Rescued from the Wolves!

[Guy Miner]

Putting this under "hunting" since it's wild animal related, and many of us could encounter this sort of thing while hunting or scouting:

This had to be frightening:

http://www.khq.com/story/38635612/okano ... -wolf-pack

Washington state, home to wolves, bears, cougars... Yup, all out there in the same places we enjoy camping and hiking. Be prepared!

Guy

 

[diverdown]

Thanks for the info Guy. My Son and his family live in Port Townsend and constantly travel to hike and explore the wilderness areas in Washington. I have talked to them about this type of situation and called them right after reading this article. Again, thanks for the info!

 

[sask boy]

As we range out the animals(predators) lose their fear of humans and it just a matter of time until these situations become very frequent.
About a month ago there was a black bear that wondered in a bible camp in northwestern Saskatchewan and went after a woman. She was fortunate that the bear mauled her from the waist down but she had to have numerous stitches & staples to close up the wounds.
Also as a precaution they had to start rabies treatment. The bear was shot, tested and found not to be rabid . They interviewed her & she feels she was attacked because she was trying to warn kids that were sleeping in tents.
She advised that the most painful thing was the rabies treatment which she was happy she did not have to complete.

Blessings,
Dan

 

[DrMike]

I am aware of a few predatory wolf attacks that have been verified on Vancouver Island and in Nunavut. While rare, they do happen. From the information provided, it is hard to explain why this happened and why the wolves remained around for tree for an extended period after she had climbed to safety. I have no doubt that her experience was unnerving. Good that she was able to contact help.

I can't say that I've ever felt particularly intimidated by wolves, but I have witnessed their intense gaze on a few occasions. That in itself can be rather unnerving, even when there are no other signs of aggression.

 

[Thankful Otter]

I am aware of a few predatory wolf attacks that have been verified on Vancouver Island and in Nunavut. While rare, they do happen. From the information provided, it is hard to explain why this happened and why the wolves remained around for tree for an extended period after she had climbed to safety. I have no doubt that her experience was unnerving. Good that she was able to contact help.

I can't say that I've ever felt particularly intimidated by wolves, but I have witnessed their intense gaze on a few occasions. That in itself can be rather unnerving, even when there are no other signs of aggression.

was asked to post

Dr Mike has summed it up pretty well on all points in regards to the incident in question. I also would be curious why they stayed under the tree, it doesn't sound right to be honest. But glad she is o.k.

In general I tend to take the animals side on these issues as each of you would be inclined to protect your home from a stranger and intruder. If you are going into the extreme wilderness, you need to be at least as smart as the animals that you will encounter. This may sound harsh, but it is not, as every time someone ventures into the wilderness unprepared or uneducated they or the animal or both get hurt. Probably not what you were hoping to hear, but it is how I feel.

I bet Dr Mike, Gil, Bear78. Mike, salmon chaser, Earle, never go into the extreme wilderness without being prepared, simply because they know that they have no idea what they will run into on any given day.

instead of making a second post, I will simply add this. It doesn't take long for my distractors to show up and to answer them-----of course I have anxious moments--bears, wolves, and wolverines can also give one the willies.

Also Rodger made a good post after mine. If you see wolf tracks every day, it is less of an issue than if you see them for the first time or perhaps once a year. I also enjoy hearing wolves at night, but their howling unnerves visitors .

 

[truck driver]

I always try to be prepared for just about any animal I may encounter here on the east coast but wasn't prepared for my wolf encounter in Montana last fall. I was more expecting to run into a Grizzly then a Wolf but it was the Wolf that I had stalking me while I was hunting a draw where I knew there were some deer that I had saw the previous day. With a fresh layer of snow I thought it would be a good spot to encounter either an Elk or a nice deer. I had set up at the top of the draw expecting the deer to work their way up to me and the Wolf set up a little higher about 20yds from me. Something spooked it and then it spooked the deer in front of me.
My Outfitter said it was a 150lb animal from the size of it's tracks in the pictures I took of them.
It unnerved me enough that I wasn't in any hurry to go back into the same area alone. Not sure if I could have got off a shot if it had attacked even though I was holding a rifle. It was just too close for comfort.

 

[Blkram]

Always be prepared!

Hope for the best, but be prepared for the worst.
There is nothing worse than needing and not having!
Prepared means having and hoping you do not need.

A good lesson was several years ago I took my daughter and girlfriend's niece fishing out on the Sukunka River for the day. As we were going to be fishing 2 or 3 spots that I could drive to and would be no more than 50 yards from the truck, I decided to not take a rifle. Afterall, I had been fishing this river for years without incident. But always prepared.

