Portland, ORE– State biologists are saying Oregon’s gray wolf population may have reached its ecological limit in the eastern third of the state and that packs are probably going to start spread out to the west and south in greater numbers.
Roblyn Brown, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife’s wolf coordinator, told ranchers and conservationists last week that about 200 gray wolves in nearly 25 packs call Oregon home.
She said their numbers have leveled off in recent years because most wolves live in northeast Oregon, an area that’s becoming crowded for the species. Wolves are off-limits for lethal removal in most of the state because packs outside eastern Oregon are protected by the federal Endangered Species Act.
The wildlife agency counted 178 wolves in the state in 2022, up from 175 in 2021 and 173 in 2020, though officials say that’s an undercount. Their numbers have plateaued in recent years after spiking for a decade. Wolves packs have taken root in central and southwestern Oregon, including a pack in Jackson County that has become notorious for preying on cattle.
