Obviously Wolf Project Managers Brown and Martorello have their Heads somewhere that the light doesnt shine to readily….
When will these State Fish and Game Departments wake up to the proof their actions are causing the response?… Groups need to be placed on these State Advisory Boards that do not simply Roll Over…. These States Wa, and Or have Proven Dr. Robert Wielguses Research is in fact accurate beyond a shadow of a doubt.
Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife approved a kill order for two adult wolves from Wallowa County’s Harl Butte pack, which has been responsible for seven confirmed attacks on cattle in the past 13 months.
Ranchers in the area had asked ODFW to kill the entire pack, which numbered 10 at the end of 2016 and at least seven when counted in March. The department decided instead to kill two adults and then evaluate the situation.
“In this chronic situation, lethal control measures are warranted,” acting ODFW wolf coordinator Roblyn Brown said in a prepared statement. “We will use incremental removal to give the remaining wolves the opportunity to change their behavior or move out of the area.”
The wolves will be trapped or shot from the ground or air in the next two weeks, according to an ODFW news release.
The environmental group Oregon Wild opposed the kill request and appealed to Gov. Kate Brown to make sure the decision was made in a transparent manner.
In deciding to kill two wolves, the department determined livestock producers had taken proper non-lethal measures to deter attacks and hadn’t done anything to attract wolves to the livestock, such as leaving bone piles or carcasses.
Ranchers, their employees, a county range rider and a volunteer provided “daily human presence” in the area, ODFW said. One rancher in the area said the pack frequented an area that put them in the middle of several herds grazing by permit on public land.
On seven occasions in June and July, ranchers or the range rider hazed wolves that were chasing or were close to livestock. They chased wolves away by yelling, firing a pistol, shooting at them and riding a horse toward them, according to ODFW.
Ranch hands also spent the night with herds and kept stock dogs in horse trailers at night, as wolves are territorial and might be drawn to attack dogs. Some producers changed grazing practices, such as bunching cow-calf pairs in a herd so they could protect themselves. They also delayed pasture rotations to avoid moving into areas where wolves had recently been, according to ODFW.
Producers removed potential wolf “attractants” such as injured or sick cattle, taking them back to home ranches for treatment. A dead bull’s carcass was removed from an area near a pond where cattle were concentrated, according to ODFW.
The department first received a lethal control request from producers in October 2016 after a fourth confirmed depredation. ODFW turned it down at the time because cattle were being moved out of the grazing allotments. This time, cattle are expected to be grazing on public land until October and on private land until November. Brown, the ODFW acting coordinator, said there is a “substantial risk” livestock attacks would continue or escalate.
Source: ODFW approves killing two Harl Butte pack wolves – Local News –