Success!! I returned from a couple days at my brother's house late last night. I didn't get out to check my Leaf River DC-2BU until this noon. Both deer carcasses that I put out to weeks ago were completely gone, only trace hair remained. I had some trouble with my camera this fall, but now I think that it must have been some bad batteries. This camera has taken over 1000 pictures over the last 3 weeks in temps as cold as -38. The batteries have been out in the camera for almost 2 months and I still took my picture as I walked up to it today. I'm a very happy hunter today! Anyways, here are some of the Wolf photos I got. Enjoy! Someone off camera is making him a bit uncomfortable... This collared wolf is the Alpha female of one of the area's newest packs, The Mitchell Lake Pack. She (wolf #929) was originally collared in July of '04 as a yearling. She was tracked through Nov of '05 then she disappeared and was thought to be killed. My dad got a trail cam photo of her winter of '07 and sent it in to the folks at the International Wolf Center here in Ely. That May they sent up a plane and were able to pickup a faint signal from her. Through that data they collected and more picture from my dad's camera they were able to identify this new pack. Here she is now, looking pretty healthy. Nice headlights! We've talked about tying the carcass in place so they can't drag the carcass off camera, but I think my plan next winter is to pour water around it to freeze it in place. Just one more reason to look forward to next season!
Cut a hole in the ice. Push a log/big branch down into the hole. Wire the carcass to the log. Cool pictures!
My only hesitation with wiring or tying it off, is that the wolves tear through the carcass so fast, I think it might not delay them dragging it off. If I freeze it to the ice, its attached throughout the whole carcass, not just on or two places. Truth be told I'll probably try it both ways.:d
Awesome Mike! I know you were looking forward to getting pics of some wolves! Now, if only you could shoot a couple there. Freezing the carcass down will work well. I know some guys that bait wolves in Ontario drill holes in the ice and shove a beaver carcass in it and let it freeze. They can't drag it off and it takes them a bit to eat it.
Good to hear that it works, right now I'm left wondering how many photos I would have gotten this time if I had done that. Oh well, I'm still pumped!
Really neat pictures. I've never gotten to see a wolf in the wild. My parents have seen a few at our cottage in Ontario, but I was never around. Those pictures are great.
Took the words right out of my mouth. Even though I have never had any personal experience with them whatsoever, I love reading about them and what not. Crafty animals.
Very nice pictures. Excuse the ignorance on this one question. The radio collars are only good enough to be picked up by close proximity of a plane, foot, etc?
Yes. That particular collar is about out of juice too, so they're going to have to tranquilizer her again and put on a new collar.
I got about 1500 and growing rapidly federally protected wolves I'd gladly love to transplant to any of your beloved whitetail woods.. let me know in five years how much you like wolves.. They are really good at killing cow elk and does, eating the fetus out and leaving the rest for scavangers.. Kill em all! No in all due respect, I think they are a wicked animal, beautiful and I'd love to get to hunt them... just wish our Gov would let us keep them in check here Idaho...like they do in other parts of the country and in Canada. Instead here, with no control, they are really putting a hurting on our elk herds and now deer. cool pix.. if you ever get a chance, dan has some awesome footage of a wolf hunt in Canada on RJs vid.
We have well over 2900 wolves here in MN, and they too are expanding, with sightings as far south as the Rochester area. The vast majority however, are in the northern 1/3 of the state. Obviously, they have an impact on the deer population, however, I think that the average hunter thinks that that impact is far greater than in actually is. The following graph shows the number of buck harvested and the wolf population in the northern most 14 counties of MN. You can see that the wolf population has exploded, but the harvest numbers do not correlate in any way. (*Note, the seasons were closed in 1950 and 1971 due to severe winters.) Don't get me wrong, I believe that the wolf population is more than healthy and they should be taken off the list, allowing each state to govern their own populations, I just think that many hunters use them as a scape goat when their deer season (or elk, etc.) doesn't go as well as they had hoped. As for the killing of deer and leaving them for scavengers, here is an brief excerpt that addresses this natural occurrence: "Hard Reality Obviously, wolves kill deer and other prey animals to survive. In the Great Lakes region, researchers note that a wolf eats the average equivalent of about 15 to 20 adult-sized deer per year, which varies depending on the number of alternative prey and winter severity. Usually the carcass of a prey animal is fully utilized by the wolves; however, during the final months of a severe winter with deep snow, wolves sometimes kill more than they need. This "surplus killing" seldom occurs, and normally only when deer are nutritionally stressed from deep snow. Researchers have noted that when surplus killing occurs, the internal organs of the deer are often consumed while much of the remaining carcass is left. Normally, wolves start eating the large muscles at the point of attack, but quickly move on to eat the internal organs. The internal organs are probably the most nutritious portions of the animal so that such feeding behavior increases the wolf's efficiency in acquiring the best food available. During surplus killing, the remaining carcass may appear to be a waste; however, the wolves have taken the best portion and the remains benefit scavengers such as fox, fisher, marten, weasel, bald eagles and ravens. Even wolves will return to feed on the carcass; in nature nothing goes to waste." Clearly the relationship between deer, wolf and hunter is a complicated one and there are no easy answers, I just have a hard time seeing the wolf as "Wicked". Besides, I'd rather share the deer with the wolves than some of the gun (and bow) toting guys I've come across, especially at our Cabin in Wisconsin. One more side note, my area here in MN didn't even have a measurable whitetail population until logging began. Back then it was just the wolf, the moose and the woodland caribou. I'd like to see the caribou reintroduced at some point... more meat!:d
I've seen the preview with Dan's footage, looks awesome! I'm planning on grabbing a copy, I just haven't gotten around to it yet.
