Wolf hunt Alaska (part II)

[Tikaani]

Arrived back home last night from up north. Will catch up with some questions and post this story before posting about my wolf hunting as the season came to an end.  Vvarmitr, you wanted to know about the black wolf, I posted this somewhere else and will paste it here.  These events, which took place at the end of March and I consider these events some of the greatest moments I have spent in the outdoors while hunting.

For several months now I have been trying to trap a black wolf that has been in a very specific area and has remained within 15 miles give or take. Earlier in the year his partner was trapped and I posted a picture of him with a wolverine that was trapped within ten yards of the wolf. The black had stayed just out of range and I have seen him several times and he has since found a new hunting partner. I have watched him wind me or see me and move out of range immediately while his partner stands there before leaving. Always out of range and trap savvy I have spend a lot of time wondering why I cannot get him. I am not a devoutly religious person, but I believe today the man upstairs finally answered that which has tormented me.

While returning to an opposing hill where what remained of a caribou, killed by wolves earlier the previous day was laying, I was hoping to see a wolf or a wolverine return to the kill. There was a small herd of caribou about 800 yards off and would be a definite signal if something was approaching, at least that is what I had hoped. Between the vast openness of the arctic and the caribou, I waited. While glassing the area for the second time today at my ten o'clock I saw something I was sure was not there earlier. Before I moved my binoculars a grey wolf sprung up at a dead run towards the caribou too my front, and a black wolf came out of a rocky hill formation ninety degrees off of the herds right as they ran. The black literally drove right into a caribou, bringing it down with the grey right on it. The kill was instant and before I knew it, the black was running back to the rocks where he stood and watched me. The grey refused I am assuming, to leave until he had some, after about three minutes he left for the rocks. I am sure that the black knew I was there. There he was thirty miles south of the southern most area I had ever seen him, without a doubt, his size and the colors of both wolves were the same. His instant behavior to leave what he killed to get to safety, leads me to believe it was him, almost without a doubt. The calculated manner in which this took place amazed to the point I called my wife on the satellite phone in Fairbanks (400 miles south) to relate what I had just saw. I left soon afterwards and glassed from over two miles away, there he stood over his kill, once again well out of range.

This evening I returned to the caribou that was killed yesterday. From a distance of at least a mile I watched as the grey left the willows on the Kuparuk river and headed up the hill to the kill. When it was half way up the black came out and followed at a distance of about 200 yards. It allowed the grey to eat for a few minutes before coming in. It reminded me of how his first partner got nabbed in a trap a couple of months ago and whether intentional or not, his hunting partners are expendable. They left shortly afterwards heading north, how far remains to be seen.

[Hawks Feather]

Thanks for the update.  Keep after him and sooner or later it will happen.

Jerry

[Coulter]

Great Story...I hope it leads to a good ending this fall. That is one smart wolf but he is bound to make a mistake sooner or later. Was his first hunting partner a female?

Steve

[alscalls]

Sounds like that dog is gonna be missing a toe........he has been in a trap before maybe?

[Tikaani]

Steve,
He was a male, well over 110 pounds, the black appears to be bigger.

alscalls,
I think so, observing him at least a dozen times this winter, he is by far the most careful animal I have seen. I know he has been shot at a couple of times by a friend  and watched his buddy trapped.  Never left that wolf until I arrived.  Again when I can PM have a couple of things to say if your interested.  Won't say them here.

John

[alscalls]

keep em comming and stay safe up there.

[wv_yoter]

Tikaani, that sounds like a very cool experience. You could probably write a story on your experience with this black wolf.

[Coulter]

John...do the male wolves tend to hunt more together than a male/female team that aren't part of a pack? That is pretty interesting, I was figuring that the other wolf was his mate.

Anyway...4 more posts then you can PM that other info

Steve

[vvarmitr]

   To bad Jimbo did away w/ the ruthless posting. We'd have our pm from John already. 


j/k Jimbo 

[alscalls]

I would be interested in those PM's as well