Wolf Watching tips

Today I am happy to respond to two emails send to me by two different people around the world. I've placed the emails but omitted the names for security. Both emails are about wolf watching and any tips I can offer.

"Hi Pete,
I live in East Washigton state, close to the Strawberry and Ni'icn territories. I've been living here for about three years now and although I have heard wolves and seen evidence of wolves but never actually seen one. I've been in the woods a few times but to no avail. Any tips to see them?"

"Dear blogger,
I am writing to say that I enjoy your blog and particularly your nice words about wolves. I just moved to Brandeburg in Germany and the locals here say that the forests near my house have wolves in them. I went walking a few times and I haven't seen any,nor have I heard any. One of the locals uses the same path I do and has seen wolves two different times. Any tips on how to see any?"

So first things first, I've never seen a wild wolf before. It's sad but I was never given the opportunity(never lived in a country with wild wolves) but I hope to rectify that soon by going wolf watching. I can however provide a few tips I've heard from other wolf watchers as well as from a behavioural point of view. I wish a good luck to you both and if you can snap a picture then send me one. I'd love to see it.

The main thing you should know is that wolves are early risers. So if you want to see wolves you gotta be out there early. And I do mean early. Like 4-5 am depending on the sunlight. This is usually the best time to catch a glimpse of them as they tend to be active at dusk and dawn. During noon they tend to rest.

Another thing is to learn about rendezvous points or identify areas of high traffic. Usually areas with wolf scat(poop) or pee as well as highly used areas(you can usually identify those by the frequency of tracks) are your best bet. Make sure you situate yourself downstream(to avoid them picking up on your scent), keep a respectable distance(about 100-300 feet/50-100m)  and try and make yourself as less obvious as possible. Be patient. An encounter could take days but wolves are creatures of habit. If they use a route you can bet they will use it again. Stalk it and you just might see it.

Observing other wildlife and signs is actually a good bet itself too. If you happen to find a deer carcass that has been partially eaten or a den then make a note of it and stalk it from a distance. The key word is distance. If you are hoping for a really close encounter then I wouldn't recommend that.  Following ravens to carcasses is also a good idea as wolves and ravens tend to hang out together.

Make sure you don't make your presence known. Wolves are naturally scared and cautious of humans so making noise, moving around and other stuff that reveal your presence, can be detrimental to your wolf watching. Don't try and catch their attention by yelling and so forth. Rather just be silent and watch.

Ideally if you are going wolf watching, finding experienced wolf watchers will definitely help a lot. Locals who have experience with the packs, their behaviours and where they hang out is a good way to figure out where to look. Sometimes government organisations and researchers will provide you with the location of radio collared wolves and that can help.

Hopefully these tips will help out

Cool Wolf Facts

t's Wolf Awareness Week so I decided to write down some facts about wolves that make them extremely cool and badass.


1)Wolves can travel from up to 60 miles(96 km) over a single night.

2)They can maintain the speed of 40 mph/64kmh for over 10 miles/16 km.

3)Wolves can pick weak or sick animals from a herd. Animals which seem completely healthy have been killed by wolves. When given an autopsy, the prey seemed to be sick or full of parasites.

4)Wolf bites have a bite force of 406 PSI(that means it can shatter bones in two bites)

5)Although not renown for their stealth, there have been recorded incidents of wolves lying down waiting for prey to be driven towards them. This sort of behaviour has been recorded in the Elsmere Islands by tundra wolves and Mongolian wolves in the Steppes.

6)Wolves have adopted a technique of getting rid of fleas which involves holding on to a stick and submerging themselves underwater.The fleas all jump on the stick which the wolf then lets go.

Don't interfere with wildlife

I really don't like ranting posts. I feel like I am preaching and I sound snobbish but I can't help not to. In response to this news article I just want to say not to mess with nature. Picking up wildlife and saving wildlife in particular is a risky risky business.

First of all, you may end up hurting the animal instead of saving it. In the case of the news above, the girl saved a tortoise by dropping it in the water. Problem is that some tortoises can't swim and she may have just drowned it. In other cases, helping baby animals may actually affect their life. Some baby birds drop from their nests and their mother pick them up. That's how they learn how to fly.  Some animals leave their young for a while to go foraging for food. So while you are walking around, you may encounter a nest of young and think they are abandoned and deprive the young of their mom.

Secondly, it may be dangerous for you. There are countless videos and reports of people being attacked by animals which were either injured, cornered or had their young threatened. Nature is unpredictable that way and it may just be that you are endangering your life. Another unseen threat is diseases. People who have rescued stranded dolphins or wounded animals have been known to contract diseases from those mammals. So you may actually hurt yourself or your pets/animals you love.

So what should you do? The best course of action is to let an official know. If you have phone signal, call the local authorities for wildlife in the area and let them know. They will handle it as they see fit. In some cases you may be asked to leave the animals alone. It may seem cruel and evil but it may ultimately be for their own good. If you are worried about the stance of your local authorities then contacting an NGO or non profit organisation may be a good idea. If they give you a similar response then follow their instructions.

If you aren't in an area with phone reception then the best course of action is to leave the animals alone. If an animal is visibly injured, mark the location and return to a place where you can contact the authorities. Keep in mind that if that animal is a herbivore you may be messing with some predator's  meal and be on your guard.  Never approach the animal because cornered and injured animals can deal out some serious damage. In case of marine strandings, call the authorities as soon as possible and they will let you know how to deal with it. Don't try putting it back in the water as you may hurt it, and don't try keeping it wet as you may induce shock. Usually the person at the end of the line is capable to guide through some basic stuff that you can do while the professionals arrive.

What happens if you are too far away to get help? That is all up to you and your ethics.  However assessing the situation, being smart and levelheaded as well as realistic should be your first instincts and never put yourself in danger or situations you can't handle.

In conclusion, nature and wildlife have a way of dealing with situations themselves. If you are worried then contacting the authorities before acting is always the best plan and remember that even animals you are rescued/have rescued can hurt you so always be aware.