by GARY CHITTIM / KING 5 News
JOSEPH, Oregon — Washington ranchers and hunting groups are digging in for a fight over the return of wolves to the Cascades.
It’s an “endangered species” growing pain that’s already been felt in Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming.
But nowhere is the wolf issue more contentious than in Oregon. The celebrated arrival of Rocky Mountain wolves to the state has turned ugly.
It’s been a bad year for ranchers in the area. Fish and wildlife managers say ranch enemy number one is the alpha male of the newly establish Imnaha Pack.
Even with a GPS collar around its neck it has eluded state hunters and lives like a phantom in the Wallowas.
Sidearms are standard gear for many ranchers, but even with regular patrols the wolves slip by.
“They do most of their hunting from, the Game Department told me, from 12:30 to five or 6 o’clock in the morning,” said rancher Denny Johnson.
What happens in the night is what keeps ranchers awake.
Rancher Todd Nash has had three confirmed wolf kills on his land. He’s had to pick up the pieces after each attack.
Ranchers can’t legally shoot wolves near their cows and feel like they should be able to take this matter into their own hands.
The Imnaha wolf pack was first sighted in Oregon in 2009.
“They are part of Oregon’s native fauna, an important part of Oregon’s fauna as well,” said Russ Morgan, the wolf coordinator for the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife.
Wolves are natural wildlife managers. Disease and starvation take over then the wolves aren’t around to keep deer and elk in check.
Cattle rancher Johnson admits his animals are born with a death sentence. At the right time, they will be slaughtered for food. But that’s how a ranch makes its livelihood, and Johnson feels the wolves are threatening that.
“So far we haven’t been able to manage them here or control them because they just have their way with us,” he said.
But getting rid of the alpha male won’t be easy. Wildlife groups have challenged the hunt in court and stopped it.
Wolves are back to stay in the Wallowas, and the rules of the range are changing again. Washington state is still working on its wolf plan. The state hopes to finalize it next year. Meanwhile, two near packs were reported in Washington this year.