I hiked and coyote hunted all summer and never saw a single pile of fresh wolf scat. Five years ago you had to watch where you stepped but that has definitely changed. Contrary to the claims made by many about being overrun by wolves here in northwest Montana, we are not. Whether the reduction is due to managed hunting and trapping and its subsequent disruptions to pack structures and breeding cycles, or more likely, a lot of folks freely engaging in the management practice of shoot, shovel and shut up, it is a reality. The remaining wolves have quickly adapted to being hunted and are much more wary than those of even a few years ago. I am not saying whether these changes are good or bad; it’s just how it is.

The Montana general wolf season has been open for about three weeks and after numerous stands I had not heard so much as a howl. Yesterday morning I decided to mount a bit of an expedition and headed out before daylight to a fairly remote basin. It was still dark when I parked the truck and headed down the trail. When I got to a good spot I let out a short howl, and to my astonishment it was instantly answered by an entire pack of wolves. I was fairly sure I knew where they were so I hustled down a steep trail that would take me to a seasonal (now dry) lake bed. I howled again and was quickly answered by another chorus of howls. The closer I got the slower I went. As the trail reaches the lake bed it flattens out and there are some thick bushes along the edge. With winter rapidly approaching most of their leaves had already fallen. I snuck into those bushes and with a clear field of view, sat down and let out a very short howl. To my amazement seven wolves soon walked out into the short grass. It was still a little dark but I could clearly see that there was one very pale wolf in the lead and it was bigger than the others. They were about 150 yards out but slowly working their way across the dry bed towards me. They would frequently stop and sniff at things; a pair were basically playing around and would nip at the others. They were completely relaxed. I sat for several minutes watching them continue to come my way. At around 75 yards they basically stalled out. I wanted to see if I could get them in really close for a double so I gave a very quick soft whine. Even though it was soft, they all heard it and instantly looked my way.

I was well hidden, sitting with my elbows on my knees, rifle at the ready, safety off. I had been tracking the big pale wolf in my scope the whole time because I knew that even in the dead calm of morning, one whiff of me on an unseen breeze and they would be gone in an instant. I needed to be ready. They started to move my way again although I could tell they were now more alert and cautious. At about 35 yards I saw the male and another wolf both lift their noses near simultaneously, they all stood still. Fearing that I was busted, I settled the green triangle of my Trijicon scope on the pale wolfs shoulder and pulled the trigger. At the shot I saw the wolf drop but as I cycled the bolt I saw him struggling to stand back up. His front end was down but using his hind legs he would spin in a circle then fall back down, he did this at least twice more. I had seen the other wolves scatter when I fired but I can clearly remember seeing a few hang up 50 to 75 yards out. Unfortunately, my shot was lower than it should have been and instead of killing him instantly, it blew up his left leg below the shoulder and went low across his abdomen. It was a devastating injury that would prove fatal in about 15 seconds but I did not know that at the time and I was determined to shoot him again if he regained his feet. Tracking a wounded wolf in these mountains is not something I ever want to do so I covered him until it was over. Sadly the time that I spent covering the male until he went down gave the others the time they needed to regain their bearings and bolt for the timber. For about half a second I lamented my lost opportunity for a double but that was replaced almost immediately with the incredible excitement of taking a giant male that was obviously the pack leader.

I continued to sit for a minute watching for movement in the woods but they were all gone. It sounds crazy now, but after walking over to the wolf I howled as long and as loud as I possibly could. Several wolves that were now up on the hillside hidden in the trees howled back. We all howled a few more times and then there was silence. I knelt down and examined the pale wolf; his coat was thick in preparation for winter, the body rock solid with little fat. His head was huge and contained a set of very large well worn teeth. This animal was perfectly adapted to not only survive but to actually thrive, in some of the harshest conditions imaginable.

After validating my tag, I set up a camera to take some photos. One of the downsides to hunting alone is at picture time. Balancing a camera on my backpack and taking photos by repeatedly resetting the 10 second timer and then running around to get in the frame a couple dozen times gets old fast! But as you all know, a good photo is something that will be shared and treasured for a lifetime. I dug out my reading glasses to confirm that there were at least a few good pictures then gathered up all of my gear.

