Wolves in the Walla Walla

[judojudd]

I went on a hike yesterday up the South Fork of the Walla Walla river. This is the oregon side of the blues but thought I'd share nonetheless. We took off up a ridge and quickly spotted several herds of elk. When we got clear up to the very top, we saw several more groups of elk. From the groups we saw, it seemed like the bull to cow ratio was somewhere in the 1:6 area with a large number of branched bulls as well as 3 true monsters. It was very cool. 
What was not cool was getting up to the top and seeing two elk kills and wolf tracks everywhere there was snow. I've heard stories about wolves in the blues but this is the first real evidence I've seen. It was unnerving to say the least. This is one of my favorite places to see and interact with elk and it sickens me to think of this herd being depleted by wolves. 

[csaaphill]

are you talking just up above milton freewater? walla walla area?

[boneaddict]

Isn't it amazing how there weren't any around for decades except an occasional rare super sighting, and now they are like fleas.   

[Skyvalhunter]

Just remember these wolves all started from Yellowstone and were never introduced they just populated our state geographically in a timely manner.

[skywalker253]

I was on the Wa side in Dayton last week. Locals are claiming the elk population is depleting rapidly, due to wolves. Game department claiming they are hybrids to the locals. Go figure...

[snowpack]

I'm guessing there weren't any problems with hybrids before all the wolfpacks started moving in?

[Simcoe hunter]

I was on the Wa side in Dayton last week. Locals are claiming the elk population is depleting rapidly, due to wolves. Game department claiming they are hybrids to the locals. Go figure...

If they are hybrids, are they getting rid of them?

[JODakota]

I was on the Wa side in Dayton last week. Locals are claiming the elk population is depleting rapidly, due to wolves. Game department claiming they are hybrids to the locals. Go figure...

This is news to me and I'm up there on the weekly.craziness

[judojudd]

are you talking just up above milton freewater? walla walla area?

Yep. South Fork of the Walla Walla trailhead. The wolf tracks and fresh kills were all up on Blalock in the snow.

[judojudd]

I've been trying to upload some pictures on here but each time it takes me to a blank page. Does anyone know what that is or why it's not working for me? I'm uploading .jpg files. It should work, right?

[Woodchuck]

600X800

[judojudd]

Wolf track.

[judojudd]

Sorry guys. Resized it and it flipped sideways. I should have put something down next to it to show the scale because this track was 5" wide. That's a large dog.

[bearpaw]

Please help get wolf legislation passed. This is an important step in the right dirtection, ACTION NEEDED TODAY.

http://hunting-washington.com/smf/index.php/topic,121109.msg1597573.html#msg1597573

[6x6in6]

Oregon has 2 confirmed packs that are near to this area. The Walla Walla pack and the Wenaha pack.  Either one of them could be the culprit.   
Outside shot that it could be 2 other packs out of Oregon, Imnaha and the Umatilla.  But they could have relocated too.
Or, it's a whole nother group settled in.   

If I were a bettin' man, I'd say Walla Walla pack since the ODFW has information from collared wolves in this pack that put them in the upper WW drainage as recent as Sept '12.

[skywalker253]

I was on the Wa side in Dayton last week. Locals are claiming the elk population is depleting rapidly, due to wolves. Game department claiming they are hybrids to the locals. Go figure...

This is news to me and I'm up there on the weekly.craziness

One of the forum members that lives in the Dayton area, posted a trial cam picture last year of a black and a gray together in the "Wolf Topic". He submitted it to the game department, who told him they came in from the Oregon side. Oregon Fish and Game were moitoring them. Apparently they go in and out of Washington/Oregon on a regular basis.

It is only a matter of time before wolves become a consistent problem in Wa. If I had it my way there would be no wolves, but I understand that they are an important part of our ecosystem. If Wa wants to host wolves, then manage them. IMO- The Wa game department wants wolves here, so it provides them with another method of making money. The only way they will manage them right now, is if they have to. After what happened in NE Wa last year, they may not even do that.

[jackelope]

I can tell you, for sure with personal experience, that SE WA WDFW biologists will not deny the presence of wolves in the Blues. Myself and my family have reported sightings to them and have never been told, ever, that they were hybrids. This is in the Blues, not around Dayton.
I've actually gotten a ton of info from the biologists down there re: wolves. In fact, it wouldn't shock me if they were reading this right now.
 

[jackelope]

p.s. My family are locals down there.  I am not.

[gunnarnewt]

Everybody down here (Dayton), including the WDFW knows we have had wolves for several years now. The sightings are becoming more and more frequent. 

[puyallupaul]

How much of our liscence & tag fees goes to wolf management ?
Reducing hunting opertunities. No win situation for hunters.
They need more budget though.