Needless to say, this was the day that I had an incident!
I was out on a log jam fishing, and my 9 year old daughter and 10 year old friend were playing on the shore not 20 yards from. We had been there about 15 minutes when my daughter said "bear". I looked, but could not see anything from my position, but could tell that she was concerned and looking up the bank from where they stood. I told them to stay calm, be quiet and come as close to me as they could. I was just taking care of my fishing gear when my daughter hissed "Dad!", and I heard some rolling rocks from the bank, about 15 yards from the rivers edge and about 20' high. I looked up to see a young black bear standing on the edge of the bank staring intently at the girls. I tell you it only took a few seconds to run across that log jam to the girls, while yelling at that bear! He never took his eyes off of the girls until I had reached the shore and hit him with some rocks. My only other weapons were a 4" belt knife and a pair of fishing plyers! After being pelted with a few rocks he decided to leave, and I was able to usher two shaken girls back to the truck without further incident. We saw the bear again on the road as we were leaving that spot.

Needless to say, I have not been caught unprepared again, including the day I was charged by a black bear and had to put it down!

It only takes a moment to be caught unprepared!
And the results could be final. The case of the father and the polar bear we were recently informed of illustrates this graphically!
And then again, it only takes a few moments to be prepared.

 

[Guy Miner]

Great illustration! Glad you and your girls are okay.

Tomorrow I'm headed into our local backcountry, in my Jeep, to meet up with a bunch of friends who are already camping. There've been no big incidents here, but...

The area is known to be inhabited by wolves, black bear, and cougar.

I'll have my 45 on my belt, and a rifle in the Jeep. Just because. A fellow never knows when something will need to be shot.

Guy

 

[sask boy]

As usual a Very good Post thank you all for your input. I so enjoy learning from people who have been there and done that :wink:!

Blessings,
Dan

 

[Hornet]

Thanks for sharing Guy. A good reminder to be prepared. Our state is in serious need of a predator management plan.

 

[longrangehunter]

I am aware of a few predatory wolf attacks that have been verified on Vancouver Island and in Nunavut. While rare, they do happen. From the information provided, it is hard to explain why this happened and why the wolves remained around for tree for an extended period after she had climbed to safety. I have no doubt that her experience was unnerving. Good that she was able to contact help.

I can't say that I've ever felt particularly intimidated by wolves, but I have witnessed their intense gaze on a few occasions. That in itself can be rather unnerving, even when there are no other signs of aggression.

was asked to post

Dr Mike has summed it up pretty well on all points in regards to the incident in question. I also would be curious why they stayed under the tree, it doesn't sound right to be honest. But glad she is o.k.

In general I tend to take the animals side on these issues as each of you would be inclined to protect your home from a stranger and intruder. If you are going into the extreme wilderness, you need to be at least as smart as the animals that you will encounter. This may sound harsh, but it is not, as every time someone ventures into the wilderness unprepared or uneducated they or the animal or both get hurt. Probably not what you were hoping to hear, but it is how I feel.

I bet Dr Mike, Gil, Bear78. Mike, salmon chaser, Earle, never go into the extreme wilderness without being prepared, simply because they know that they have no idea what they will run into on any given day.

instead of making a second post, I will simply add this. It doesn't take long for my distractors to show up and to answer them-----of course I have anxious moments--bears, wolves, and wolverines can also give one the willies.

Also Rodger made a good post after mine. If you see wolf tracks every day, it is less of an issue than if you see them for the first time or perhaps once a year. I also enjoy hearing wolves at night, but their howling unnerves visitors .

I'll just add this 'cause I like to keep somethings on the lighter side, but this says it all and by that I mean I respect my friend up North completely..... 100%! I just thought this was perfect for those "Distractors" to say something "nice, or Not at all!"

 

[hunternyny]

Cole

Well said, and in a humorous way, but your point is well made and I agree.

I am, still in awe when I see either a Grizzly or Wolf in the wild and was fortunate to experience seeing both on our trip to Canada. I have never seen a Wolverine, but remember Hodgeman also mentioning them.

I read a news article yesterday about a grizzly swimming in a river trying to catch a guy in a boat in B.C. and remember Cheyenne saying that she had experienced that in the past.

I envy you fellows in Alaska and Canada. Our danger here in N.Y. is usually from a two legged creature

 

[DrMike]

I read a news article yesterday about a grizzly swimming in a river trying to catch a guy in a boat in B.C. and remember Cheyenne saying that she had experienced that in the past.

I envy you fellows in Alaska and Canada. Our danger here in N.Y. is usually from a two legged creature

This is a post concerning the article you read. Young bear.

https://forum.nosler.com/viewtopic.php?f=67&t=38041&hilit=Grizzly