Wolf kill order could spell end of Oregon pack

[jager]

Wolf kill order could spell end of Oregon pack

September 27, 2011

Jeff Barnard Associated Press:

The decision to kill two more wolves for preying on livestock could mean the end of the first Oregon wolf pack to successfully breed since efforts began to restore the predators.

State wolf coordinator Russ Morgan said Monday that despite this setback, restoration of wolves is moving forward, with individuals striking out for new territories and the newly formed Walla Walla pack in Umatilla County breeding its first two pups.

“Recovery has a number of barometers,” Morgan said from his office in LaGrande, Ore. “If we look at dispersal in the overall area in Oregon, it’s clearly expanding.

“The lethal control actions we are involved with now may have the effect of slowing recovery. But it is also tied to recovery. One of the premises of the Oregon wolf plan is that by directly dealing with depredation issues, that helps create a bit of tolerance. I suppose that remains to be seen.”

The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife announced last week that it will kill two of the four remaining members of the Imnaha pack, which has been responsible for 14 confirmed livestock kills over the past two years.

A department hunter is looking first for a member of the pack not collared with a radio transmitter, Morgan said. Then he will go after the alpha male, which sired the first pups in Oregon since wolves began moving back into the state from Idaho in the 1990s.

Two other members of the pack, the only one of three packs in Oregon that has been tied to livestock attacks, were shot earlier this year. A third kill order was not carried out, and two members of the pack have left Oregon, one going to Idaho and the other to Washington.

Enterprise rancher Todd Nash owned the calf whose death earlier this month led to the kill order. It was part of a herd of 150 grazing on private land east of Joseph in an area known as The Divide. He was not using nonlethal controls such as flagging and electric fencing but did have a range rider checking the cattle.

Nash was visiting in California when he got the call from the department that they had GPS tracking information on the Imnaha pack that led them to believe they might have gone after his cattle. A friend found the remains of the 550-pound calf.

Nash said losses to wolves are not threatening to put him out of business, but they are having an impact. And the compensation program approved by the Legislature this year does not fully cover the problem.

“We spend so much money trapping, collaring, and helicopter guarding, and one thing and another, then they end up killing the darn things. Because we can’t coexist with them. That’s the plain and simple fact,” he said. “This pack should have been removed a long time ago.”

Steve Pedery of Oregon Wild said the state needs to do more to prevent livestock attacks without resorting to killing wolves.

“This is really a kill order on the pack,” Pedery said. “It is very unlikely the mother and her pup will survive the winter unless they feed on gut piles (left by deer and elk hunters), which puts them at risk of poachers, or feed on livestock. They really have little hope of bringing down a deer or elk by themselves.”

[ICEMAN]

No tears from me over this.   Glad the rancher was able to have verified his losses.

[seth30]

"which has been responsible for 14 confirmed livestock kills over the past two years."
 I wonder how many kills were not confirmed

[danderson]

Can anyone try and explain to me how washington wolf packs arnt killing domestic livestock also , they just havent been confirmed kills! Thats the flaw in this whole wolf introduction process, and the second flaw is why cant wolf packs from other states entering washington be counted as residents, think about it.

[pianoman9701]

It appears that the WDFW could learn and take some lessons from OFW. When they see the conflict, they do something to counter it. I wonder how much of that is going on here?

[BOWHUNTER45]

This goes to show our stupid these people are.. So what they exspect once the packs start growing over the next ten years !!! I seriously can not believe the government can not step in and put an end to this BS !!!   

[high country]

Can anyone try and explain to me how washington wolf packs arnt killing domestic livestock also , they just havent been confirmed kills! Thats the flaw in this whole wolf introduction process, and the second flaw is why cant wolf packs from other states entering washington be counted as residents, think about it.

The voting majority in this state thinks a dinner steak is a tofu party from safeway. They do not understand ranching, farming or hunting.

[bearpaw]

Kill them all, by now they have all learned from each other to eat beef. Any remaining wolves from that pack will likely seek out livestock.

[Skillet]

The voting majority in this state thinks a dinner steak is a tofu party from safeway.

Thanks, HC.  Going to be dropping this line in my next "You KILL cute furry Bambi's?!?!?" conversation.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again - I think there are some appropriate places for very small and intensively managed wolf populations in the lower 48.  A rancher's feedlot, however, is not one of them.  I'm glad Oregon is taking these measures to minimize the impact on the ranchers.  I believe this is the type of intensive management that is required of an apex predator.  I'd tend to agree with Dale that they've found some tasty "slow elk" and will be back unless the pack is wiped out completely.