Wildlife

Not being a person to take anything at face value...I've done a little digging around on wolves on the wet side of Orygun. Lots of interesting tidbits.

The first Oregon legislature was called in part to address the "wolf problem".

The last wolf bounty was paid in 1946 or 1947, depending on who you talk to. Wolves were declared extinct in Oregon at that time.

The area I hang out in can support 100 wolves, as a minimum estimate. Prime habitat.

Exactly one person has been subject to a verified wolf attack in Oregon since 1908.

There have been sighting reported on the upper Trask since 2013, and they became regular about 2015.

ODFW has no clue where and how many wolves are actually in Oregon because of the way they count wolves.

It took ODFW a week to hunt down and kill two wolves. And they were radio tracked too boot.

More later...
 
Not being a person to take anything at face value...I've done a little digging around on wolves on the wet side of Orygun. Lots of interesting tidbits.

The first Oregon legislature was called in part to address the "wolf problem".

The last wolf bounty was paid in 1946 or 1947, depending on who you talk to. Wolves were declared extinct in Oregon at that time.

The area I hang out in can support 100 wolves, as a minimum estimate. Prime habitat.

Exactly one person has been subject to a verified wolf attack in Oregon since 1908.

There have been sighting reported on the upper Trask since 2013, and they became regular about 2015.

ODFW has no clue where and how many wolves are actually in Oregon because of the way they count wolves.

It took ODFW a week to hunt down and kill two wolves. And they were radio tracked too boot.

More later...
The problem is, the wolves are elusive.... They are hard to find to control once they get a foot hold. Wolves have litters of pups. A cow elk has one calf. Do the math. There won't be any elk or deer left once they are well established. There was a reason there was a bounty on them years ago, as well as a bounty on the mountain lion. Your elk and deer grew in population. No more bounty and protecting the mountain lions and wolves .... the the elk and deer population drop. Why is it okay to hunt and control the elk, deer, bear and other animal population and not the mountain lion and now wolves? Just because you don't see them, doesn't mean they're not there. They don't want to be seen. They are both killing machines. When the have young, they kill more often to teach their young how to hunt. If nothing is done, in about 20 years I guess we will just trade in our hunting rifle for binoculars so we can look at the elk and deer in the Zoo, because thats the only place you will be able to see them
 
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The last wolf bounty was paid in 1946 or 1947, depending on who you talk to. Wolves were declared extinct in Oregon at that time.

The only grizzlies in California are on the state flag .....
They once ranged down to central Mexico along the coast ....
It's such a thrill to see wolves doing what wolves do .... not pretty, but then again, death in the wild isn't Bambi curling up under the big tree and 'drifting off' ....

lowranger ..... you seem quite knowledgeable on wolves. Are you directly involved somehow ?
 
The only grizzlies in California are on the state flag .....
They once ranged down to central Mexico along the coast ....
It's such a thrill to see wolves doing what wolves do .... not pretty, but then again, death in the wild isn't Bambi curling up under the big tree and 'drifting off' ....

lowranger ..... you seem quite knowledgeable on wolves. Are you directly involved somehow ?
I've hunted all my life, I lease and run a large ranch in Northern California for the last 34 years. We have our share of predetors (not wolves). I've done a lot of research and have also taken our horses out of state a lot to hunt.
 
Any way, to continue.

There are a reported 120 wolves in Oregon, give or take. That's a figure to be taken with a large grain of salt.

There's a cascade effect in the food chain when wolves are first reintroduced. That stabilizes after a period of time. Ungulat populations stabilize, and sometimes rebound to higher levels than prior to the wolf reintroduction. Herd health increases.

A wolf pack kills on average once a week.

Looked at purely by the numbers, livestock kills are trivial compared to other loses.

Elk and wolves prefer the same terrain and road traffic conditions.

Wolves hate coyotes, because of territorial issues.
 
We don’t have wolves in Central Tx. We don’t have bears either. But it’s interesting to read the travels of a German named Roemer in our area around 1847. He describes each Indian as having 60lbs of bear oil and that all the Germans cooked in bear oil, and yet not one today!

We do have mountain lions (they’re in all habitats of the US and Canada). I’ve caught one on my game cam 5 yards from the house! I’ll post the pic if I can dig it up. My neighbor has high fenced property and had 27 white tail deer killed by this mountain lion. As you know, they are wanderers over a range of about 200 sq miles, but this one stayed put and preyed on those helpless deer (nowhere to run). The owner had a big game hunter hunt him one full moon night. They baited him with a fresh kill. Never saw him. They are very elusive he finally just opened the gates and let the deer come and go as they pleased. After a couple of years he shut the gates and is managing again..
 
