About 175 wolves live in Oregon, the state Department of Fish and Wildlife says.

SALEM — The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife counted 178 wolves statewide in 2022, a slight increase over the minimum population of 175 in 2021.

The agency released its annual Wolf Conservation and Management report on April 18, which includes the winter survey.

While the actual number of wolves in Oregon is likely higher, ODFW only tallies individuals based on verified evidence — such as wolf sightings, tracks and photos from remote trail cameras. Not all wolves are spotted during the count.

A record 24 packs were documented in 2022, up from 21 the previous year. Of those, 17 met the criteria for breeding pairs, defined as an adult male and female with at least two pups that survive through year’s end.

ODFW defines a pack as four or more wolves traveling together through winter. In addition to packs, biologists identified 14 groups of two or three wolves.

Roblyn Brown, wolf program coordinator for ODFW, attributed what has been a slower rate of population growth to available habitat filling up in some areas, particularly northeast Oregon where most wolves reside.

Oregon’s minimum known wolf population was 173 in 2020, meaning the count has grown by just five wolves over the last two years.

There has also been turnover of breeding adults in some packs, Brown said. But she highlighted that wolves are continuing to expand their territory into Western Oregon, which bodes well for the species’ recovery.

“We are confident in the continued health of the state’s wolf population as they expand in distribution across the state and continue to show an upward population trend,” Brown said.

Population expands

The number of wolves in the western two-thirds of Oregon increased 39% in 2022, according to ODFW. For the first time, four breeding pairs were recorded in the state’s West Wolf Management Zone, west of highways 395 and 97.

If four or more breeding pairs are documented at the end of 2023 and 2024, then Western Oregon will move into Phase II of ODFW’s Wolf Conservation and Management Plan.

However, wolves in Western Oregon remain federally protected under the Endangered Species Act, limiting ranchers strictly to non-lethal tools to protect their livestock.

“As far as the west side, there is very little we can do with the wolves being listed as endangered,” said Veril Nelson, a Douglas County cattle rancher and co-chairman of the Oregon Cattlemen’s Association wolf committee.

Wolves in Eastern Oregon are not covered by the federal ESA, and were removed from the state endangered species list in 2015. Since then, the region has entered Phase III of the wolf plan, allowing ranchers to request lethal control of wolves if ODFW confirms two attacks in nine months.

Nelson said he does not believe ODFW has come close to counting all wolves in Oregon. “The bottom line is there’s a lot of wolf movement around the Cascades,” he said. “I know for a fact there are other wolves.”

Depredations increase

Overall, ODFW investigated 121 suspected cases of wolf-livestock depredation last year.

The investigations resulted in 79 confirmed wolf attacks, up from 49 in 2021. Wolves killed four adult cows, 44 calves, 11 ewes, nine lambs, three goats and three livestock working dogs. Another 24 calves and one goat were injured by wolves.

Depredations were attributed to 19 packs or groups of wolves and one lone wolf in 2022. Nine packs or groups were responsible for preying on livestock five or more times, and five packs or groups depredated just once.

Most of the attacks, 85%, occurred on private land, and 15% on public land.

The state Department of Agriculture provided $393,682 to livestock producers in 12 counties through its wolf depredation compensation program. Nearly three-quarters of the funding went to paying for non-lethal and preventive tools, such as range riders.

About 12% was direct compensation for dead or injured livestock, and 14% covered missing livestock over what is normal for producers.

Nelson criticized ODFW for not doing enough to manage wolves that prey on livestock. He argued that the state should have management zones with specific population targets, similar to deer, elk and other game animals.

“We need to keep a balance of wildlife,” Nelson said. “An extreme wolf population is going to upset that balance. I think we’re getting there.”

Poaching ‘unacceptably high’

Twenty wolves died in Oregon in 2022, including 17 that were killed by humans.

That includes two wolves hit by vehicles — one in Wallowa County in January, and one in Union County in May.

Six wolves were legally killed for repeatedly attacking livestock. One wolf was killed while caught in the act of attacking livestock, and a collared wolf from the Keating pack in Baker County was shot at night after harassing horses near a family that was backcountry camping.

Seven wolves were poached in 2022, which ODFW called “unacceptably high.” Six of these cases are still under investigation, while a man who shot a yearling wolf in Wheeler County after mistaking it for a coyote turned himself in and was fined $1,453.

The causes of death for two wolves remain unknown. A collared wolf from the Grouse Flats pack was also killed by a cougar in November.

Amaroq Weiss, senior wolf advocate with the Center for Biological Diversity, said the past few years “have been filled with tragedy for Oregon’s wolves.”

She urged ODFW to focus more on non-lethal management, and putting a stop to poaching.

“Oregon’s state wolf plan is supposed to be adaptive to changing circumstances but this report shows it’s falling flat,” Weiss said. “The stagnating recovery is a signal to (ODFW) to take a good, hard look at what changes are needed to get these incredible animals back on an upward trajectory.”