A pack was discovered in January 2016 in southwestern Umatilla County, Oregon. The pack included 2 adults and 3 pups born in 2015, and counted as a breeding pair. The pack was set to be named after further investigation determined its use area.
However, the pack was not rediscovered during the spring, summer, or fall of 2016, and no official pack name was given.
In January 2017, three wolves were again counted in the area.
In 2018, two separate groups of two wolves were documented to be using the area. As of June 2019, wolves continued to use the area. No pups were sighted.
In 2019, a breeding pair established control of the territory, and raised three pups that were counted in the 2019-2020 winter survey. The male is the former breeding male of the Meacham Pack, which no longer exists. He was born in the Imnaha Pack. The breeding female is also collared.
Three pups survived through 2020 and the pack was again counted as a breeding pair. ODFW reported radio-collar data displaying a 253 square mile use are for the pack with 57% of data points located on public lands and 43% on private lands.
Current numbers: 5
Pack status: Designated in January 2016; undesignated thereafter. Redesignated as a pack in 2019.
Useful Links
Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife – The Heppner Pack
