Sent To LOBO WATCH By Jason Smith, Kimberly, Idaho



It was the third day of our hunting trip with our outfitters. Terry, Josh and myself, were in the Selway with Don, our hunting guide, hunting bull elk. We walked from our camp down "The Spur Trail" heading for some meadows and "The Rock". We left Terry at the first set of clearings and meadows to watch for elk, deer and bear (our hunt was a combination hunt, allowing us to get any one of these animals). Don, Josh and I continued down the canyon to the next open slide and meadows. Josh stayed here to hunt this area while Don and I continued on to "The Rock".



About 200 yards farther down the trail, Don and I came upon some bear tracks that seemed to be heading to "The Rock". We assumed that this bear was heading to "The Rock" after the remains of the previous kill (two days prior to us hunting this zone, the other hunters in our group had killed a black bear off "The Rock"). We moved very slowly down the trail looking for movement and listening very carefully. We crossed several small streams and at one point saw a small brown animal (maybe a beaver or mink).



The bear was a secondary objective. We were hunting bull elk and in doing so had shot out several cow elk calls along the trail. We continued down the trail to "The Lower Rock", about 200-300 feet below the main lookout. We looked around this clearing for about 10 minutes, and then moved into the trees. To get up on "The Rock" we climbed the hill side. There is a small meadow back there, then a group of thick trees and bushes to pass through on the way out to the lookout-cliff edge. As we stepped out to the edge and began scoping the area for elk, we called out a few more cow elk calls, hoping to excite a bull into the open. After seeing no real movement, we started to relax and get settled for a few hours of waiting and watching. We set down our packs, drained our bladders and tried to get comfortable. (I set a Way Point on my GPS for the 3rd day of hunting at about this time - 10:45 a.m.) We both found a nice spot along the cliff edge to view the area.



About 15-20 minutes after settling down, Don shot out another cow call. Nothing was moving...



Don took off his boots to relax his feet a bit and to set up his GPS. I went up to a log (about 15 feet away, near the bushes) where I had left my pack, to get a sandwich, and returned to the cliff edge to continue to look for movement.



This next part happened very quickly, within 5 minutes.



Don was watching the hill side just to the right of "The Rock" and suddenly sat up and pointed out a wolf. This wolf was about 50 yards away. He was big, real big. I was amazed at how big he was. I always thought of wolves being just slightly larger than a German Sheppard. But this wolf was more like a Great Pyrenees (probably 3 1/2 feet tall at the shoulders). He was black with some brown stripes on his side. He was sneaking into the tree line when we noticed him, and then he was gone. Don and I were on high alert, watching to see if we could see where he went. A couple of minutes later we heard a wolf "whooping" and "yipping". At first, I was not sure what it was, I had never heard wolves in the wild like that. Then we saw the next wolf (slightly smaller, but still larger than I thought they were). This wolf was much closer, about 50 feet from us. We were shocked, how did we not see it? It moved in so quiet. But it was way too close for comfort.



The wind was blowing up over the cliff from behind us and to the wolves. They knew at that point we were people and not a cow elk.



Don was on his feet, with his pistol out. I was up and had my rifle in a ready mode and looking throught he scope to find the wolf. Don said we had to get out of there. We heard something big in the bushes behind us, then several sounds in different locatons in those same bushes. They were cutting off our escape route!



We had nowhere to go but off the cliff (about 200 feet straight down). Don turned and aimed high and left of the wolf and in rapid fire, shot out 12-15 shots from his 9mm. Within the first 2-3 shjots, 3 other wolves stood up. We had not even seen them. They were all within that same distance of about 40-50 feet. But the gun shots did not scae them. They just headed into the trees, curving toward us as they came. I was scared and decided to let loose a round from my gun, thinking it was much louder...that a bigger caliber gun would make them run. I shot about 2 feet behnd the last wolf. BOOM! And he did not even flinch. He walked up to a rock and stood his front legs on it, staring at me. An image I can't get out of my head. He was all black, with his pink tongue hanging out - just staring at me like I was his target. I jacked another round and pulled up on him again. The cross hairs of my scope were on his head and not much else was in the viewing area. I thought, wow, he is way too close!



"Don, I can take him out! Can I shoot him?" I said.



He quickly responded, "No, don't shoot him." And then the wolf walked into the bushes, following the others.



Don slipped on his boots and told me to grab my stuff, and that we had to get out of there - NOW! I was scared to go up by the bushes and get my pack. The wolves were right there, we could hear them. With both of us ready to shoot, we ran up and got my pack and jacket. At some point here, I remember seeing Don's hands shaking, and I knew he was as afraid as I was. I remember shoving my gloves and GPS into the pack and then we headed down the right side of "The Rock". It was steep and I was still thinking..."Don't slip...they are still coming."



