Two WOLVES on the Mountain, Playing

[Sourdough]

I was just looking for Bears out the window, and found two gray colored wolves, adults. Not the the Black wolf that was here some months ago. They might be the two females that run together. They are healthy. They are still there, just laying in the snow field, on Walker Mountain to the south of the cabin.

[crashdive123]

We're gonna have to chip in and send you a digital camera.

[Sourdough]

We're gonna have to chip in and send you a digital camera.

They are a good 3/4 mile away. I found them using Zeiss 10X40 Bino's and thought they were bears, till I got the Spotting scope on them and up to 45X power.

[crashdive123]

OK, We'll dig a little deeper. 20x optical plus 5x digital should do the trick. This picture was taken from about 250 yards away.

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[Sourdough]

That is impressive.......






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[crashdive123]

Here's the same branch with about 6X or 7X zoom.

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[Sourdough]

Well, they have moved down into the trees, and I can't see them now.....





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[Rick]

You know, Crash is right. You never post pics. I'll bet you don't even live in Alaska. I'll bet this is the view out your apartment window.

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Just joking. I think you'd survive about 10 minutes looking at that every day.

[Sourdough]

Just makes me want to visit you Hopeak...
I would never want to live up there...but watching wolves once in a while would be pretty amazing.

Yea, but it is thin picking, that is only two sighting in three or four months. Still they are majestic.

[Arsey]

You're a lucky man Hopeak.
But I'm a wee bit curious .
Do they in any way impact on your survival up there or do they pretty much know you are there and keep their distance? You know, are they a threat?
Ta.

[Rick]

Are you kidding? Hope has the guard ducks and the brown poodle. Polar bears and badgers walk along the edge of his property in fear.

[Sourdough]

You're a lucky man Hopeak.
But I'm a wee bit curious .
Do they in any way impact on your survival up there or do they pretty much know you are there and keep their distance? You know, are they a threat?
Ta.

No they are not a threat.......Not to humans directly, to their farm stock, Yes; and people have had their family dog killed and eaten in their fenced yard. They will eat you if they are very, very hungry, and you are already dead from some other cause. They will sometimes come into camp, in a slinking stalking type behavior. But then they leave. My guess is if you encountered them on a frozen lake, and you turned and ran, I expect they would pull you down. I would never run from any predator, especially bears.

I am not a great wolf lover, they a master killers of healthy game. However there is a place for them, and they exist here (In the Hope, Alaska) in exactly the right number in balance with their food supply. They are majestic animals, and a thrill to observe.

[Arsey]

We get wild dogs and Dingoes here. Obviously a lot smaller than Wolves but they are vicious and the wild dogs usually roam in packs.
I've seen photos and footage of Wolves in the wild and until you see something to compare them against you forget how big they actually are.
Were they not re-introducing Wolves in Yosemite a few years back?

[Rick]

Yes, there were. 14 wolves were taken from Canada and re-introduced into Yellowstone and Idaho in 1995-96. Those 14 now number around 900 from the last numbers I've seen.

Similar projects have occurred throughout the U.S. in areas such as Land Between the Lakes in Kentucky, Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest in Arizona, Maine, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan's Upper Peninsula just to name a few.

The Grey, Red and Mexican Wolf are three that I'm aware of. There may well be others.

[Alpine_Sapper]

Hopeak,

How close are you to Denali? I recently ready an article in Backpacker magazine called "The Dogs of War" referencing the conflict between Coke Wallace and Gordon Haber over the Toklat wolfpack and the buffer zone around Denali. I was just curious what you and some of the other Alaskan's think, and maybe if you'd ever met either one of those two.

I was actually impressed with backpacker magazine. The article was more informative than a biased rant against Coke Wallace. They actually provide some supporting details from the Alaska Fish and Wildlife authorities that they are complying with the best policies for good stewardship of the land in maintainingg the population of the wolves vs. prey populations, etc. I saw a second part of the acticle in video on BPM's website, but haven't had time to check it out yet.

[Sourdough]

I am way south of Denali, I am on the south shore of Turnagain Arm. This may be an over simplification, but people either love the wolves, or they loath the wolves. Old time Alaskans and hunters for the most part want the wolves reduced, as they want the moose and caribou for food that the wolves kill and eat. Most greenies, and newbie Alaskans, and California transplants want to save all animals, stop all mining, industry, etc.. However their money to live on comes directly or indirectly from the Government, or some rich daddy trust fund. As for me I see both sides.......That is what happens when you get OLDER.

[Arsey]

Yes, there were. 14 wolves were taken from Canada and re-introduced into Yellowstone and Idaho in 1995-96. Those 14 now number around 900 from the last numbers I've seen.

900!!!! from 14.
W O W

Sure they weren't Bunny Wolves

[Rick]

That's almost 15 years of breeding. It would be interesting to see some DNA studies on them. I know smaller wolf populations will interbreed with coyote. That's one of the problems the Red Wolf had in the Midwest. Even today there is argument as to whether the Red Wolf is a hybridized animal or truly a "wolf". I would find it interesting to know if the Yellowstone wolves found other wild wolves to mate with, have bred with coyote, have inbred or a bit of all of the above.