Tim shared a map with me this morning while we were having our morning coffee. It is a map of OR7’s travels in Northern California. OR7 is the first known wild gray wolf to enter the state since 1924.
What is so special about this map? Take a closer look…
The red dot is our house. So I checked OR7s California Blog (yes, there is a blog). The timing of his visit to our neck of the woods was January 7 – 8. They don’t provide real time tracking, we all find out after the fact.
Odd that this lone wolf would venture into populated areas.
Perhaps he has traveled into more populated areas looking for a mate. Since he is the first wolf to enter the state, there are no wild females for him to service. The domesticated bitches probably smell just as good when they are in season.
Something to think about. It is not the “Golden-ORe” I would be looking for. 😉
OR7 has since returned to Oregon. Here is more on OR7
http://www.dfg.ca.gov/wildlife/nongame/wolf/
Wow! That’s pretty exciting! And that’s some kind of traveling!
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No kidding! He really gets around. It is so amazing. He has the cattle ranchers worried. So far, he has not shown an interest.
Tune in tomorrow for a surprise!
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Wouldn’t that have been quite something to have spotted him going past Mary .
Hope he gets lucky in Oregon 😉
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That is awesome. Makes you wonder how many other just as amazing visitors (not being tracked) pass or fly by so close and unnoticed.
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Indeed. Tim and I saw a mountain lion a few weeks back. First one we have actually seen in our area, yet we know they have been here all along.
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I’d be watching my back every time I went outside.
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He has some hot feet that is for sure. I just hope no one shoots him. Ranchers do not like coyotes or wolves. At least in Texas ( coyotes) are so destructive. I don’t think we have any wolves but I could be mistaken about that.
But now that Mountain lion- they scare me. There are a few roaming in my area with quite a few sightings but not very often. They move around for many miles, up to 100 or more I think.
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So far he has stayed clear of livestock. He is back in Oregon now. I think, if I recall correctly, as a part of the reintroduction of wolves into OR they (with proper permits) “remove” the ones that start to hunt livestock. If hunting livestock is a death sentence, the predator modifies behavior.
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That is good to know. I did not know that predators modify their behavior. But what if food sources are scarce? I don’t think that coyotes modify their behavior. They continue to prey upon sheep/goats/calves. At least here that is the case. Some ranchers use Great Pyrenenes, Anatolian sp? Shepherds, or donkeys. The donkeys work almost as good as the dogs maybe better. I need to reseach that for I am curious now that I write about the subject.
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WOW! he was RIGHT here!! and he seems to keep coming back to northwest Plumas County! 🙂 i wonder if my dog knows about this… 😉
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Probably so. Our dogs probably think we are a little slow on the uptake. 😉
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I have heard about this wolf and am thrilled to see this! Thank you for posting. Sending on to my family~
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