area where the infamous "imnaha pack" typically is and have noticed a change in the behavior of the elk there. I am seeing alot more elk down lower on the private ground (big herds) and the ones that are up in the national forest are alot more spread out and smaller bunches ( not that that is a bad thing). The elk are also staying longer down lower on the private causing many more pasture/ crop issues, By the way we have only seen wolves in the area in the last 4-5 years.

I have heard that our native wolf that died out was a smaller wolf than what has come in from Idaho. Rarely ever going over 100 lbs.

I was friends with a woman (Jessie Wright) that killed quite a few wolves up in the Umpqua country during the 30's and 40's for the bounty.

My understanding was that most were significantly under the 100# mark, like half of that or so?