Imnaha Wolf Shows up in the Cascade Mountains of SW Oregon (updated)

A wolf, formerly of the Imnaha Pack in northeast Oregon, has traveled to the Cascade Mountains in Douglas County. While it is not unusual for wolves to disperse very long distances it is the first time that a wolf has been confirmed in southeast Oregon since 1946 when the last Oregon wolf was killed. I have received intermittent reports from individuals over the years of wolf sightings near Crater Lake but nothing has been confirmed until now. It remains to be seen whether there are any other wolves in the vicinity or even whether this wolf will stay in the area. Dispersal is a dangerous activity for young wolves, especially when they disperse into areas far outside of where they are expected. Recall that most of the wolves that have dispersed to Colorado, South Dakota, and Utah have wound up dead either at the hands of someone who claims to have mistaken them for a coyote, control actions, being poisoned, or hit by a vehicle.

The travels of this wolf have been widely publicized because it is wearing a GPS collar that transmits its location via satellite. Since it has dispersed from the Imnaha Pack its general location has been publicized on many occasions.


Douglas County, Oregon. View Larger Map

Migrating wolf enters southwest Oregon
By Mark Freeman – Mail Tribune

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~More~

“Conservationists Celebrate First Wolf in Western Oregon. After 500 mile journey, a young male known as OR7 returns to historic habitat in the Southern Cascades”. Oregon Wild.

“The last bounty paid for the killing of a wild wolf in Oregon was in 1947, for a wolf shot and killed in the Rogue-Umpqua Divide.  Ironically, OR7’s latest known
location is very near the Divide.”


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Comments

  1. Ralph Maughan Avatar
    Ralph Maughan

    What an amazing journey, but this isn’t a record, not by far.

  2. Barb Rupers Avatar
    Barb Rupers

    Finally, wolves are west of the Cascades. Great news!

    After reading the article and comments from the BnB hearing in Wallowa County, I hope these wolves have a greater chance here for more acceptance.

  3. Mike Avatar
    Mike

    Great news! Such a beautiful area, too. I stayed in Crater Lake NP last year, as well as a couple nearby national forests. Wonderful place.

  4. Elizabeth Avatar
    Elizabeth

    Have any wolves made it to northern Cal.? I don’t recall hearing of this, yet.

    1. Mike Avatar
      Mike

      If they did, they’d hit the jackpot. Northern California is the most impressive ecosystem I’ve seen outside of the Northern Rockies. A ton of national forest land and a nice chunk of wilderness, too.

      1. Barb Rupers Avatar
        Barb Rupers

        I have read that northern California is a meeting place for southern and northern ecosystems yielding the greatest diversity of conifers in the US.

        1. Mike Avatar
          Mike

          I think that extends to the world, Barb. Nothern California is amazing.

  5. Ken Cole Avatar

    I have never heard any reports official or otherwise about wolves in California.

  6. Matt Avatar
    Matt

    This is good news and there are less cattle ranches for it to get into trouble in the Cascades than in eastern Oregon.
    Hopefully more will follow and a few packs will form in the Cascades .Surely old wolf B45 would be proud of this OR7.

  7. Steve Avatar
    Steve

    This is an amazing story. I am sure he is running away from ODFW who is out to eliminate his family because of pressure from ranchers. They already killed his sister in March by injuring her while collaring her. I know there have been multiple wolf sightings in 2010 in the area where he is heading, so I am wondering if he is trying to establish a new pack. I wish him all the best and hope that he finds what he is looking for. A safe place to call home.

  8. killem all Avatar

    we removed them once and it will happen agin they are seen by most to be a problem…better hope no hunter sees him,,,he will be one unlucky guy……..fish and wildlife needs to start managing wild life and not hunters…..and the wolves might make it

    1. Ken Cole Avatar

      I decided to let that comment through. Sorry.

      1. Nancy Avatar
        Nancy

        Glad you did Ken. I’ve run into a few over the years with Killem all’s selfish, backwoods mentality when it comes to the ecosystem.

        I’d almost be willing to bet his favorite (and only) source of reading material, is the weekly guide for his dish TV, so he can plan out his week of hunting and sports programs.

        Oops Sorry!…….. But not really 🙂 Just had to weigh in when I saw the “we removed them once” comment.

    2. JB Avatar
      JB

      If he shoots as well as he uses punctuation, the wolves have little to fear.

      1. Paul Avatar
        1. Paul Avatar
          Paul

          Has anyone else noticed that the wolf haters are getting more and more vocal about their wanting to poach wolves? I posted a link to an article in the “News” area that is full of these type of comments. One even bragged how IDFG “looks the other way” when a wolf is poached. What more do they want? They can “legally” kill as many as they want in Idaho, and soon in Wyoming. And they wonder why wolf advocates fear that they will be wiped out again.

          1. Immer Treue Avatar
            Immer Treue

            Probably have more to fear from those who say nothing. All the load mouths do is broadcast that it is/will occur.

          2. Ken Cole Avatar

            As I, and others, have said before, the problem with the shoot, shovel and shut up crowd is that they always forget the “shut up” part.

    3. Daniel Berg Avatar
      Daniel Berg

      Why don’t you call the Whites up in the Twisp River Valley and ask them how well that mentality is working out so far?

Author

Ken Cole is a 5th generation Idahoan, an avid fly fisherman, wildlife enthusiast, and photographer. He is the interim Idaho Director for Western Watersheds Project.

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