Some of the wolves get lots of observations. Others are seldom seen other than by radio track, and even then it is often just a signal. The Sunlight Pair, wolf 52M, born to the Rose Creek Pack in 1996, and 41F, formerly of the Druid Peak Pack, paired late last winter, shortly after the famous white wolf 39F was shot near Crandall. The two got together too late to have pups, but pupd are expected in 1999. Robert Hoskins was kind enough to send me the following observations of their tracks. Good tracking, Robert! I thought people would be interested.
Ralph
I was hunting elk the last two weeks in Wyoming's Clarks Fork and Sunlight watersheds and came across the fresh tracks of the Sunlight pair on two separate days. Just got back. On 23 November, I found the tracks on Reef Creek Trail, NW of Windy Mountain, moving in the direction of Sunlight Basin (SW). It had snowed pretty heavily the day before, so these tracks were either made late the 22nd or early the 23rd. They came from the direction of Crandall Creek. I first came on the tracks 10 minutes up the trail from Hwy 296, the Chief Joseph Highway. I also found three urine posts (smells like coal oil). The male stayed pretty steadily on the Trail while the female weaved back and forth through the spruces, occasionally crossing the trail. They moved up onto a clearcut bench, which the Trail crosses, and they stayed pretty much in the same sw direction: toward Sunlight Basin, probably through Painter Gulch; the trail passes to the west of Windy Mountain.
On 25 November, I found tracks on the road of the Sunlight Management Area (elk winter range), on both sides of Sunlight Creek, near the game warden's horse corral--which was full of horses.
On the 23rd, they appeared to be doing some hard traveling; only stopped once to sniff around and leave a lot of tracks in a fairly open, aspen park through which the trail passed. Then they moved relentlessly on.
Also, this past May, in Sunlight Basin (Beam Gulch), I found a dead coyote that appeared to have been killed by wolves; its skull was crushed in. 30 meters away, I found elk hair-filled wolf scat laid on top of old horse dung.
Above Crandall, looking south. Copyright © Ralph Maughan
