YELLOWSTONE'S WILD WORLD

Amazing Wolf Watching Times

What a change we have had in Wolf World last evening and this morning.  From a tense not allowed to have a good time winter of watching wolves, to a go away spring, to a give a shit summer with a determination to have fun and do what I believe is right, some good days were bound to come our way.

I just love the smiles, laughs, jokes, and loose shoulders of joy and fun over seeing the wolves.  Just the way it should be every day.

So, last night Rick had faint signals and we weren’t sure whether to look north or south.  Just sort of scanning and guessing until some howls erupted.  There was one time that the howls sounded so loud and close I thought my ears would be damaged.  But the next howls were further away and Rick eventually let us know that one of the yearlings had crossed the road to the south.

Meanwhile, we heard some howls from the area of Dead Puppy and it wasn’t long before Jeremy had them traveling east through the edge of the forest.  They eventually came out onto the flats, staying in back and proceeded east.  I saw Twin get into hunting mode as he crouched and watching something unseen.  Eventually, Twin took off at a run but I never did see what he saw.

The four males, Twin, Mottled, 965 and Dark Black, ended up on a hill just to the south of the middle pullout in Soda Butte Valley and we were able to get good looks at them.  All of the pack has lost weight, particularly 926, and I am thinking that food is scarce.  I set my scope up for a closer look at the wolves and let a man take a better look at Twin.  He was blown away and then asked if his daughter could look.  So, down came the scope to small child height and her and her brother took turns looking at the wolves.  So cool to have them close enough that even my scope could focus on them clearly and small kids who have never looked through a scope before could actually see them.  I think that we have some new wolf lovers in the world and they were so sweet when they came up to tell me thank you.

Twin made it across last night, just as I was leaving.  I had no stomach for watching the wolves try to cross and so had headed out but he made a dash for the road.  So, I watched him but didn’t take any photos.  I am sure that the others crossed after everyone left.

And, so, this morning, Rick said he was going to look for the wolves in Soda Butte Valley, near where we last saw them last evening.  Signals were good but they bounce around there and so it was difficult to tell direction.

As we were looking we heard what began as sort of a low level, high pitched whine and turned into a huge group howl.  From the sounds of it there were two or three high pitchers, which I am convinced were puppies!  Have never heard that howl from this group and the yearlings have Spit’s deep, masculine howl.  But, Rick said it was possible that there were some overly excited adults.  I know it was pups.

Well, I need to continue this because a friend just texted about a wolf jam in Lamar!

The excitement didn’t pan out and I ended up driving to Roosevelt for ice and stopping to talk with Judy and Simon at the kestrel.  Finally back in Lamar and filled with anticipation over what tonight will bring.

The howling seemed to come from one of the areas 926 kept the pups last year and so Rick and I went out towards the creek to get a better view.  We had barely gotten out then when two blacks were spotted closer to the area that we had just left.  So, back again, but no wolves.  We looked and looked but nothing.

Those high pitched howls motivated me to look harder and so I hiked out, trying to get a look behind the trees, but nothing.  After trying different angles I went out towards the creek, on the other side of the road.  Within minutes of scanning the hill I spotted two ears and half of a head – the back side.  As if he knew I had found him, Mottled sat up and stared in my direction.  He stuck his tongue out at me, stretched and moved out of sight, just before anyone else could get to me.   People were streaming out in my direction and no wolves to see!

But, then, suddenly a black stood up.  Another black stood up.  And, 965 lifted his head.  The two blacks went left and out of sight in the same direction Mottled had gone.  965 was staring down in my direction, as if he too knew that they had been found out.  And, then a small black wolf walked right in front of 965, but under his head, and also disappeared.  That was when I first saw more ears behind but it wasn’t until later that more wolves stood up and moved off.  So, three black to the left, 965 in the middle and black ears behind him.  We eventually had 926 and Twin, with yet another black that came from the right.  Later we learned that one of the yearlings had been out hunting while all of this was going on.  So, I have no clue if I saw the same black twice, or if there was one extra in the mix.

When they left the wolves must have traveled through a gully before we could see them again for just a minute so we missed several of them as they headed back in the direction of the den.  Out of sight again until 926 came down towards to and went alongside the road to do some mousing, causing major traffic jams for a time.  Mottled and 965 watched her from above but did not dare come down our way.  She eventually went up the hill towards the den area and so we adjusted our position to watch for her.

Rick saw 926 in some deep sage but lost her and so I walked out towards the creek and looked back.  After only a few moments I spotted a black streak of lightening chasing a pronghorn fawn.  I let everyone know and went back to watching, thinking that they would soon disappear to the east.  But, then I saw a couple of adult pronghorn getting riled up and moving back, right before I saw Spitfire running in our direction.

That was when I quickly returned to the car in hopes of retrieving my camera in time for a shot.  But, I tripped over sagebrush and the scope crashed to the ground, stripping the screw mount.  Just as I got the camera out she ran right past us, far behind the fawn by this time, and continued on.  We saw her on a ridge on the den hill before she disappeared.  Also, there was a sandhill crane that was mighty upset and so I worried that she went for their one colt.

Well, it seemed like the show might be about over by this time, until someone came by and told us that there were wolves on the hill looking down at us.   We saw 965 and Dark Black up there for a moment before they turned to go uphill.  About that time I saw Mottled ahead of them.  And, then I saw Twin ahead of Mottled.  Twin pounced on something and Mottled ran to him.  Later I learned that it had been a pronghorn fawn but we aren’t sure if Twin killed it or if a black bear that had just been in the same area had gotten the animal.  Eventually, all four guys were together at the carcass and Twin and Mottled grabbed chunks before yielding to the other two.  But, there must not have been much there because they didn’t stay long before heading towards the den area.

The wolves disappeared by I eventually picked them up under a tree, way up the hill.  Just in time to see three stand up and two kind of crouch all happy, with tails wagging and running to greet something that we could not see.  Both Rick and I thought that they were acting like they were greeting pups.

That was the end of the morning, after 11 a.m., with all kinds of wonderful action.  The wolves have all lost weight and 926 is very thing.  They are hungry and having a difficult time getting food.  But, we are certain that there are pups and we will see them soon.  At this moment we are out again, looking, hoping for the pups.  Story Warren just got here and she wants to be the one to find them first.  I wanted to find them, and maybe have had a couple of sightings but will never know for sure.  But, if she finds them, great!  At the moment I have broken binoculars and a broken scope so will not be doing too much looking for wolves.  I feel a bit blind and sort of at a loss – or useless.  All I really want is healthy pups, after that nothing else matters.