Poaching impacts all fish and wildlife across Oregon,” said Yvonne Shaw, Protect Oregon’s Wildlife’s Turn In Poachers (TIP) campaign coordinator. “The illegal killing of fish and wildlife not only complicates biologists’ ability to maintain species populations across the state, but it removes opportunity from hunters and anglers who harvest and from residents, recreationists and others who simply enjoy encountering wildlife while they are out and about in our wonderful state.”
The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) relies upon the public to report poaching or suspected poaching activity, as there are limited staff spread around the state.
The Oregon State Police (OSP) are leading an investigation into a wolf-poaching incident that occurred on Jan. 29 in Union County. According to a press release, OSP Fish and Wildlife troopers responded to Catherine Creek Lane, roughly 11 miles southeast of Union, to find a wolf tracking collar from OR-86, an alpha male from the Frazier Mountain pack. Though the wolf carcass was not located, the collar was determined to have been unlawfully removed and OR-86 illegally taken. The investigation is still active and OSP asks the public for assistance with the case through its TIP hotline.
“Always remember that no tip is a bad tip,” added Shaw. “Troopers will work with any information available, and if someone who poaches fish or game animals is convicted, the person who reported them can receive either a cash reward or hunting preference points.”
Preference reward points may be applied for controlled hunt tags, and the cash reward for this particular case is $12,000. The rewards through the TIP program are for information leading to an arrest or issuance of a citation for the unlawful take/possession or waste of big game mammals.
This isn’t the only active wolf-poaching case that has rewards. Other standing cases with rewards or preference points are for the shooting of a yearly wolf near Prairie City on or around May 19, 2024, ($12,100), for the poisoning of three wolves and two golden eagles near Imnaha in 2024 ($38,700) and for a wolf poaching on private property in Morrow County on or around Nov. 8, 2024, ($20,000). Visit the Protect Oregon’s Wildlife website for more ongoing cases.
Other open cases can be found on the ODFW website, as well as information about wolf biology and behavior to educate or reduce fears about wolf activity or what may happen when encountering a wolf in the wild.
“Wolf conflict is an important topic that we focus on,” said Shaw. “We have information on our website about protecting livestock in order to reduce depredation, and other information important to producers.”
One such information document is entitled “ODFW Non-Lethal Measures to Minimize Wolf-Livestock Conflict.” Several of the recommendations — including the removal and disposal of any livestock carcasses or bone piles; the use of protective animals or herders; or the introduction of barriers such as fladry or temporary fencing — seem like simple and low-cost measures that would work in certain livestock operations. (Fladry are colored strips of cloth attached to a rope strung across an area, which flutter in the wind and deter wolves.)
Gray wolves are listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act in the western two-thirds of Oregon (west of Highways 395, 78 and 95). Gray wolves are protected by Oregon law in areas east of Highways 395, 78 and 95.
When making a report, remember to provide as much information as possible including a description of the suspicious activity or violation; the date, time and location of the activity; vehicle descriptions, if possible; name or description of the suspect; and the type of wildlife involved. Just remember: Don’t put yourself in harms way by antagonizing anyone or interfering in a situation. Provide the information to OSP Fish and Wildlife troopers through the TIP hotline or through the dispatch. And remember, all tips can be reported anonymously.
Protect Oregon’s Wildlife: Turn In Poachers
TIP hotline: Call 1-800-452-7888 or text *OSP (*677) from a mobile phone
protectoregonswildlife.com
This article appears in The Source Weekly March 6, 2025.
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Until poachers serve time……….the poaching will continue. A fine and taking away a license and some guns isn’t going to stop poachers.
These are not endangered wolves East of 395 where this incident took place. ODFW needs to start to start limited hunting of these wolves to manage populations and reduce conflicts with livestock and humans.
Your headline is poorly worded. It states that poachers will get paid more for killing wolves— not for turning in the poachers.