[judojudd]

2 years ago, while hunting spikes up near Husky Spring in the upper part of the Walla Walla unit, one of our hunting buddies killed a spike. While he was quartering it, he looked up and a black wolf was standing at the top of the ridge 70 yards away just watching him. I know that none of this surprises wildlife biologists. Their heads would have to be deep in the sand to not see all of the evidence. The Walla Walla pack seems alive and strong and killing elk every day. Shame.
I'm thankful for all the organizations that are leading legislation to manage wolves. There is no end in sight to this problem if not for the intervention of outdoorsmen who care about healthy herds and low predation numbers.

[jackelope]

Everybody down here (Dayton), including the WDFW knows we have had wolves for several years now. The sightings are becoming more and more frequent. 

 

[batch]

the wolves are doing well around here i had posted some pics of tracks i saw during my late season hunt on lincton mtn. and have seen a couple wolves on McIntyre last fall.  i hope to see some in the timber during my spring bear hunt .

[Sliverslinger]

2 years ago, while hunting spikes up near Husky Spring in the upper part of the Walla Walla unit, one of our hunting buddies killed a spike. While he was quartering it, he looked up and a black wolf was standing at the top of the ridge 70 yards away just watching him. I know that none of this surprises wildlife biologists. Their heads would have to be deep in the sand to not see all of the evidence. The Walla Walla pack seems alive and strong and killing elk every day. Shame.
I'm thankful for all the organizations that are leading legislation to manage wolves. There is no end in sight to this problem if not for the intervention of outdoorsmen who care about healthy herds and low predation numbers.

 

[huntnphool]

I was on the Wa side in Dayton last week. Locals are claiming the elk population is depleting rapidly, due to wolves. Game department claiming they are hybrids to the locals. Go figure...

This is news to me and I'm up there on the weekly.craziness

One of the forum members that lives in the Dayton area, posted a trial cam picture last year of a black and a gray together in the "Wolf Topic".

This was in Dayton.

[Skyvalhunter]

dog

[huntnphool]

dog

Not where that was.

[Skyvalhunter]

hybrid dog?

[huntnphool]

hybrid dog?

Now that could be.

[jackelope]

I can tell you, for sure with personal experience, that SE WA WDFW biologists will not deny the presence of wolves in the Blues. Myself and my family have reported sightings to them and have never been told, ever, that they were hybrids. This is in the Blues, not around Dayton.
I've actually gotten a ton of info from the biologists down there re: wolves. In fact, it wouldn't shock me if they were reading this right now.
 

I agree, as the biologist I spoke with confimed wolves are present in Dayton and surrounding areas around the Blues. The local I spoke with claimed the game department says they are hybrids. In the end, it does not matter. The reality is, they are there and here to stay. My family owns arguably the most land in the Dayton/Marengo area, who have confimed they are around.

The locals that say they were told hybrid have been reading too many threads on hunt-wa.

 

[hogsniper]

Everyone always bitches about the department and what they could be doing!!! I don't agree with the set number of breeding pairs in Washington but Oregon's wolf plan is a whole different story!  6 Packs doesn't seem to be to unfair to me! ...what would you do differently?

[Woodchuck]

Dayton
Day is correct, year is wrong, actually 2011

[jackelope]

German shepard.

[Woodchuck]

I was thinking Malamute at first but figured "hey I am jumpin on this band wagon" 

[hogsniper]

That's a bobcat.....isn't it?

[cem3434]

I was thinking Malamute at first but figured "hey I am jumpin on this band wagon" 

You should have shot the "hybrid" to see what it actually was.

You guys are thinking all wrong if these are hybrids.  That means they are a cross, so maybe its a German Malamute or would that be a Malamute Retreiver?

[carpsniperg2]

As much as I like to think that black sob is a wolf. I have started to see a few black yotes killed. Hell they had one at the portland show this year and it just dumb founded me. Crazy looking thing and if it had been a little bigger I would have said wolf. So now I know if I see any of these said "black coyotes" they are fair game

[Boss .300 winmag]

He'll that's just a shape shifting bigfoots! 

[csaaphill]

mainly asked because dogs a few nights before seeing this were going nuts all night long kept thinking that it coudl be a wolf outside, but never saw nothing.

[NoImpactNoIdea]

I was on the Wa side in Dayton last week. Locals are claiming the elk population is depleting rapidly, due to wolves. Game department claiming they are hybrids to the locals. Go figure...

If they are hybrids, are they getting rid of them?

Is a hybrid legally protected?  Not that I or most people could probably tell the difference in the field without data service on my cell phone but this is a serious question.

[TheBlues76]

Im a local to the blues and have never heard the wolves were hybrids 

[Caseyd]

He'll that's just a shape shifting bigfoots! 

 

[csaaphill]

pic is a coyote i beleive wish i could see the front.

[GrainfedMuley]

I was on the Wa side in Dayton last week. Locals are claiming the elk population is depleting rapidly, due to wolves. Game department claiming they are hybrids to the locals. Go figure...

That's because the WDFW does not have the nads to admitt they are wolves. Then they would have to admitt they are here.