Wolf

Slough Creek area (overlap of Druids and Rose Creek Pack territory.

Lamar River.

Early the morning of September 11, 2001, I watched the pack rejoin the pups at the rondezvous site in the Lamar Valley. Later that day, oblivious to the news of the unfolding terrorist attack on New York and Washington D.C., I hiked up the Lamar to a point where I estimated that the pack had crossed the river. I was able to take these photos and make casts before bison or fishermen could disturb them.

These snow tracks were made by 302M.

Gaits

At a gathering of the International Society for Professional Trackers (ISPT), sand was laid down as a track trap and live animals were brought in from an educational facility. The wolf was particularly cooperative and laid down a variety of gaits. Here we have a side trot where the wolf first looked left and then looked right. Yellow marks front feet while blue marks hind.

A gallop in deep snow. Compared to a gallop on a hard surface the hind feet are aligned together more for a coordinated push off.

Skull

I took these photos of the skull and jaw to highlight the carnivore adaptations. A massive bundle of muscles connects to the jaw creating the broad face that distinguishes the wolf from other canines and is responsible for the tremendous power of the jaw. The dentation is clearly designed for a strictly meat diet. Note the carnassial teeth for cutting. The skull was on display at Wolf Haven in Tenino, Washington.

I found this carcass of an elk with broken ribs and gnaw marks. Odds are good that it was a wolf kill but I cannot very that.

Recent (2 days old) elk kill at Slough Creek by the Druid Peak pack. The pack came back the next day to finish feeding.

Very fresh kill at the confluence of Soda Butte and Lamar by the Druid Peak pack.