Sleepy Wolves
by Tom ZieberDay 18 YNP Winter Study:
The Lamar Valley today was in a foul mood. The sky was overcast all day, although there were never enough clouds to snow. The wind blew, and with the high humidity in the air -- a "warm" 24 degrees left everyone -- battle-hardened veterans included, felt chilled to the bone. A gray day. The wolves did the wisest thing possible and they slept most of the day. They may have had full bellies as there was a carcass nearby, just west of Jasper Creek and on the north bank of the Lamar River, but because of the wolves proximity and the foul weather canceling our flight we could not determine the cause of death. Perhaps tomorrow the crew will get a chance to investigate the kill site (I have a day off on day 19, so I will report second-hand on what I find).
The one moment of real excitement came when the pack had a group ceremony near the kill site. As they were finishing up, three coyotes came into the area to investigate the potential of a meal. Instead, they all ended up running for their lives as #40F led yet another foray against the trickster coyote. The chase was very similar to yesterday. #40 chased a coyote up a hill and the coyote made a large loop to run downhill. This time it was able to make a spectacular leap from the bank of the Lamar River and escape the pursuing wolves. The river seemed to serve as a "county line" that the wolves were not willing to cross. Its interesting to note that #40 was chasing a coyote along the river bank when she decided to switch to the one that had run uphill. Perhaps she thought that yesterday's strategy would serve her well again. This time she didn't make the same gain as the coyote managed to keep its distance - I suppose the wolves had more food in their bellies than yesterday, also.
The rest of the day was filled with more subtle examples of wolf behavior. After the chase the pack settled down and we were able to witness the use of a large, beached stump as a play area. The pups and some adults engaged in wrestling and play behavior for about 30 minutes. It was fun to watch as the pups crawled all over the stump and played a sort of "king of the hill" game. Later in the afternoon one of the pups went to the kill site and retrieved the pelt of the deceased elk. This pup looked proud carrying the pelt back to the bedding area, and received an enthusiastic welcome from the other wolves upon his return. Everyone who was watching laughed at this - rarely have I seen such a great example of the joy of life that young wolves incorporate into their lives. All of the pups spent parts of the next two hours chewing on the pelt.
In the late afternoon the wolves had had enough rest and began to travel towards Crystal Creek. Along the way the pack encountered a herd of bison and made a concerted effort to steer clear of them. One gray pup approached the herd and three large bulls promptly chased him away. Towards the edge of darkness we saw the Druids in the Crystal creek drainage, passing through a large herd of elk bulls. There was one group of bulls that ran from the wolves but the wolves made no effort to chase. I will carry the memory of the pup with the hide with me forever, it was classic - but I was only to glad to get home and take a hot shower. It was cold.
Incidentally, the Rose Creek pack made a triple kill today. One kill was made by two wolves and the other two were reportedly made by individual wolves. They must have been hungry.
© Thomas Frederick Zieber