Wolverines in Oregon?

Jellyhead · 12-30-2003, 01:09 PM

I was wondering if anyone here has ever seen a wolverine in oregon?

As a trapper, I often wonder if any of these furbearers still exist high in the cascades or the blues.

I know there is alot of contriversy over the listing of lynx/wolverene as endangered, but is it necessary if they do not exist?

Well, anyone spotted one? (or seen tracks?)

Aaron

Tanner · 12-30-2003, 01:12 PM

I saw one once at Crane Prairie Reservoir. It was definitely way to big to be a weezle or a mink. It was probably about 3 - 3 1/2 feet long. It was moving along a rocky shoreline over by the dam arm.

6wapiti6 · 12-30-2003, 01:22 PM

If it wasn't a wolverine you saw at Crane Prarie, it could have been a fisher. I killed a few back on the east coast that were doing a job on my uncles chickens. They look just like an oversized weasel. Like you said about 3 feet long. Blood thirsty little things.

Mello-Yello · 12-30-2003, 01:26 PM

Yeah, there were a bunch of 'Wolverines' in Eugene a couple months ago, but a bunch of local 'Ducks' took after them and ran them all the way back to Michigan

.....I'm sorry....I couldn't resist... :blush:

Here's some info on the real thing...

Click for info

buhbuhfish · 12-30-2003, 01:59 PM

Yes there are. A buddy of mine and I were coming down the Mckenzie Hwy in December of 2001 near the Carmen-Smith reservoir. We were coming back late from elk hunting around 10:00. I saw a shadow darting out into the road so I slowed way down to about 30 mph. The wolverine jumped right into the light of my headlights and stopped. We watched it for about 10 seconds or so until it turned and went back into the woods the same way it came from. NO DOUBT it was a wolverine. Have talked with 2 other people who have seen them in Oregon while logging up in the Cascades. I had no idea that there were wolverines in Oregon but I have seen the proof.

Reel Crazy · 12-30-2003, 02:38 PM

I saw one near ukiah back in '77. When there was not supposed to be any in Oregon. Hard to explain that one. I was 40 feet away from him and by the way he was growling at me, I was way too close.

BrokeItOff · 12-30-2003, 02:56 PM

There have been a few tracks spotted in the area of the Snake River divide of Wallowa County over the past 20 years.

Shane

nerta · 12-30-2003, 06:10 PM

The Zig Zag ranger district on the Mount Hood Forest is doing a study on wolverine. To date there have been no "confirmed" wolverines in Oregon. I had a very long discussion about this thanksgiving weekend with the bioligst from this forest. For information contact her at the ranger station in Zig Zag.

LeaderBleeder · 12-30-2003, 08:15 PM

Howdy. Two years ago during bow season, my buddy and I saw two critters working the south fork of the John Day. Must have been either Wolverines or Fishers judging by thier gait and size. Didn't give us enough time to get a set of binocs on em. Also, back in the late seventies, my older brother and I saw a wolf out in Ty valley. We were squirrel hunting at the time. He was real beauty.

12-30-2003, 10:47 PM

The only time you will see more than one wolverine is a mother with kits or a pair breeding. Listen to what Nerta has to say on this, his source is an expert (and cute :grin: )

MarlinMark · 12-31-2003, 03:44 AM

I think a mink and a fisher look similar but, nothing like a wolverine.

Mark

:grin: [img]graemlins/lurk.gif[/img]

kamloops · 12-31-2003, 05:23 AM

Lots of Badgers in Eastern Washington, one heck of a problem for ranchers/farmers.

SlimPickens · 12-31-2003, 06:41 AM

Crater lake national park is known to host some wolverines. They done studies on them. In oregon you'd expect them in the pristine, rugged country up high.

Idaho has some too in the Frank Church wilderness. Saw a study there where they used remote cameras and baited them in. They showed pictures of wolverines coming in on the food. Pretty cool seeing a wolverine smiling for the camera.

wade · 12-31-2003, 10:01 AM

I saw a good documentary on PBS awhile back on the wolverine, not Oregon though. They have such a huge territory it couldn't even be called that. They just roam around and are solitary, except mating and rearing like keta mentioned. You'd think if they're out there folks would run into one from time to time. It'd be a stroke of luck or extreme reward of knowledge, stamina and patience to seek one out and actually find it. I doubt one would get an actual confirmed sighting without a good photo or carcass, or more than one reliable witness on the same sighting.I don't know how this would work but with birding at least two well respected birders need to see the bird, or a couple of known experts must ID a photo.

Kevin

12-31-2003, 10:08 AM

I would still refer to the experts on this and the one that I personally know hasn't come up with any confirmed sightings. She is persistent and if there are any wolverines in Oregon she will find them. She won't plant evidence like some have done in the past either.

Waterfish · 01-04-2004, 10:39 AM

Actually there has been one confirmed wolverine in Oregon, it was road killed on I-84 several years ago (not sure exactly where). Most Forest Service wildlife biologists know of this one case and it is well documented.

01-04-2004, 10:48 AM

Not according to my source. She lives in your area give her a call.

Erich_870 · 01-04-2004, 09:42 PM

I have had a fisher get too close for comfort a couple years ago and it looks nothing like a wolverine. I was camping with my family up at East Lake in the Newberry Crater and my brother�s and I decided to climb a precipice that is on the East wall of the rim, right behind the East Lake Lodge. Below the cliff with a surveying marker, interestingly enough is a bolder field. We were standing on the furthest point looking at the whole lake and seeing how far we could chuck rocks (hey, we were kids) and I saw some elk move by below. Then a light figure about the size of a fox appeared at the very bottom of the boulders where the trees started. We were intrigued and thought it was a fox and watched as it jumped and scurried up boulder after boulder until it was out in the open. We could see that it didn�t have the ears or the snout for a fox.

It started to take interest in us as it would look up directly at us and started working its way round the side of the point, the exact way we had come up. It would climb and stop to look at us as it started to get closer to cutting off our escape from the point. I thought it was just moving up the hill but the way it kept getting closer and checking us out made me feel uneasy. I told my younger bros to get some sticks and rocks. When it got to the path out to the tip we were standing on I knew we were in trouble. I told the boys to start banging the sticks on the ground and making noise. It still got closer till I started chucking brick size rocks at it. Scary little bugger! I wouldn�t have believed my story if I weren�t there. It was quite a heart-pounder.

Darth Wader · 01-05-2004, 08:50 AM

I believe there was one sighted just E of Prineville a few years ago, by someone who once lived in Alaska, and had seen them many times.

Ras · 01-05-2004, 11:47 PM

Waterfish, I remember that one. It was a roadkill discovered along I-84 in the Gorge; seems to me near Cascade Locks. That was probably 10-15 years ago. Monroe may have written about it in the paper.

Ras

newbeebob · 01-06-2004, 07:53 AM

Stumbled across either a wolverine or badger probably 15 years ago in Milton-Freewater. Didn't take time to confirm wich it was. It was growling something fierce and I wanted nothing to do with it.