Floating the Deschutes below Mack’s Canyon. Thought I saw a coyote jogging along the tracks. As we got closer it suddenly leaped up a 12-15ft cliff and it became obvious it was much too large and athletic to be a coyote. Got to watch the beautiful grey wolf trot up the grassy hillside for the next 10 minutes.
NFR Wolf Encounters
- Thread starter klq@stl
- Start date
Cool thread. Love that Krusty was avoiding side-of-road pleasant conversations, I mean it is not hard to imagine and frankly I would probably do the same....
This was in N. ID. I had an older camera with me, so this is kind of like my blurry bigfoot pic. But he couldn't have cared less that I was on the other side of the creek. Came up from downstream, stopped a looked at me several times, otherwise just kept trotting up the creek. Had the camera in my backpack and it took too long to get out, so I don't have any better pics. From then on the camera travels in the front chest pack.
Attachments
Richard Olmstead
Steelhead
Even though dogs are domesticated wolves, they are the product of 10-15,000 years of domestication. From what I understand, it isn't really possible to every 'domesticate' a wild wolf, even though people often try to keep them as pets. It can more or less work, if the owner is willing to put in a lot of hard work and understands that he/she has to always occupy the alpha position. They don't work well as family pets, because sooner or later they will challenge children or others in a household who appear to them to be subdominant.
When I lived in Colorado, I knew a single guy who lived nearby and had a 'pet' wolf. It was a gorgeous animal. It seemed to work okay for him, but I left Colorado when the wolf was only 3-4 years old, so I don't know how it worked out in the end. I got to know this particular animal fairly well, because I had a young dog who was befriended by the wolf. Occasionally we would meet in an area away from town where we both walked our respective pets. He kept his wolf on a long lead (15-20') and I would let my dog off his lead so that they could play. However, the wolf always kept at the end of his lead and on the opposite side of his owner from me. He would play with my dog, but wouldn't let me anywhere near him.
One night we were awakened by our dog who was excited by something outside our house. I got up to see what it was and when I looked out the window, I found myself face to face with a wolf. Standing on his hind legs, his face was at the same height as mine, despite the ground outside our window being lower than the floor of our bedroom. I recognized it as our friend's wolf and I scolded him and tried to chase him off to go home. He would back off a little way and then return. It seemed like he wanted our dog to come out and play. When I wouldn't let our dog out, he eventually laid down in our carport and went to sleep. In the morning he was gone, but when I looked I could see blood on the slab in the carport. I was really worried that the wolf had killed something before ending up at our house. I went over to his house to find that the wolf had gone home eventually and learned the rest of the story.
The night before his owner had taken him out to an area several miles away where he let it run off lead occasionally. While it was off lead they heard a pack of coyotes somewhere in the vicinity. His wolf bolted and he was unsuccessful in calling it back; it showed up at his house at dawn. I filled him in on where it had been for at least part of the night. The blood turned out to be a cut pad on one foot, probably from stepping on somthing sharp in the many miles it had traveled to get to our house. We were both astonished that it returned to visit his 'friend' at our house, where it had never been before, instead of going home.
When I lived in Colorado, I knew a single guy who lived nearby and had a 'pet' wolf. It was a gorgeous animal. It seemed to work okay for him, but I left Colorado when the wolf was only 3-4 years old, so I don't know how it worked out in the end. I got to know this particular animal fairly well, because I had a young dog who was befriended by the wolf. Occasionally we would meet in an area away from town where we both walked our respective pets. He kept his wolf on a long lead (15-20') and I would let my dog off his lead so that they could play. However, the wolf always kept at the end of his lead and on the opposite side of his owner from me. He would play with my dog, but wouldn't let me anywhere near him.
One night we were awakened by our dog who was excited by something outside our house. I got up to see what it was and when I looked out the window, I found myself face to face with a wolf. Standing on his hind legs, his face was at the same height as mine, despite the ground outside our window being lower than the floor of our bedroom. I recognized it as our friend's wolf and I scolded him and tried to chase him off to go home. He would back off a little way and then return. It seemed like he wanted our dog to come out and play. When I wouldn't let our dog out, he eventually laid down in our carport and went to sleep. In the morning he was gone, but when I looked I could see blood on the slab in the carport. I was really worried that the wolf had killed something before ending up at our house. I went over to his house to find that the wolf had gone home eventually and learned the rest of the story.
