Are there wolves where you live?

[Tristian Fanworth]

In my area, I have heard reports of people spotting wolves, but a common appearance so far has been the coyotes. With the hunters and even some of the Department of Natural Resource officers, they have reported seeing what they term coyolves. Which I guess is a cross between coyotes and wolves. I have not seen any of them personally, but I do know the coyotes are rampant in my area.

 

[Northern Dancer]

Coyotes are becoming a problem everywhere and also to the wolves who have been targeted [once again] for things that they were supposed to have done but didn't.

This is a coyote

This is a wolf

And this is a wolf spider (about the size of your hand)

 

[campforums]

I still hold my opinion that once Apple ran out of big cats to name versions of their OS X operating system after, that they should have switched over to the canine family instead of national parks.

 

[happyflowerlady]

I still hold my opinion that once Apple ran out of big cats to name versions of their OS X operating system after, that they should have switched over to the canine family instead of national parks.

Somehow the notion of Apple running their Mac's on a Poodle OS just does not seem to me like it would have the same effect as the Mountain Lion OS does, @campforums .
Maybe Werewolf OS would have a better sound to it , what do you think?

 

[campforums]

Hahaha, "Poodle OS"

I was thinking more along the likes of Wolf, Coyote, Jackal, etc.

 

[JessiFox]

The reality is that a human will hurt you a lot more and faster than any wolf you may encounter. In fact the chances of you being hurt by a wolf are about 1 in a million. I was disturbed by the book "A Walk in the Woods" (that I read on my last trip) when Bill Bryson talks about the dangers of hiking the Appalachian Trail and then says, "An if you are an American there is a chance you could be murdered..." That comment left me chilled.

Wow no kidding! I haven't really thought about it like that before but sadly I have to agree you're quite right. What a shame that that's the world we live in.

 

[Northern Dancer]

@JessiFox

I suppose that is why I enjoy wilderness more than urban living such as it is and I'm fortunate that I can.
I plan to pick it up next weekend when a Buddy and I go for our annual canoe/camp trip. In the evening I carve a comfortable lounge pad in the sand and watch the night skies for hours. There isn't another soul around to disturb the peace and tranquility. I know what peace is and I pursue it...and I'm not afraid of wolves or anything else for that matter.

Norther Dander really is a different person when he rounds up his gear and paddle.

 

[ExplorePathfinder]

We now have a couple packs in south-central, Oregon from males that traveled down from the vicinity of Enterprise, Oregon and somehow found mates down here. Most recently one traveled through the Columbia Basin, Southern Blue Mountains, and Northern and Central Cascade Mountains and has been in my area since May. So far they have been behaving nicely and haven't bothered anyone. Not enough wolves to ever see one around here, but coyotes are pretty common.

 

[Northern Dancer]

"How ya doin ExplorePathfinder?

Coyotes are just about everywhere including our cities. I hear more and more issues about these creatures and the wolves have very much taken a back seat. A few years ago our Venture Group [14 - 16 year old Scouts] adopted a wolf in Algonquin Provincial Park - that means that we purchase a neck monitor for research purposes. It was shot by hunters a year later.

 

[Onatah]

I'm in northwestern Michigan. The DNR claims that they are shocked by recent sightings of genuine wild wolves (DNA tested to verify they are not hybrids) in the U.P. (I'm in the L.P.). I have to laugh when they claim no wolves here because I have seen them. I've even had one track my dad and I when we were out horseback riding along the ridge (that was fun ... not). My mom saw a DNR truck with five wolves in the back, in a sedated state, being taken off the truck on state land near our home. Oops! Don't think she was supposed to have witnessed that. Doesn't matter. They have perfected denial. I wished she'd gotten a photo, though.

Same with mountain lions in our area. We've seen them or signs of them but they still spent years denying their presence until they had a carcass as proof. A friend who likes hiking behind his home had several sightings which he felt were released cats from an exotic owner release when laws changed. He asked the DNR if they were there. DNR: "No. You must be sighting something else. There are no mountain lions in your area." Friend: "Then you won't mind if I shoot said non-existent mountain lions?" DNR: "No. It is illegal to shoot mountain lions." Friend: "You said they weren't here. If they aren't here, I can't shoot them." DNR: "They aren't." Friend: "Good. If I see one, I plan to shoot it since it doesn't exist therefor it cannot be illegal to shoot." DNR: "No, sir. It is illegal to shoot a mountain lion here. You will face fines and possible imprisonment." and so it goes ... haha

I'm sure the same argument would be had with them over the wolves here.

