Deschutes County has its first confirmed case of wolf depredation since the wolves’ return.
The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) confirmed Friday that the Metolius group, consisting of two known wolves, killed a steer on private land in the Lower Bridge area. The investigation into the killing was dated Wednesday.
According to the ODFW website, “If depredation becomes chronic and lethal control become necessary, ODFW’s ability to lethally remove depredating wolves will be dependent on the extent that non-lethal measures have been used and documented.”
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Here is a look a brief timeline of the Metolius group from ODFW:
April 19, 2022 – A new AKWA (Area of Known Wolf Activity) has been designated in the Metolius wildlife management unit (Jefferson and Deschutes Counties). Since August of 2021, there have been public reports of two wolves. ODFW documented that the wolf use appeared to be resident, prompting the designation of the AKWA. These two wolves were counted for the 2021 annual count.
April 18, 2023 – Two wolves were documented in the Metolius AKWA during 2022. No pups were observed, and the group was not designated as a breeding pair.
