HALFWAY, Ore. — Oregon State Police Fish and Wildlife troopers are investigating the second killing of a protected wolf in northeastern Oregon since September, the agency said in a statement on Tuesday.

The last killing happened around September 24 in Baker County, and now offers a reward of $6,150 for information leading to the responsible party.

OSP says that the more recent killing happened around October 29 in the Grouse Flat area of the Wallowa Whitman National Forest, northeast of Halfway, Oregon.

"An elk hunter found the deceased wolf and reported the incident to OSP," the agency said. "The hunter then led OSP and ODFW personnel to the location of the deceased wolf. The investigation determined the wolf was shot with a firearm."

Wildlife officials said that the wolf was a non-breeding young female wolf, about 1.5 years old. It was found in the territory of the Pine Creek Pack.

The Trump administration announced last week that it has removed the gray wolf from protections under the Endangered Species Act — however, gray wolves' status under the state of Oregon's wolf plan, particularly in the eastern areas of the state, remains unchanged.

OSP is looking for information from the public that could lead to the party responsible. Anyone with information regarding this case is urged to contact OSP Sergeant Isaac Cyr through the Turn in Poachers (TIP) hotline at 1-800-452-7888 or *OSP (mobile).

The TIP program offers preference point rewards for information leading to an arrest or issuance of a citation for the unlawful take/possession or waste of big game mammals, in addition to cash rewards.

OSP's statement did not connect this most recent killing with that occurred in September, but both were found on the Wallowa Whitman National Forest in Baker County.