We have a lot of coyotes. They are murder on the rabbit and fox populations. Literally. Heard the cubs when they came out this year. Trust me, it was a bumper crop. Going to be a rough spring for the fawns, I fear.

 

[Northern Dancer]

Wolves really haven't been a problem though there are 9,000 wolves and coyotes in the Province. The species of wolf would include Great Lakes Boreal, Easter and Grey.

What has become a concern is the black bear situation.

 

[Northern Dancer]

Some quick research from the Ministry tells me that there are from 85,000 to 105,000 black bears; the 2nd largest bear population in North America. It sort of makes the wolf statistic a bit lean.

 

[Sonjiskica]

I don't mean necessarily near where you yourself live, but how about in your state, or area where you live? When I was posting the story about being lost in the woods and followed by the coyotes, it made me think about the coyotes and wolves that we had in Idaho. The coyotes were pretty common, and since I lived out in the woods in the country at that time; the coyotes would come right up into my yard.

I had small dogs, and when I let them out, I had to be sure to go outside and stay with them. Around dusk in the evening, the coyotes would start getting closer to the house, and you could here them calling in the woods nearby; so I had to be sure that any small animals were safely inside or locked away where the coyotes could not go. Sometimes, there were wolves, but they did't seem to come up into the yards like the coyotes did. In the winter, you could see the larger tracks in the snow.

I was reading a story about a man who was cycling from Sandpoint, Idaho and up to Alaska as part of a fund-raiser. A wolf actually attacked him on his bicycle as he was riding down the highway. Thankfully , a passing motorist rescued him and helped to scare the wolf away. Normally, they are pack hunters; so this must have been a very hungry animal to attack a person on a bike like this.

Wolf Attacks Bicyclist while Riding from Idaho to Alaska - Montana Hunting and Fishing Information

There are wolves near where I live, but they never come close humans. They alwaya keep a distance, live deep in the woods. They usually eat rabbits or other forest animals. Also, people give them food, because there aren't many of this kind in the world at all. I am one of those humans.

 

[Northern Dancer]

... we are fortunate in our neck of the woods to have legislation protecting wolves. There are several study projects as well including the Haliburton Wolf Preserve and the programs in Algonquin Provincial Park. (Ontario Canada)

 

[Zack]

We don't have any wolves but we do have a lot of coyotes. My boyfriend hates them and threatens to shoot them if they come near the property, but I enjoy hearing them at night. They can be a problem because we may be raising chickens and such on our property when we get home, but I think as long as well properly fence them up... the coyotes shouldn't be able to get to them. My biggest worry is that if one comes near when our dogs are outside that our dogs will go after it get themselves killed.

Lots of coyotes up here in Maine too. I hear them every night in the summer. My dog actually got attacked by 3 coyotes. He managed to fight them off, but came back with a broken tail and pretty beat up. I hear they will lure dogs in and make them feel like part of the pack, then kill them.

 

[Northern Dancer]

Coyotes seem to be a problem just about everywhere. They are pack animals and unlike the wolf they are not afraid to come closer to human kind. There was a documentary on the Coyotes of Toronto. They seem to be content to live among us.

 

[ptahm22]

I came to learn about wolves from movies and books. There are no wolves in my region, even in the whole country. I guess it's too hot around here. The only animal that looks like a Wolf is a Hyena. They're pretty dangerous and they sometimes roam around our neighbourhood at night killing sheep.

 

[rz3300]

Not that I know of, and that would really change my mindset to suddenly find out that I had to worry about them. At the same time, though, it would kind of be a nice break and add some spice to things around here.

 

[Alexandoy]

The campsites I have been have no big wild animals except for the wild boar and deer but they are shy to people and I haven’t heard of an incident that they raided a campsite. But my father, who used to hunt wild boar and deer, said that the wild boar would fight when cornered. The most dreaded creature in the wilds here is the snake. There are countless of cases where campers were bitten by snakes and some have died since venomous snakes really kill. But now, it’s sad to note that the main issue of safety is not the wild animals anymore but more of the rebels. Yesh, those people fighting the government can be so mean as to rob you of your belongings and even rape the women sometimes.

 

[Northern Dancer]

...not exactly a country that I care to camp in. I'm a lucky/blessed man in that all I worry about on a canoe trip is whether or not I burn the beans.