The night before his owner had taken him out to an area several miles away where he let it run off lead occasionally. While it was off lead they heard a pack of coyotes somewhere in the vicinity. His wolf bolted and he was unsuccessful in calling it back; it showed up at his house at dawn. I filled him in on where it had been for at least part of the night. The blood turned out to be a cut pad on one foot, probably from stepping on somthing sharp in the many miles it had traveled to get to our house. We were both astonished that it returned to visit his 'friend' at our house, where it had never been before, instead of going home.
as someone who spent a summer when a youth on a working ranch with the herd summer grazed in the Trinity Alps, and heard way too many Bigfoot tales aound the camp fire, I'll bite..pic?
Oddly enough the only unpleasant people I met on the AlCan were other cyclotourists. For some reason the long distance bicycling community is filled with some of the same jersey clad obstreperous roadbike pricks that block roads and create completely unnecessary problems for the motoring public.
I ride motorcycles also (probably would have been a better choice on the AlCan) and that particular two-wheeled community is a much more helpful bunch. I've seen 'one-percenter' MC riders pull over to help other stranded riders and motorists many times. I simply don't understand it.
As for wolves.... while I like both cats and dogs, I think humans have much more of a natural affinity and understanding of the canine world (wild or domestic). They're social animals like humans, and most of us have picked up glimmers of their motivations and thought processes through our close association with their domestic cousins.
Cats? Whole nuther thing. Despite 70+ years of contact I really don't don't understand why those beautiful but alien critters sometimes do what they do.
Last edited:
I spend a week or so in YNP every year looking for/photographing wildlife with my wife so have seen a lot of wolves over the years. They move fast, especially when in the vicinity of humans. We’ve had a few encounters hiking and roadside where they have been close enough for good photos with a solid lens but were moving too fast in low light or had their ass to us that we did not get a good photo.
Surprisingly enough, one of our best wolf photos ever was taken roadside with a low cost 35mm camera back in the late 90’s when we are in college. Early morning, the wolf crossed in front of us between West Thumb and Fishing Bridge, stopped with perfect lighting and good composition for just enough time to allow us to pull up with the window down and snap a single pic! Back then it was not as common to see them. One of our favorite YNP encounters over the years.
Pic of a pic…not even sure where our scanned digital copy is these days.
Nowadays, we mostly see them this way. Content just to sit and watch without taking photos.
Surprisingly enough, one of our best wolf photos ever was taken roadside with a low cost 35mm camera back in the late 90’s when we are in college. Early morning, the wolf crossed in front of us between West Thumb and Fishing Bridge, stopped with perfect lighting and good composition for just enough time to allow us to pull up with the window down and snap a single pic! Back then it was not as common to see them. One of our favorite YNP encounters over the years.
Pic of a pic…not even sure where our scanned digital copy is these days.
Nowadays, we mostly see them this way. Content just to sit and watch without taking photos.
Last edited:
Thought provoking story. Thanks for sharing it.
I often choose to savor the moments of observing something beautiful, rather than choosing the distraction of attempting to photograph.
Some say "a photo, or it didn't happen". In the end all we really have is our memories...not a trophy.
I don’t know if I have seen a wolf. I live in the Sierra and have a pack about 45 minutes north. There was recently a famous effort at dispersion by a lone wolf OR 93 that went through our area, down the Sierra and eventually got hit on the highway all the way over in San Luis Obispo area.
One evening I was shooting hoops in the driveway and this massive wolf-looking dog went running up our street. I remember thinking 'who's giant wolf dog glamour pet is that?' especially since it had a big purple collar. When the wolf was killed I remember seeing that it had a purple collar! I would have had to go through our area so, maybe. Where we live is surrounded by national forest and the nearest wildlife crossing of I-80 is adjacent to our neighborhood.
One evening I was shooting hoops in the driveway and this massive wolf-looking dog went running up our street. I remember thinking 'who's giant wolf dog glamour pet is that?' especially since it had a big purple collar. When the wolf was killed I remember seeing that it had a purple collar! I would have had to go through our area so, maybe. Where we live is surrounded by national forest and the nearest wildlife crossing of I-80 is adjacent to our neighborhood.
