Wild Wolves in North America

cfitz

Hey,

I'm going to the USA in the Autumn and I want to see some wolves in the wild. Denali Park, Alaska seems to be a good place to see them but I'm fairly I sure I won't be able to make it to Alaska. Currently, we're considering Yellowstone. But I'd like to know where else in the US or (the more accessible parts of) Canada we would have a good chance of spotting a wolf. Isle Royale on Lake Superior is another option but it seems to be very difficult to spot wolves there.

So, would love if anyone who's tried this before could give me some advice on where to go, and also how long we would need to stay to have a very good chance of seeing a wolf.

Thank you!

Alun

I've been to Yellowstone in the spring, and saw plenty of wildlife there including elk, moose and bison but no wolves, although we weren't specifically looking for them. Bears were off-limits then as they'd only just come out of hibernation and were massing around the streams near our lodge feasting on fish and could be a little aggressive.

If you're planning on going there in the autumn, be aware that Yellowstone is at quite high altitude, over 2000m IIRC, and has it's own unique micro-climate as it's located mainly within the caldera of an extinct volcano and the prevailing winter winds blow into a gap in the mountains surrounding it. As such, winter (in the form of snow) can arrive quite early and very suddenly.

We also spent a lot of time in Canada, taking in Banff, Kamloops and Jasper and were hoping to see some bears up there in the National Parks, but in the end, just as we had given up hope and were driving back south at the end of the holiday, and had just left the National Park, we spotted a mother brown bear and her two cubs only about 20m from the main road!

I guess what I'm saying is that there are no guarantees when it comes to wildlife, you may be lucky, you may not be. I'd say if you were specifically looking for wolves it might be worthwhile seeing if there's someone local, maybe a ranger, who'd take you to the places they're known to hang out.

Dusty87

Is there only the one pack of wolves in yellowstone or a few?? Programme on during the week about yellowstone on rte.

Alun

Dusty87 wrote: »

Is there only the one pack of wolves in yellowstone or a few?? Programme on during the week about yellowstone on rte.

There was a really good series on the BBC last year about Yellowstone with each program concentrating on one season. Spectacular filming and was also transmitted in HD. Available on Blu-Ray and highly recommended ... http://www.amazon.co.uk/Yellowstone-Blu-ray-Peter-Firth/dp/B001X22XMW/ref=amb_link_84763193_7?pf_rd_m=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE&pf_rd_s=left-3&pf_rd_r=1VCT51DKXFX42NSGAH63&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=472356653&pf_rd_i=306220031

I can't find the program on RTE, but it could be the same one.

Dusty87

Thanks Alun, will check that out.
This programme followed the wolves, showed them hunting etc. A stray wolf mated with one of the pack females. He got stuck to her and as the pack leader approached, you want to see him dragging the female to get away:eek: He got a few belts but got away in the end.

Valmont

cfitz wrote: »

,
I'm going to the USA in the Autumn and I want to see some wolves in the wild. Denali Park, Alaska seems to be a good place to see them but I'm fairly I sure I won't be able to make it to Alaska.

No matter where you go it's always going to be tough to see a wolf in the wild. I spent 9 months living right beside Denali national park, going in a few times a week, sometimes for 4 or 5 days at a time. I only saw two wolves during this whole time; one in July 2008 and another in August 2009. I tried very hard not to see any bears after the first time but they are just so big I seemed to always find them no matter where I was.

I often saw wolf tracks about 5 miles from my cabin on a creek bed. After having been down this route multiple times, I knew the general area that the wolves were in (15 miles away). I camped out in what I thought was a good place one night and I was lucky to hear the whole pack howling on and off most of the night. I never saw any of this pack though. Good luck either way. I was always incredibly excited by even finding a wolf track and I would follow it for as long as I could. Even without seeing them, knowing that you are in their world is a great feeling.

cfitz

Valmont wrote: »

No matter where you go it's always going to be tough to see a wolf in the wild. I spent 9 months living right beside Denali national park, going in a few times a week, sometimes for 4 or 5 days at a time. I only saw two wolves during this whole time; one in July 2008 and another in August 2009. I tried very hard not to see any bears after the first time but they are just so big I seemed to always find them no matter where I was.

I often saw wolf tracks about 5 miles from my cabin on a creek bed. After having been down this route multiple times, I knew the general area that the wolves were in (15 miles away). I camped out in what I thought was a good place one night and I was lucky to hear the whole pack howling on and off most of the night. I never saw any of this pack though. Good luck either way. I was always incredibly excited by even finding a wolf track and I would follow it for as long as I could. Even without seeing them, knowing that you are in their world is a great feeling.

Thanks very much for that. Sounds like you'd need to be prepared for disappointment alright! We saw wolf droppings in the Bucegi mountains in Romania when searching (unsuccessfully) for a lynx. I'll just have to do some more research I suppose, wolf-watching might require more time and determination than we're prepared to give on this trip.

Valmont

cfitz wrote: »

Thanks very much for that. Sounds like you'd need to be prepared for disappointment alright! We saw wolf droppings in the Bucegi mountains in Romania when searching (unsuccessfully) for a lynx. I'll just have to do some more research I suppose, wolf-watching might require more time and determination than we're prepared to give on this trip.

That said, there's always the chance you bump right into one as soon as you arrive! I worked in a gift shop beside the park and I would always ask the tourists who took the day long bus ride through the park what animals they had seen. Some had seen a whole pack of wolves, some bears and even the most reclusive of all: the lynx. Then there was one lady who had come back a second time and still never saw more than a hoary marmot.

cfitz

Thanks for all the information guys. Looks like the wolf watching is going to be left until a future trip now. Was working out a bit expensive so we're thinking of doing it on it's own sometime rather than part of a holiday. One thing that puts me off a little bit it is that not only does it seem to be difficult to get a glimpse of a wolf, but those that do seem to watch them from huge distances using telescopes and binoculars. If I do spend a lot of time and money searching for an animal, I really want to see it with the naked eye.

Amtmann

Looks like wolves in Alaska killed a woman while she was out jogging: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8565567.stm

Valmont

Wow, that is major news indeed. The wolves must have been either very hungry, rabid, or habituated to humans. I believe the latter had something to do with the young lad killed in Canada in 2006. Interesting story nonetheless!

Birdnuts

Furet wrote: »

Looks like wolves in Alaska killed a woman while she was out jogging: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8565567.stm

Still not confirmed yet according to the reports I've seen - indeed there are suggestions she may have had a heart attack and her dead body then mauled

Morganna

Poor Wolves being blamed again without proof.

Birdnuts

Morganna wrote: »

Poor Wolves being blamed again without proof.

Yeah - alot of hysteria being whipped up against wolves by the usual wack-job Sarah Palin types who like to slaughter them using automatic weapons and helicoptors etc.:(