We hurried down the hill to the trail out of there. We had gone about 100 yards down the trail (almost running) before we stopped for a breath. We whispered back and forth about how unbelievable it was to have them that close. About then, I heard something moving on the hill above us - about 30 yards away. Don did not hear, and we started moving again anyway. About 75 yards farther down the trail we heard the "yipping" again (it sounded like the Alpha lining them up), just up on the hill about the same distance I had heard it before. They were following us...hunting us!



Don made me go first, thinking if they attacked, it would be from behind and he wanted to make sure I was safe. When we got to the first stream, we saw that there were wolf tracks on top of our foot prints in trhe mud from earlier that morning. The wolves had followed us in. And now they were chasing us out! We continued to move quickly along the trail. At the next stream we saw prints again, following us in - and now they were going the other way as well. They were behind us...beside us on the hill...and now we knew they were in front of us as well! PANIC!!! We moved up the trail as if we were moving through a jungle war zone, both of us ready to do battle at any point - safeties off, guns loaded and fingers on the trigger.



Josh had the other two-way radio, so I radioed ahead to let him know we were being hunted, and that there were wolves all around us - and between him and us. I told him to be on high alert and to be ready when we got there. We were heading back to camp - now! After picking up Josh and heading to get Terry, we heard them again - behind us and still too close for comfort. As we approached the meadow where Terry was, we did not see him in the tree line where we had left him. Instead, he was standing on a set of large rocks in the middle of the meadow. He explained that he had fallen asleep along the tree line and had been woken up by the sound of wolves. The yipping and howling was close enough to wake him from a dead sleep. With his back against a tree, he had seen a large black wolf run through the trees (about 75 yards away) - toward "The Rock". And he heard several others moving around him. He decided it would be better to put some distance between him and the tree line in case they got any closer. We talked for a few minutes and put times together. Things did not match up, the wolves he saw were there at the same time Don and I were shooting on "The Rock". We had two groups of wolves in this same valley with us. We started moving toward camp again. About 200 yards out of that meadow, we heard them howling and yipping no more than 75 yards away. They were still chasing us!!!



We made it back to camp in record time. We did not see them again, but could hear them howling, yipping, and barking through the night. About 4:30 a.m. the next morning, they lit up and howled, barked and whooped together for about 30 seconds, which seemed like an eternity when this is happening, in the dark in the back country. And then they were gone.
After this ordeal during this (2010) hunting season in Idaho, Jason Smith shares a few of his hind-sight thoughts...



"The wolves moved in very quickly and very quietly. Unbelievably quiet. The only thing we really heard were a few whoops and yips from the Alpha wolf up on the hill. It was like Morse Code, and he just lined them up in a way that was most effective for a kill. I am sure that they thought they had a cow elk pinned against that cliff and that they were going to eat. By the time we saw them, the Alpha wolf already had them worked up in a feeding frenzy. They were going to kill something and did not care what it was. Even after they could smell us and knew that we were people and not an animal.



That is downright scary to me. Being a born and raised Idahoan, I have spent most of my life in the Idaho wilderness, hunting and fishing in the Stanley and Challis areas. This event has opened my eyes to the VERY REAL DANGER that the Northern Gray Wolf presents to the people of Idaho. I no longer feel comfortable going into the wilderness unarmed.



Seeing first had how quickly the wolves moved in on a "cow elk" amazed me. This should be the elk rut, and the bulls and cows should be "talking" right now. We used an elk bugle several times during the week long hunt and did not receive a single response. I believe that the elk have learned that by making any noise they not only put their own lives in danger, but the rest of the animals in the valley in danger from these predators. We did not see any mule deer, or any whitetail deer the entire week. What is happening in our precious wilderness areas? We must gain control of this so-called endangered species."



Jason Smith

Kimberly, ID

Amazing sequence of events, glad you guys made it out in one piece

quote:

They were going to kill something and did not care what it was. Even after they could smell us and knew that we were people and not an animal.

They have no fear of humans, there for,don't really know what humans are. I still give more respect and fear towards grizzlies and cougars. Wolves have been documented of these actions before, possibly more out of curiosity than intent.

Wow! Pretty serious problem. I think shooting one would have sent them a message.

Man I could feel the hair on the back of neck stand up just reading that, do you think if he shot the one the rest would attack or run?

Shoot, Shovel and Shut up. A gripping story.

Dave Manson

This happened to my dad and I a couple of years ago. Same kind of scenerio, we got four of them

I would have shot first and asked permission later.

quote:

Originally posted by schmaus:
This happened to my dad and I a couple of years ago. Same kind of scenerio, we got four of them

It's easy for me to say now, sitting in my comfortable chair, at my computer, in my office, that I would do this, or do that.

Truthfully, I'm not sure what I would have done.

