A 38-year-old Clackamas man who was hunting elk in Union County last week told Oregon State Police he shot and killed a wolf on Oct. 27 after the animal ran directly at him.

It was the first case of its kind since wolves, which were extirpated from Oregon in the 1940s, migrated into the state from Idaho in 1999.

The man, whose name was not released, will not be prosecuted because the Union County district attorney accepted the hunter’s self-defense explanation.

The man told police he was hunting along in the Starkey Unit when he saw three animals that he thought were coyotes.

He told police that one animal ran toward him, and the other began to circle behind him. He said he screamed at the animal that was running toward him, then fired a single shot that killed the animal. The two other animals fled.

The hunter told police he returned to his camp and told the other members of his party that he had shot what he thought was a coyote. The group returned and realized the animal was a wolf.

The man then reported the shooting.

Investigators determined the wolf was about 27 yards away when the hunter fired the shot.

Biologists from the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife said the wolf was an 83-pound female linked to OR-30, a male wolf that has roamed the Starkey and Ukiah units.

Biologists don’t believe the female wolf had birthed pups, but they will analyze its DNA to confirm that.

Last year ODFW estimated a minimum of 112 wolves lived in Oregon in 11 packs that included eight breeding pairs. It’s illegal to kill a wolf except in self-defense, although lethal action can be approved if an animal is observed repeatedly killing livestock.

Roblyn Brown, the agency’s acting wolf coordinator, said in a press release that wolves rarely will approach people.

“They will usually avoid humans and leave the area when they see, hear, or smell people close by,” Brown said. “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.”