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.