Coach Potter
Life of the Party
Twenty years ago, I saw one while hunting bear in AK. Last August I saw my second one while hunting bear in WA. I was with 2 other guys, and we all got to watch it through good glass at about 200 yards. They are impressive animals!
Living in N. Idaho now, I see their tracks fairly frequently. Sunday, I was up the river fishing and saw the evidence of a small pack that came down to the river to drink. I anticipate I'll have an encounter at some point...at least I hope to!
Living in N. Idaho now, I see their tracks fairly frequently. Sunday, I was up the river fishing and saw the evidence of a small pack that came down to the river to drink. I anticipate I'll have an encounter at some point...at least I hope to!
Apologies. What I meant was my blurry wolf pic is kind is like most of the blurry bigfoot pics we generally see. I did not mean I have a bigfoot pic.
Need a pic of Bigfoot? Got an old one of my MIL, which should suffice.
My wife and I had a great encounter with 06/832 on a roadside kill in the Lamar valley in summer 2011. 06 was well known for killing elk by herself. Late in the day in YNP, we saw a small group of people watching a coyote feed on a just killed elk about 80-100 yards off the road next to the river. 06 had just left to bring some meat to her cubs and we had a couple glimpses as she trotted up the valley away from the kill.
We woke up at 4 am the next morning, and we were parked next to that elk kill before light got into the sky. 2nd car there, best seats in the house, front and center. When it was light enough to see, we and a few other people who had shown up, see a good sized grizzly sow asleep literally on top of the torn apart dead elk, like sleeping inside the rib cage on a pile of meat. It was foggy, so visibility wasn't always great, but the fog burnt off in about an hour. 06 showed up to get some meat around 730, her mate (955?? Dark blackish wolf) about an hour later. For the first hour, they just sat in the bushes and waited for the grizzly to leave while occasionally cruising around the river bar where the kill was. Then they got sick of waiting and took turns harassing the grizzly and getting it to chase them. Every time the grizzly left the kill, the other wolf would dart in to feed it tear apart the elk. They would take turns doing this so each could eat, would sit on opposite sides of the bear. Sometimes the grizzly would go back to eat more elk and go back to sleep on the elk and the wolves would sit 10-20' away from it with nothing happening at all. The grizzly had eaten so much elk her belly was like a beach ball, she had trouble running with it. Eventually the grizzly left and the wolves took more elk back to the den, like dragging off a big heavy leg, and it was over.
All told, we watched them do this for for 3 hours or so that morning. Saw at least 50 lbs of elk get eaten. Probably 250 people there watching by late morning, they literally had the road closed and police traffic control there by about 9 am. Neither the wolves or bear seemed to care about the massive crowd that was eventually there.
NYT wrote an obit the next year when she left the park and was killed:
‘Famous’ Wolf Is Killed Outside Yellowstone https://nyti.ms/RLtalo.
It was worthy of Marty Stouffer and his camera. Was lucky to see it.
We woke up at 4 am the next morning, and we were parked next to that elk kill before light got into the sky. 2nd car there, best seats in the house, front and center. When it was light enough to see, we and a few other people who had shown up, see a good sized grizzly sow asleep literally on top of the torn apart dead elk, like sleeping inside the rib cage on a pile of meat. It was foggy, so visibility wasn't always great, but the fog burnt off in about an hour. 06 showed up to get some meat around 730, her mate (955?? Dark blackish wolf) about an hour later. For the first hour, they just sat in the bushes and waited for the grizzly to leave while occasionally cruising around the river bar where the kill was. Then they got sick of waiting and took turns harassing the grizzly and getting it to chase them. Every time the grizzly left the kill, the other wolf would dart in to feed it tear apart the elk. They would take turns doing this so each could eat, would sit on opposite sides of the bear. Sometimes the grizzly would go back to eat more elk and go back to sleep on the elk and the wolves would sit 10-20' away from it with nothing happening at all. The grizzly had eaten so much elk her belly was like a beach ball, she had trouble running with it. Eventually the grizzly left and the wolves took more elk back to the den, like dragging off a big heavy leg, and it was over.
All told, we watched them do this for for 3 hours or so that morning. Saw at least 50 lbs of elk get eaten. Probably 250 people there watching by late morning, they literally had the road closed and police traffic control there by about 9 am. Neither the wolves or bear seemed to care about the massive crowd that was eventually there.
