LA GRANDE — The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife has issued a second permit allowing the killing of up to two more wolves from the High Valley area of Union County.

Federal agents from the USDA Wildlife Services, acting on behalf of a rancher under a permit ODFW issued on Thursday, Jan. 12, killed two wolves in that area, one on Feb. 4 and the other on Feb. 22.

Agents actually trapped two wolves on Feb. 22, but they collared and released the second wolf because the original permit authorized killing no more than two wolves.

The ODFW said in a press release on Feb. 28 that wolves continue to be a significant risk to livestock in the area. The state issued another permit to the landowner who has had four depredations on their property since late December. The permit allows the landowner or their agent to lethally remove an additional two wolves on the private property where the previous depredations occurred. The permit is valid until April 23 or until two wolves have been removed, whichever comes first.

The Jan. 12 permit was issued after the state confirmed attacks on cattle on Christmas Day, Dec. 29 and Jan. 10.

The attacks, in which five calves were killed, all occurred on private land in High Valley in the Catherine Creek Wildlife Management Unit.

The wolves have moved into the area to fill a void created by the death of the Catherine Pack. In February 2021, five wolves, making up the entire Catherine Pack, were found dead from poisoning southeast of Mount Harris.

The state anticipated that wolves would be moving into the Catherine Creek Wildlife Management Unit, which includes much of Union County and runs from Elgin south past North Powder, after the poisoning incident.

In addition to the permits for wolves in the High Valley area, ODFW last week issued a separate permit allowing ranchers or their agents to kill up to two wolves from a different group that has attacked cattle at least three times in the Medical Springs area, near the border of Baker and Union counties, since Jan. 27.

One calf was killed and another injured in one attack, and on Feb. 2 wolves killed a border collie on a ranch near Medical Springs.

That permit to kill two wolves is valid until March 31.