Four Sheep Killed By Wolves In Hot Spot Near Weston

East Oregonian | May 25, 2013

By:  GEORGE PLAVEN East Oregonian

Wolves from the Umatilla River pack killed four sheep Tuesday on private land near Weston, near where ranchers reported depredation twice last year.

The Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife confirmed the predators killed three lambs and one ewe in a small penned pasture on the property, finding large tracks at the scene and bite wounds on the sheep indicating a wolf attack.

One ram was also injured, and another lamb missing. It is unknown if the ram will survive.
A GPS-collared wolf was recorded within a mile of the dead sheep at 3 a.m. that morning, according to the official ODFW investigation. Mark Kirsch, district wildlife biologist in Pendleton, said the combined evidence pointed clearly to wolf depredation.

“In this case, it took a little time to close up some small details, but we were able to close it down to a large canid fairly quickly,” Kirsch said.
This is the first confirmed case of wolf depredation in Umatilla County in 2013. Coincidentally, it came on the same day the county’s Wolf Depredation Advisory Committee approved $6,370 in state compensation for sheep killed on Weston Mountain almost exactly one year ago.

On May 2, 2012, wolves killed four sheep on separate private land east of Weston. Just 10 days later, a third landowner lost three more rams to wolves on their property six miles away.
All three incidents were within six miles of each other, Kirsch said.

Local ranchers can receive state compensation for wolf depredation of livestock through the county depredation advisory committee, which receives annual grants from the Oregon Department of Agriculture. The program was established by the 2011 Legislature.

Umatilla County paid out $600 for confirmed depredation in 2012, $3,375 for missing livestock and $1,575 for nonlethal deterrents to keep wolves away from sheep and cattle.

The landowner this week had a half mile of fladry fencing on his property to keep wolves away, Kirsch said, though it was drooping in spots.
“There were some things that had to be adjusted, for sure,” he said. “Hopefully, this will keep things at bay.”

Farther east in Wallowa County, the Imnaha pack remains active after killing a yearling cow May 15 in the Hayden Creek area. Another small calf was attacked five days earlier, but was expected to survive.

The Imnaha pack already has four confirmed depredations this year.
Wallowa County receives the bulk of state funding for dealing with the Imnaha pack, which consists of eight animals covering a wide range of 1,000 square miles.

The Umatilla River pack had four wolves at the end of last year, according to ODFW.

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