Wolves on the Trail

[Black_Fly]

This morning, wife and I were hiking a regular loop through the state wild area here in Wisconsin. I saw a flash ahead near our dogs. Figured they’d jumped a deer. Then I turned a bend and a large male wolf was facing me on the trail. He took off towards the brambles when I saw more flashes of grey up the hill. I called the dogs off the chase, but another female wolf appeared on the other side of the trail. She didn’t run. Bogan went after her but she stayed just ahead of him, stopping to check her back trail, then disappearing over a hill. Bogan followed. I grabbed our yellow lab, told wife to hold him and I broke into a run, walking staff in hand, up the hill, whistling and imagining myself fighting off the pack with my stick. Then, Bogan appeared on the run back over the rise. I was relieved, leashed him up and we split. We spent the mile hike back to the car Imaging we were being stalked. I’m pretty sure the close up wolves were trying to lure the dogs into the woods. Bogan was dumb, the lab was chicken, but the female heeler was smart, kept her distance, circled us without taking the bait. Gonna take a noise maker tomorrow.

 

[Bob B.]

Scary stuff. Wolves do “ recruit “ dogs away from their pack or family or whatever … to their doom. That was a close call Blackfly. Northern Wisconsin is seeing a rise in wolf populations, North West Wisconsin has a large population and Bayfield County has a particularly large pack ( near Cable ) that is really aggressive - dog predation is very high there.

We have wolves here in Iowa County, but in very small sporadic numbers. Coyotes recruit domestic dogs in my neck of the woods similar to your experience … I have had to jump into the fray 2 times in the last 5 years to save my dog … in our own yard ( we live in the woods ).

I am glad your dogs are safe.

 

[scoutergriz]

yup, baiting them... wolves will tend to try to lure a dog away from it's master, as dogs are, to them, competition for resources, just like coyotes, but they don't always kill them- if populations are low or there's a lack of breeders, and the dogs are sufficiently wolf-like (Shepards, Malinois, various working or sled dogs) they will actually adopt them into the pack, One pack where I used to work had a Brindle Great Dane as an alpha for years- those pups were HUGE!!!

 

[Steve in Idaho]

Coyotes will do this too. They used to try this with my sister's lab all the time when she lived on the edge of national forest.

Glad you were able to keep your dogs, @Black_Fly .

 

[Black_Fly]

I spoke to the

Scary stuff. Wolves do “ recruit “ dogs away from their pack or family or whatever … to their doom. That was a close call Blackfly. Northern Wisconsin is seeing a rise in wolf populations, North West Wisconsin has a large population and Bayfield County has a particularly large pack ( near Cable ) that is really aggressive - dog predation is very high there.

We have wolves here in Iowa County, but in very small sporadic numbers. Coyotes recruit domestic dogs in my neck of the woods similar to your experience … I have had to jump into the fray 2 times in the last 5 years to save my dog … in our own yard ( we live in the woods ).

I am glad your dogs are safe.

DNR supervisor said pet predations are high in our area lately. Those animals looked very well fed.

 

[Steve in Idaho]

I suppose wild predators see our pets as easy pickings, similar to livestock. A coworker of mine who lived on the outskirts of town let his lap dog out in the back yard for it to do its morning business, and immediately witnessed a cougar leap into the yard and depart with the little dog in its teeth. We speculated that the cat had been patterning its domestic prey, just as two-legged predators do.