More than likely I would have shot at least one of them, if not more, then walked back to camp for a shovel.

But that's easy to say now...

Maybe I'm the only one who thinks this sounds like a fish story?

Truth be told, I am far too big of a sissy to turn my back on a pack of wolves while they are hunting me, especially if I have a rifle in my hand....

In a stand-off with a large predator 50 feet is really close. I just can't see myself not shooting.

I mean come-on, they ran all the way back to camp while being chased by wolves? Maybe they are really fast runners, or maybe it was a pack of slow wolves.

quote:

Originally posted by JBrown:
Maybe I'm the only one who thinks this sounds like a fish story?

Truth be told, I am far too big of a sissy to turn my back on a pack of wolves while they are hunting me, especially if I have a rifle in my hand....

In a stand-off with a large predator 50 feet is really close. I just can't see myself not shooting.

I mean come-on, they ran all the way back to camp while being chased by wolves? Maybe they are really fast runners, or maybe it was a pack of slow wolves.

Yours is a strange comment. Why do you feel the need to question the validity of someone's post?

Shooting them would have probably been a smarter idea. These wolves need to learn to fear humans (unless it's a bunch of PETA folk, please wolves, eat them).

What I get from this story is "elk calls are a good wolf lure"

seriously, not fun. I don't run, so I don't have any option but shoot, I might have wet my pants though. If I'd been the guy sleeping that would have scared me shitless the most. damn.

On another forum I read about a guide in Idaho who now brings an AR15 along on hunts for just this kind of situation. Don't know if it's true or not but the guy posting said the guide was definitely an advocate of sss.

quote:

quote:
Originally posted by JBrown:
Maybe I'm the only one who thinks this sounds like a fish story?

Truth be told, I am far too big of a sissy to turn my back on a pack of wolves while they are hunting me, especially if I have a rifle in my hand....

In a stand-off with a large predator 50 feet is really close. I just can't see myself not shooting.

I mean come-on, they ran all the way back to camp while being chased by wolves? Maybe they are really fast runners, or maybe it was a pack of slow wolves.


Yours is a strange comment. Why do you feel the need to question the validity of someone's post?

I don't think he questioning the validity, he is questioning the hunters actions and reactions, or maybe the true intent of the wolves. I think if they wanted them, they could have easily overtook and attacked at any time. You walk around and use a cow talk call, it attracted the wolves,curiosity, same thing happens with bears on occasion.

quote:

Originally posted by conifer:

quote:

Originally posted by JBrown:
Maybe I'm the only one who thinks this sounds like a fish story?

Truth be told, I am far too big of a sissy to turn my back on a pack of wolves while they are hunting me, especially if I have a rifle in my hand....

In a stand-off with a large predator 50 feet is really close. I just can't see myself not shooting.

I mean come-on, they ran all the way back to camp while being chased by wolves? Maybe they are really fast runners, or maybe it was a pack of slow wolves.

Yours is a strange comment. Why do you feel the need to question the validity of someone's post?

First let me say that I may have misunderstood. I was under the impression that rcamuglia was posting a story that he found on the "net". If rcamuglia authored the story I sincerely apologize. One of the first things I do when I doubt a story is consider the source. If rcamuglia, or any other member of the forum, authored the account I give it much more weight than a simi-anonymous internet story.

Kudu56 is pretty much spot on above.

quote:

Originally posted by JBrown:

quote:

Originally posted by conifer:

quote:

Originally posted by JBrown:
Maybe I'm the only one who thinks this sounds like a fish story?

Truth be told, I am far too big of a sissy to turn my back on a pack of wolves while they are hunting me, especially if I have a rifle in my hand....

In a stand-off with a large predator 50 feet is really close. I just can't see myself not shooting.

I mean come-on, they ran all the way back to camp while being chased by wolves? Maybe they are really fast runners, or maybe it was a pack of slow wolves.

Yours is a strange comment. Why do you feel the need to question the validity of someone's post?

First let me say that I may have misunderstood. I was under the impression that rcamuglia was posting a story that he found on the "net". If rcamuglia authored the story I sincerely apologize. One of the first things I do when I doubt a story is consider the source. If rcamuglia, or any other member of the forum, authored the account I give it much more weight than a simi-anonymous internet story.

Kudu56 is pretty much spot on above.

Not a problem at all. I even would question it. If it were me, I would have been laying them down as well.

The story is from Toby Bridge's "Lobo Watch" and the author of the story is clearly stated on the intial post.

I had a similar situation here in DLG and tried un sucessfully to kill them all, (3).

I am left handed and was firing my .375 90 degrees to my left out of a rocking canoe in a small creek.

Clearly when the DLP circumstances present themselves the only reasonable response is to shoot to kill. I belive the hunters mentioned in the story above made a serious mistake in not killing every wolf they felt was involved in hunting them.