NYT wrote an obit the next year when she left the park and was killed:
‘Famous’ Wolf Is Killed Outside Yellowstone https://nyti.ms/RLtalo.
It was worthy of Marty Stouffer and his camera. Was lucky to see it.
Pescaphile
Steelhead
The last one I saw was on a beach of the mainland in southeast Alaska. A biologist and I had been dropped off to do some fisheries and hydrological work and we were panting after the exertion of the hectic task of quickly wading and hauling all the gear out off the plane (several loads) to the beach, getting the plane turned around to leave and then packing the gear up the steep beach beyond the tide line. As we both were pausing in the now still surroundings and looking at our pile of gear, my biologist friend motioned behind me with a nod of his head and mumbled something. I replied "Huh?" to his consternation and he spoke slightly louder with a bit of irritation "There's a wolf coming up the beach behind you." I turned slowly and saw the wolf about 300 yards up the beach walking right to us. The wolf had his head low but wasn't actively sniffing or trotting like he was following a scent trail. It seemed as if he was preoccupied in thought and he was obviously unaware of our presence despite the roar of the plane that had just left a couple of minutes earlier. We continued to watch without moving and the wolf came to within about 100-150 yards of us before he we realized we were there. When he realized that he wasn't alone, he immediately stopped in his tracks but didn't look at us. He instead kind of swiveled his head to the water then up to the trees without making eye contact. It looked like he was embarrassed and though he was silent, it felt like he should be uttering Homer Simpson's "D'Oh!" He kept his head low and again looked to the water then the trees. He then looked at us and bounded into the forest. My partner and I kept quiet but then both laughed once he left.
Last edited:
Tour de France clad cyclists chogging the road..a fave
color me literal...lol
My wife and I had a similar experience with a bison carcass about 50-60 yards off the road in Hayden Valley probably 6-7 years back. We randomly saw a park rangers or biologists examining a dead bison one afternoon driving by and immediately thought…we know where we’ll be tomorrow AM before sunrise!
I remember pulling up, shutting off the car and my wife and I getting out cautiously in the pitch black to set up her tripod and camera. We were the first ones there and as soon as we stepped out, we could hear ripping, crunching and snorting. There was a big grizzly already on the carcass.
“Why don’t you set up the camera in the car honey….at least until day break”
. The thing about those big carcasses is they pull in bears from all directions. A couple days later a big grizzly swam across the Yellowstone river and walked right up on a crowd of hundreds of people to get to the same kill on the other side of the road. The poor volunteer rangers were having a hell of a time trying to convince a subset of the crowd to part and and give the bear a wide path to get to the carcass. Not sure why some folks felt it was just fine to put themselves in a direct line between a grizzly and a bison carcass but more than would be expected did.All in we observed 8 or 9 different grizzly’s on that kill and a number of wolves, coyotes and other critters over a few days.
Roadside carcasses are great for wildlife viewing but become a shit show incredibly fast at YNP and GTNP. If feel for the volunteers the park employs in those situations.
FinLuver
Native Oregonian…1846
Besides wildlife viewing, the Darwin Awards Ceremony is spectacular too.My wife and I had a similar experience with a bison carcass about 50-60 yards off the road in Hayden Valley probably 6-7 years back. We randomly saw a park rangers or biologists examining a dead bison one afternoon driving by and immediately thought…we know where we’ll be tomorrow AM before sunrise!
I remember pulling up, shutting off the car and my wife and I getting out cautiously in the pitch black to set up her tripod and camera. We were the first ones there and as soon as we stepped out, we could hear ripping, crunching and snorting. There was a big grizzly already on the carcass.
“Why don’t you set up the camera in the car honey….at least until day break”
All in we observed 8 or 9 different grizzly’s on that kill and a number of wolves, coyotes and other critters over a few days.
Roadside carcasses are great for wildlife viewing but become a shit show incredibly fast at YNP and GTNP. If feel for the volunteers the park employs in those situations.
Cliff
Steelhead
My wife and I saw a canine that was clearly a wolf (much larger than a coyote) just off the Chiwawa River road in 1993. On that same trip we encountered a young bull moose hanging around the Phelps Creek campground. My family used to camp up in that area in the mid-late 1960's and we never saw anything but deer.