Welcome to the forums, and welcome to the new reality of living with wolves. Like you, I had an encounter with a wolf in your area. Also like you, it took me a while to comprehend what I was seeing. Briefly, my situation was, I was out in the woods on a logging road, trees on one side and clearing on the other. My dog was tied to a tree and whining, and when I stepped out from behind my van I saw movement down the road. It was the size of a small deer so I figured it was a deer. Then I realized it was gray not brown like a deer. Then I realized that if it was a deer it would be running away, but this thing was running right at me. By that time it was close enough I could make out the canine shape of its head, and I realized I was staring at a gray wolf running right at me down the logging road.
Wish I could say I was brave and tried to save my dog but I didn't think there was time so I jumped in my van. The wolf had to have seen me, it didn't care it kept coming. I guess it figured it was going to have my dog for breakfast. Not knowing what else to do I hit my horn, and the thing darted off into the trees, leaving me stunned in disbelief, did that really just happen? Like you I did not have any photos to prove it. It's hard to think about taking pictures when you have a wolf running at you.
Returned to the area the following week to see if the situation could be duplicated. Tied the dog to a tree, it started whining again, this time a different wolf, dark gray almost black and mottled ran across that same logging road. It was slinking like a rat with its head down, think it could smell me but again knowing there were people around didn't deter it from going after what it wanted. Think I read somewhere that wolves increase in number by something like 30% each year. Isn't that a reassuring thought?
Turns out wolves look at dogs as competition. Because my dog was whining they probably figured it was prey. Now whenever I'm out there I look over my shoulder all the time, keep my head on a swivel. Make a lot of noise cause apparently they don't like noise. Very much a feeling of it's us against them. And right now they have no fear of people, because they have no experience of people being a threat.
I testified in front of the wold advisory group, telling them about my experience. I also applied to be on the wolf advisory committee but was turned down.
Had another run-in with a wild canine out there but it was probably a coyote not a wolf; however, if you research it, turns out there is only about 2% difference in the DNA of a wolf or coyote or dog. And wolves do mate with both, and there are wolf-coyote hybrids back east that have been known to attack humans.
Some people have said the wolves have always been there, they just follow the elk. I know that before my sighting I would see flattened areas in the clearing where the elk were laying down. Since I saw the wolves the elk don't seem to lay down in the field any more. After my experience I put up trail cams but only got cows, elk and coyotes. I think you said you would be putting up cameras, good luck hope you get proof of a pack in that area so we can get closer to wolf management.
