Up Close and Personal, or Distance

[Hunterman]

This is not intended to be a better than post, just information. I've been reading some, not all of the wolf post hear, and the responses of some. I started to wonder just what experiences/sightings y'all have had with wolves without hunting for them.

I have had a few interactions with wolves in my life, in Alaska, and Montana ( before they admitted to having wolves). On one occasion I watched a pack (about 6 or so ) take down and kill a young moose in Alaska, not pretty, but effective. Nature at its best. This was at about 300 yards through bino.'s. Cool to watch, but ugly to witness. On another occasion (also in Alaska) I stumbled onto a couple while out berry picking berries. I jumped them at about 20 yards. Scared the bejebies out of me. My shorts were never the same.

In Montana, I was hunting with my cousins husband outside of Thompson Falls. As we rounded this bend (yes road hunting) we saw on this hill side 8 wolves resting. This sighting lasted all of about maybe 5 or 6 seconds before the hillside exploded with dogs running every direction except towards us. Less than 50 yards. Same day, we were hunting another ridge line, and came face to face with a wolf. I was walking a trail working this ridge line when this wolf ( probably from the same pack as earlier) came up from the other side of the ridge over a log and saw me about the same time I saw him. Before I could get my rifle up he spun and was history. Never have I seen an animal that big spin and move so fast in my life. This one was at 15 to 20 feet.

That's my stories, some will call BS, but the ones that know me well they've heard it before.

Hunterman(Tony)

[boneaddict]

Close enough to hit him between the eyes with a rock.

[Woodchuck]

I had one at about 80 yards this last deer season in this state.

[vandeman17]

Old man and I hear them howling not too far away from us in NE corner this late archery deer season.

[gaddy]

20 to 25 yds & not happy about it.

[nwwanderer]

6 one year and 5 the next year through the spotting scope, a mile and more. Salmon river, Idaho.  One bunch some deer interaction and the other group some horse interaction.  No kills, just being dogs.

[pianoman9701]

20 yards and didn't much like it.

[Special T]

100 yards a couple miles outside of sedro woolley 4 of them stalking elk while i was partisipating in the late rifle hunt. Didn't scare me then cause i thought they were coyotes. I NEVER go there hunting anymore with out a pistol.

[6x6in6]

50-100 on two separate occasions in Wyoming.
Right around 100 in Montana.

All 3 times, they didn't know I was there, or at least never led to me believe that they knew.

[elkfins]

You need an option for never heard one, never seen one...

[Vulcan]

I work at a state of the art veterinary office here in SoCal and Wolf Mountain Sanctuary brought in one of their wolves for cancer treatment and it allowed me to pet it and it rubbed up on me. Pretty cool experience but would not want to experience one in the wild.

[Ricochet]

Took this pic at about forty feet in Canada.  Haven't seen one here in Oregon, yet.

[steen]

Saw one in the Dayton Unit cross the road 20 yds in front of us while driving in the dark.

[lokidog]

I've only ever seen them at the dump near our cabin in Ontario, but have heard them away from the dump.

Ricochet, that thing looks like a werewolf.   

[JackOfAllTrades]

You need an option for never heard one, never seen one...

I think that would be the normal answer for most people that enter the woods now. But I also believe that number of non-encounters will diminish as we move forward with a lack of Wolf management in this state.

-Steve