A Northeast Oregon
elk hunter has reported to authorities that he shot a
wolf in self-defense on Friday Oct. 27, according to an
Oregon State Police report.
An OSP Fish and
Wildlife Trooper and an Oregon Department of Fish and
Wildlife Biologist responded to the hunter’s camp in the
Starkey Wildlife Management Unit in Union County.
According to ODFW,
this incident marks the first time that a wolf has been
reported shot in self-defense in Oregon since they began
returning to the state in the late 1990s.
The hunter, a
38-year-old man from Clackamas, told the trooper he had
been hunting elk alone, when he repeatedly noticed some
type of animal moving around him. A short time later, he
observed three of what he assumed would be coyotes. He
said at one point one of them began to run directly at
him, while another made its way around him.
The hunter stated
he focused on the one running directly at him. He began
to scream at it, and fearing for his life shot it one
time. He said what he still believed to be a coyote died
from the single shot. He stated that after the shot the
other two disappeared out of sight.
The hunter said he
returned to his camp and told fellow hunters what had
occurred and said he was still uncertain if what he shot
was a coyote. They group returned to the location and
came to the conclusion it was a wolf. The hunter then
notified ODFW and OSP.
Further
investigation at the site of the shooting indicated the
hunter was 27 yards from where he shot and where the
wolf died. The wolf was seized and later released to
ODFW for examination. The Union County District
Attorney’s Office was consulted regarding the
investigation and based upon the available evidence the
case will not be prosecuted as this is believed to be an
incidence of self-defense.
It is unlawful to
kill a wolf in Oregon, except in defense of human life —
and in certain instances involving wolf depredation of
livestock.
ODFW examined the
wolf shot and determined it was an 83-pound female
associated with the OR30 pair of wolves occupying the
Starkey and Ukiah WMUs in northeast Oregon in Union and
Umatilla counties. Initial examination does not indicate
that the wolf was a breeding female, but the wolf’s DNA
will be analyzed to confirm this.
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