A 38-year-old Clackamas man shot and killed a gray wolf in Union County on Oct. 27, according to Oregon State Police.

And for the first time since wolves returned to the state in the late 1990s, the man claimed self-defense. Law enforcement officials agreed. Troopers consulted with the Union County District Attorney's Office about the incident and no charges are expected to be filed. State troopers did not release the man's name in a press release.

According to troopers, the man was hunting elk alone in Union County when he said he saw three animals he thought to be coyotes moving around him.

The hunter told troopers he shot at one of the animals when it ran at him. The hunter, police said, screamed at the animal and "feared for his life" before shooting the canid once.

He reportedly returned to his camp and discussed the incident with some fellow hunters, the police account said.

He later returned to the site of the shooting and determined the animal was likely a wolf. The hunter then called state fish and wildlife officials and troopers. An investigation indicated the wolf was 27 yards away from the hunter at the time of the shooting.

ODFW identified the animal as a 83-pound female connected to OR30, a wolf known to travel in Union and Umatilla Counties.

It is illegal to shoot wolves anywhere in Oregon, aside from instances when the animals are observed in the act of attacking livestock or if it's an incident of self-defense.

In May 2016, a sheep herder in Umatilla County legally shot and killed a member of the Walla Walla Pack when he caught the animal attacking his livestock. That's the only such instance since wolves returned to the state.

Wolves have rebounded in Oregon in the past decade after being wiped to the point of extinction across the west by the early to mid 1900s. The last wolf bounty was claimed in Oregon in 1947.



The population continues to grow in thestate, with at least 112 animals estimated last year. That population was relatively stagnant over the previous years, and officials said it was a blip in an otherwise upward trajectory for the still threatened species.

A wildlife biologist responded to the hunting incident last week and confirmed the animal was a wolf and weighed her. A tissue sample was sent to the University of Idaho for DNA analysis.

In a statement, acting wolf coordinator, Robyln Brown, said dangerous encounters between humans and wolves are rare, "as are such encounters between people and cougars, bears and coyotes."

Wolves typically avoid humans. "If you see a wolf or any other animal and are concerned about your safety, make sure it knows you are nearby by talking or yelling to alert it to your presence. If you are carrying a firearm, you can fire a warning shot into the ground," Brown said.

Just last year, a man shooting coyotes in Eastern Oregon shot and killed a wolf. The animal was wearing a tracking collar. The man pleaded guilty to killing an endangered animal and was fined several thousand dollars and forced to hand over his rifle. The state this fall released an online quiz to see if hunters can correctly identify wolves and coyotes.

The state also approves killing wolves if they are confirmed to have repeatedly killed livestock. In the past few months, Oregon fish and wildlife officials have shot and killed four wolves in nearby Wallowa County. Four additional members of the Harl Butte pack were additionally approved for removal, but an Oct. 31 deadline came and went and those animals were not killed.

A fifth animal was shot and killed in Umatilla County earlier this year for repeatedly attacking livestock. That animal, a wolf from the Meacham Pack, was the first approved killing carried out by a private rancher.

This story will continue to be updated.



-- Andrew Theen

atheen@oregonian.com

503-294-4026

@andrewtheen