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From an earlier post ....... Sikanni Chief River, BC
Oct. 12th, 2017 ...... there were seven black wolves strung out in the pack. They were in hunting mode. Generally, the wolves are a beautiful dark/light grey color combination ..... seldom see a black wolf. Have seen two that were a 'champagne' color, not together.
Watched the wolf make the track in the picture ..... .300 Winchester cartridges.
Have observed numerous wolves, numerous times. No doubt I've been observed numerous times by wolves also.
The wolf is the iconic animal of Canada ..... why our founding fathers chose the beaver - it was the backbone of the fur trade.
 
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Well, it seems that I've been coexisting with wolves around here for at least the last seven to ten+ years or so. Hasn't been an issue yet. It does explain a lot though. There's apparently two small packs now. One on the Trask and one on the Kilches. And possibly one up on the Nehalem aroung Mist and Jewel. Still lots of Deer, Elk, Bear, Cougar and other critters around. Even the Beaver are coming back some.

I'm going to shrug my shoulders and keep on trucking along. Feel bad for the sheep farmers though, wolves seem to like sheep for the entertainment value.
 
The issue is, the reintroduced wolves are not the same species that was essentially wiped out. The introduction of the much larger Canadian wolf has wreaked havoc on deer and elk populations across western states. They kill more than once a week and also are documented to have killed and moved on without consuming the kill. Take a look at what they have done in Idaho alone to see the results.
There used to be grizz in Ca but no more. Kinda sucks but it is what it is. Why not reintroduce them along their original territory? You know why? Because the population make up, whether you see it as good or bad, has changed and can no longer support grizz roaming around the hills of the bay area and Tahoe.
I am not defending the virtual extinction of a species but you cannot just reintroduce a bunch of animals, some of which are non native, and expect them to coexist like they did 100+ years ago.
@StG58, the deer and elk populations may be good now but check back in 10 years from now and see where they are. Deer and elk that have never lived alongside and have dealt with a pack of wolves will not be able to withstand that type of pressure.
 
The issue is, the reintroduced wolves are not the same species that was essentially wiped out. The introduction of the much larger Canadian wolf has wreaked havoc on deer and elk populations across western states. They kill more than once a week and also are documented to have killed and moved on without consuming the kill. Take a look at what they have done in Idaho alone to see the results.
There used to be grizz in Ca but no more. Kinda sucks but it is what it is. Why not reintroduce them along their original territory? You know why? Because the population make up, whether you see it as good or bad, has changed and can no longer support grizz roaming around the hills of the bay area and Tahoe.
I am not defending the virtual extinction of a species but you cannot just reintroduce a bunch of animals, some of which are non native, and expect them to coexist like they did 100+ years ago.
@StG58, the deer and elk populations may be good now but check back in 10 years from now and see where they are. Deer and elk that have never lived alongside and have dealt with a pack of wolves will not be able to withstand that type of pressure.
Interestingly enough, our Elk aren't native either. They came from California.

I get what you're saying though. I've seen lots of changes in wildlife makeup and population levels in my little corner of the world, most in the last 15 years or so.

With the local ecology being so out of whack for the last 100 years, and all the attempts, misguided and not, to "improve" things it's a crap shoot on getting nature back to being natural. I mean seriously, I've seen Bobcats and Badgers. I didn't see my first Bobcat in the wild until I was in my 50's, and I've spent my whole life in these woods. Don't know where they came from, but they are here, bigger than life.

We'll have to see what the wolves do. They came from Canada (transplants) via Idaho on their own. Right now, we have a plethora of Elk and Deer. Lots of food and a very mild environment for them to live in. They have a very successful reproductive rate going. The cougars aren't even making a noticeable dent in the population growth.

I still don't know what to think about all this, because NW Oregon isn't Idaho nor is it Canada. Or California. A harsh winter is 18" to two feet of snow above 1,800 feet that lasts for a month or so before melting off. The Bears don't even hibernate, they just get lazier than usual and make a road trip down to lower elevations to hang out.

I bet hunting is going to get a lot harder though. The numbers may not go down much, but I bet the Deer and Elk get cagier and more aware. Harder to hunt. Farmer's are going to lose more sheep and ranchers are going to lose more calves.

I also bet some city folks are going to lose some dogs while they're out seeing their National Forests.

In any event there's not a thing I can do about it other than watch. The buggers are here, with a high degree of certainty.
 
I'm not a hunter, but I do get out to enjoy the wilderness, and wolves scare me more than any other predator sans man.
They shouldn't. From my research recently wolves avoid humans. They may get territorial and try to chase you off, but you are relatively safe from a wolf attack. They may get within 30 to 50 feet of you though, to scare you off.

Your typical reaction time with a firearm is 21 feet. My suggestion is heavy 45 Colt or 45-70 in a lever gun. Watch the movie "The Grey" to really get a wolf thrill.
 
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