By Steve Tool
Wallowa County Chieftain
State wildlife officials say the Imnaha wolf pack has claimed another victim, this time a 475-pound calf on private property near Harl Butte, about 17 miles east of Joseph. The calf belonged to Dan and Cynthia Warnock.
Wallowa County Chief Deputy Freed Steen arrived on scene Tuesday after conferring with a representative of the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. After performing an on-scene necropsy, Steen said he believed the calf fell victim to wolves. “There was plenty of evidence in that direction. There was trauma to what was left of the carcass, tracks, telemetry,” Steen said.
ODFW wildlife biologist Mike Hansen was also on scene Tuesday and confirmed the depredation Wednesday afternoon. Hansen noted that two radio-collared wolves from the Imnaha pack were in the area around the same time. Hansen estimated the calf died Saturday or Sunday.
Hansen said he was required to make non-lethal recommendations to prevent additional depredation in the area. These included establishing human presence, removing attractants such as carcasses or bone piles and moving the cattle to a different pasture so wolves don’t consider the area as a food source.
“There’s not a lot of non-lethal options for open range land,” Hansen said. “I’m sure he (Warnock) knows this anyway – I’ll just be reiterating to him.