Saw a wolf today.

[Idaho45guy]

Or, thought I did. It was a flash and then gone. It was only the third wolf I've seen in the wild in Idaho in 40 years of exploring the backcountry.

Today, I headed into the mountains with the goal of finding a giant ground squirrel colony I had stumbled upon while hiking with my dog years ago. I found it and had some fun thinning the population with my 10/22. It was a long hike up the mountain to a hidden valley clear cut years ago.

283545

283544

Hiked back to the rig and decided to see if the road over the mountain divide was open yet, so drove deeper into the wilderness. I had just come around a corner, and about 50 yards down the road to the next sharp corner, I saw a flash of fur leap into the trees. Looked like a wolf. I sped up in my SUV and stopped where I last saw, then jumped out to see if I could see it again. Nope.

I did find the tracks it left as it spun and leaped off the road. It had rained the day before, so the ground was damp and soft, so easy to see tracks. I placed my Glock G29 10mm next to the tracks for size comparison. It was a big wolf.

283546

I started surveying the area and found multiple fresh scat piles, so likely a pack was passing through and I just happen to see one.

283547

Cool to see my third wolf in the wild, but wish I could get a photo of one. They are as bad as cougars with being quick and elusive.

[bakerjw]

I've only seen 2 in my life.
One was a bit north of Elkford B.C. I had ridden my bike (pedal powered) about 90 miles that day from Banff AB and was on the Elk Valley Highway. They call it a highway but it is gravel and mud. Anyway, it was late in the day and I looked up on the hillside to my right and there was a wolf trotting along coming my direction. I called, "I see you there wolf." It stopped, turned and started trotting along shadowing me for a bit. Really cool to have that kind of interaction.
The other one was on Grave Creed Road just south of Eureka Montana. It was 2019 and my wife and I were on our mountain tandem bike. Off in a field I saw one trotting along. I knew that it wasn't a dog and was too big to be a coyote. In looking online, there is a wolf pack up in that neck of the woods. I need to ask @rbuck351 as he lives right up there and I've actually pedaled past his house 4 years in a row.

In 2018, myself, my son and a coworker did the ride out of Banff. i.e. pedal powered bikes. When we hit the town of Fernie B.C., we took Lodgepole Pass over to where it hit the road that came off of Flathead Pass at the Sasquatch Crossing sign. We continued up and over Cabin Pass. This was a HOT and DUSTY day and we were pretty beat from the heat, the sweat and were sick of water - we drank gallons each day. At the top of Cabin Pass we were all pretty quiet and had a strong headwind. Right near the crest, a mountain lion jumped up out of a clump of grass and ran away from us. We were within 20 feet of it. It lasted for just a few seconds but that was cool as could be.

[Tatume]

It's amazing how quickly big animals can disappear. Once my wife and I were walking together and I saw a black bear come out of the woods and cross a small agricultural field. It didn't appear to be in a hurry, but before I could point and say "look" it was gone. She never saw it.

[rockrat]

I have seen possibly two in Colorado and that was decades ago. First one I thought first was a coyote, but never seen a coyote that big, the second, I had no doubt what it was.

[Markopolo]

i see them pretty regular around here... usually hard to get a camera on them, but in this one instance, I got one as I was heading to town a few years ago in my mini cooper...

here ya go...


https://youtu.be/04QwHEhLC-M

[MrWolf]

Looks like my puppy's tracks ;-)

[Lloyd Smale]

there seen frequently around here too. Ran across one on the trail i walked last year. About any night you can walk out the door and hear them howling.

[Gator 45/70]

Nice country out that way !!!