Wow F**K that.
I am lucky to live in a country in which there is no predators,
In saying that i think that i would shoot 1st and try and hold my ground.
Of my little knowledge of wolves I don't be-leave I could outrun a pack of wolves and like every "dog" they love to chase things.

this story has been making the rounds in idaho.

Unfortunatley when I bought my wolf tag in 09, I and the other 20,000+ Idaho tag holders did not find ourselves in a similar situation

BTW I like this story too:

from several summers ago south of Lolo in the
sawtooths

Wolf howls prompt wilderness evacuation

Frightened Forest Service employees extracted


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By STEVE BENSON
Express Staff Writer


Two U.S. Forest Service employees from Utah were evacuated by helicopter from the Sawtooth Wilderness in late September after encountering a pack of howling wolves about five miles east of Graham in the Johnson Creek drainage.

Johnson Creek is the southwestern portion of the Sawtooths and in the North Fork of the Boise River drainage.

According to Ed Waldapfel, spokesman for the Sawtooth National Forest, the incident occurred Sept. 23 at about 10 a.m. when the employees observed wolves chasing a bull elk across a meadow.

"A little while later they started hearing wolves howling all around them," Waldapfel said. "They called on their radio or satellite phone and asked their supervisor if they could leave the area."

Waldapfel said the employees, whose names he did not know, were from the Rocky Mountain Research Station in Ogden and were conducting forest inventory work in the Sawtooths, began hiking back to their camp a couple miles away. But they claimed the howls persisted, Waldapfel said.

"No matter which way they went they said they could hear the wolves," he added. "They climbed onto a rock outcropping and continued to communicate with their supervisor.

"They admitted they were very scared and wanted to get out of the area."

Shortly thereafter, Waldapfel said the employees' supervisor contacted the Sawtooth National Forest and "asked for a helicopter to come in and retrieve them."

Waldapfel said the wolves never made any aggressive or threatening moves toward the pair.

"It was the sound of the howls that scared them," Waldapfel said, "and the fact (the employees) were from another part of the country. They're not part of our regular workforce and so they hadn't had training for this kind of wildlife encounter."

Steve Nadeau, the state's wolf program supervisor for the Idaho Department of Fish and Game, was shocked that wolf howls would elicit a helicopter evacuation in a wilderness area.

"Holy moly—sounds to me like someone's read too many of Grimm's fairy tales," Nadeau said. "I'm flabbergasted that (the Forest Service) would go to that extent over wolves howling in the woods because wolves howl in the woods all the time. That's how they communicate.

"If they felt threatened I guess the Forest Service reacted appropriately. But I can't imagine why the feeling was any more than anyone else walking in the woods."

Lynne Stone, a Stanley resident who regularly observes wolf behavior in the backcountry, said when wolves howl "the echo can come from 360 degrees."

"Especially up in the mountains, where there's a lot of rock, there are great wolf-howl acoustics," she said. "They probably weren't surrounded by wolves."

Stone, who has observed wolves in the mountains around Stanley on 17 different occasions since the spring, said wolves are very focused during a hunt, and the Forest Service employees were not in any danger.

"When wolves are hunting they are on target. They will be oblivious to you," she said. "I'd be more afraid of running into a moose cow with calves, or a black bear with cubs, than encountering howling wolves.

"These guys were not at risk, and it's too bad they didn't take time to enjoy one of the greatest experiences you could ever have in terms of observing wildlife."

Waldapfel said seeing and hearing wolves in the backcountry in the Sawtooth and Boise national forests is not uncommon.

"But for someone from another state or another area where they don't have wolves, I could see where it could be a very frightening experience," he said.

While there are no documented cases of wolves attacking humans in Idaho, Waldapfel acknowledged "these employees probably were not aware of that fact."

Waldapfel said the Sawtooth National Forest will review its training procedures to better prepare out-of-area Forest Service personnel for what they may encounter while in the field.

"We'll spend some time this fall and winter reviewing our current procedures," he said.

The Utah employees were flown to Ketchum after boarding the helicopter. A Forest Service crew returned to the scene to break down their camp and retrieve their gear Sept. 25.



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The only 9mm bullets I would have fired would have been into fur.

"what happened to our precious wilderness?"

Let's see, "wilderness", root word wild. If there is no peril, how can you consider it wild? Instead of calling them wildernesses, why not call them large parks where you can safely go to kill stuff?

I'm not a particular friend of the wolf but I've read about the curiousity thing myself. And I found it interesting that the poster, with his vast knowledge of wolves, could tell when the alpha male was "marshalling" his troops for the kill.
However, even with my limited knowledge of wolves, I know you will not find TWO packs of wolves sharing the same range. maybe the pack was so hugh that they split up since one hunter wouldn't be enough to feed them all?