I was determined to get this regal animal out in one piece for delivery to my taxidermist. My plan was to use my deer drag to get him across the smooth dried grass to the trailhead then load him on a pack frame currently located a ½ mile away in my truck for the trip back up the mountain. Just pulling him was harder than I would have thought and that was weighing heavy on my mind as I hiked back up for the freighter pack. Once at the truck, I shed my hunting pack, coat, hat and anything else that would weigh me down or cause me to overheat. I hustled back down the trail but eased in the last few hundred yards on the off chance that a wolf might have come back to check on the leader. I sat and watched for a few minutes but nothing had returned.

As I struggled to lash the wolf onto my pack I was already starting to realize that my plan might not work. I soon discovered that I could not lift the pack high enough to put it on; in fact I could barely get it high enough to balance on my slightly bent knee. I tried lying down and wiggling into the pack like an upside down turtle but that did not work either. After 10 minutes of struggling I was at a loss about what to do. I finally had the bright idea to work the pack up to my knee then shove it wolf first into the branches of a small tree. This gave me just enough leverage to support the pack and squirm into the shoulder straps. I could then lean forward and buckle the waist belt. With the pack now on, I realized that the adrenaline rush from earlier was long gone and it was literally all I could do to walk with over 100 pounds on my back. Going very slowly and stopping every few steps I slowly made my way up the trail. I was absolutely determined to make it to the truck and with no other options I pressed on till I reached the top. I decided right then that I will never again attempt a load like that. Not only was the risk of falling great, but at my age so was the risk of major physical injury (or worse). I know now that I was not honest with myself regarding my physical abilities to carry such a load, something that we should all think hard about before getting into something we can’t get ourselves out of. I accept the fact that this type of adventure may someday be the end of me, but until then I will strive to be smarter when “pushing the edge of the envelope”.

Being totally alone in a remote mountain basin 30 miles from civilization and experiencing an event this primal is something few people will ever do or understand. It is also the reason that I am positively obsessed with wilderness predator hunting.

Good Hunting, JCS

Well done! Congrats!

Freakin' fantastic!

beautiful dog!

Well done! Congrats!

You are one hell of a hunter, kudos.

AWESOME!!!

Wow, you've been really busy in the deep woods up there. Congratulations. I guess you didn't whack this one with a 505 Gibbs.

quote:

Originally posted by yellowstone:
Wow, you've been really busy in the deep woods up there. Congratulations. I guess you didn't whack this one with a 505 Gibbs.

No, I used my Ruger Alaskan in .416 and a Trijicon AccuPoint 1-4 scope with the tritium/fiber optic green triangle aiming point. I was shooting Hornady factory 400gr DGX rounds. This setup is an honest MOA rifle. I have killed a lot of stuff with it and thought it needed to get out of the safe for a while.

Another GOOD Wolf!!! Thanks for taking him out!!!

Yes sir, good for you !

WoW! You've had a busy, successful year in NW Montana. Congratulations!

I hear you on the camera/balance/timer/backpack thing. A pain but pictures are pretty important. I've been using hiking poles for a few years in the mountains and found the TrailPix tripod adapter that works with the poles. Love it for pictures vs. balancing on a rock or backpack. Works OK with a spotting scope, not as good as a real tripod, but great for a camera. I bought the standard mount, heavy duty ballhead and accessory pole. Takes a bit to set up, saves the weight having to carry a tripod. Just FYI and only useful if you already use hiking poles.

Anyway, congrats on your moose and wolf. Great year.

Hell yeah! Nice work.

I'da skinned him on the spot, much easier and no sense hauling the body out.

Grizz

This sounds like one of those "you get out of it what you put in to it" stories. Nice job and kudos for taking the time to get those photos. Beside whatever taxidermy you may want to consider keeping and doing the skull too.

To those who would have skinned it afield - would one dorsal skin a wolf for taxidermy?

Some of the best selflies I'v ever seen!
Great hunt and report. Thanks for sharing.

Great job and a beautiful trophy for your hard work.

Congratulations and thank you for sharing. Nice to see a wolf regarded as a trophy. Which it is.

Ski+3

Fantastic!


.

Moose and a wolf all in a month. I want to be you when I grow up.

One of the greatest NA trophies in my opinion, way cool my friend!!!!

great hunt thanks for sharing !!!!!!