Another one bites the dust

[Reemty J]

Taxman seems like that left hand stuff kills them wolves

 

[BrentM]

I knew something wasn't RIGHT about you. I have never shot left handed ammo

Wait, is that the only thing that makes you think that?

Btw- it's right handed ammo. It's just shot from a left handed rifle.

 

[BrentM]

Trapper friend here, mostly coyotes (70-100 a year ) but has taken 5-6 wolves. He quit wolves as they are not worth his time. Before we had a season the wolves were very regular, they would pass thru every 7-10 days but 4-5 years after we were able to hunt/trap them it became more sporadic like every 3-4 weeks. A Canadian friend of his said he believed it was because of the lack of game, it took the wolves longer to kill, they expand there range and consequently they took longer to pass thru. May make some sense. This fellow trapped the largest female wolf in Montana one year, she was 96# in the field a person would have guessed her a male. Listen to this, he used a drag, checked trap every couple days, 1st day he caught her there was a ground blizzard and he checks trap from a couple hundred yards away with binos, she was in some brush and he doesn't see her, couple days later he checks again, sees the trap is gone follows up, she is a few hundred yards away and the pack has brought her a fresh mule deer hind quarter to feed her while caught he also took a 2 year old out of that pack same day five miles away. The amount of area they travel easily is unreal.

According to the biologist I've spoken to here they run a 20-40 mile radius. During the winter they tend to run that radius often and then stick closer to their den area later winter and early spring. I've also noticed they tend to not move as much during the summer and fall. Winter, it seems like a lot of movement. It sucks because that is when I like to hunt them. Easier to locate tracks but much harder to get around. I found some older tracks Saturday on a elk winter range and then hiked 9 miles in a drainage system yesterday that generally holds some activity, ZERO sign. Ugh

 

[PatrickMadison357]

Looks like a lot of fun, I didn't even know you could hunt wolves out west, anyone know of any good outfitters to call?

 

[Ivorytips]

Beautiful, those are some elusive creatures

 

[Stk]

Awesome, and congrats. Do you have a picture of the finished rugs or hide? I'd like to tube one out and have it as a wall hanger. I think it would really show the size of a big one if you had it hanging next to a coyote.

 

[BrentM]

Awesome, and congrats. Do you have a picture of the finished rugs or hide? I'd like to tube one out and have it as a wall hanger. I think it would really show the size of a big one if you had it hanging next to a coyote.

I've not tubed any. All have been rug style. A friend tubed one and it hangs in his tattoo shop. I

 

[Stk]

That looks great! Bigger than the mountain lion. Looks good on the wall.

 

[BrentM]

Seems like most of the larger males are 84-86" nose to tail. Smaller wolves or females run 60-70". Wolves here are not that large for overall mass.