Elk vs. Wolf - Field & Stream

Bull Elk Takes On a Wolf Pack

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photo: Donald M. Jones: donaldmjones.com

Photos by Donald M. Jones
As told to Tom McCafferty

Wildlife photographer Don Jones was in the Lamar Valley in Yellowstone National Park at dawn last January when he saw this 6-point bull elk standing in a creek with three wolves watching from the bank.

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Comment on This Article

At 7:43 PM, 2008-12-30, Brandon said:
Wow, that's kinda messed up...but it was really cool.

At 12:02 PM, 2008-12-28, PeckerwillysDad said:
Peckerwilly, isn't it time you put down the g@y porn mags and go look for a job so you can move out of my basement?

At 10:23 AM, 2008-12-23, Caleb said:
this is a great video.

At 5:21 PM, 2008-12-11, peckerwilly said:
elk arehotnakedandiwoulddooneanaly

At 5:18 PM, 2008-12-11, butsmells like yourface said:
lickmytaco

At 10:48 AM, 2008-11-28, mike said:
our 280 acres in northern wisc. had large amounts of deer, rabbits, grouse, squirrel, and chipmonks. wolves found the little haven and decimated all the other wildlife. this deer season i saw only three different sets of deer tracks. there was a reason wolves were hunted down. when you see three sets of eyes following you at night is one , and decimation of game is the other.

At 10:28 AM, 2008-11-24, jdl said:
i think that obama needs to drop the issues on guns and hunting and focus on not being killed

At 10:26 AM, 2008-11-24, jd said:
i think that we should have a open wolf hunt to protect our elk

At 10:14 PM, 2008-11-22, jay said:
first off that is some great pictures. now to the wolf issue. i really dont think there are so meany wolves that they are destroying the elk and deer population. i have seen a million deer and thousands of elk, havent seen a wolf yet..

At 11:07 AM, 2008-11-21, Brians Backup said:
what brian said

At 11:36 PM, 2008-11-17, Brian said:
im sock and tired of havein to deal with wovles when im hunting with my hounds. i have seen the stupid things walking right down the road goin into town. i think that we should take all the peta people and animal activists and feed them to the wolves. we need a season on them and need to get the elk and deer populations back up

At 3:43 PM, 2008-11-12, Ike said:
this is becoming a very common sight in the west. go to this link, kutv.com, and click on 'outdoors'. there you can watch and hear the story of two outdoorsmen witnessing a pack hunt a healthy cow elk, she tries the same tactic of escape as this bull. the video is incredible and worth the watch. the wolves must be kept in check, they need a designated season.

At 11:01 PM, 2008-11-10, Danny said:
the fact that we are here is exactly why things should be different. we're higher on the food chain than the wolf, and their numbers were reduced for a good reason, it was all part of the natual order or things. im just saying we need to control their numbers, before they get out of control.

At 11:56 PM, 2008-11-09, WI Hunter said:
i think as responsible hunters we should trap the wolves and use them to control an increasing unwanted population. peta,liberals,animal rights groups, and californians. we should release them in the majors cities and let them deal with their pet wolves.

At 5:00 PM, 2008-11-09, Pepper said:
i have several comments. 1) wolves didn't overhunt or decimate the game population in earlier times due to the fact that there wasn't a really large human population restricting their territory. they hunted everywhere. now their range is strictly limited, which is a whole different story. 2) they are opportunistic hunters, they don't kill only the weak and sick. i don't recall having seen many "weak" or "sick" ungulates, even before elk re-introduction. to think they only kill for food is naive. so is the thought that they spend all their time killing. 3) like any predator/prey relationship, when prey is abundant, the predators thrive and multiply prolifically. it's true they'll die off when there is no more "prey" to support their numbers. however, before they reach that point, their prey includes all of the game animals, plus, cattle, sheep, horses, dogs, cats, etc.....and they'll migrate everywhere in search of prey. 4) controlled hunting is the only way to keep their numbers in check to the point where an acceptable balance can be maintained. 5) it's a sad day when you can no longer pack into the mountains and leave your pack string at camp, not knowing if they'll be there when you get back. 6) wolves were never endangered. there are countless thousands roaming free and wild in canada and alaska. 7) if you re-introduce them out west you should be obligated to re-introduce them back east, where many complain of being over-run by whitetail deer. you will then see how cute and loving wolves really are. 8) hunters have footed the bill for generating the elk/deer populations we now enjoy. wolves have been forced upon us by interest groups from other states, where will they (or their money) be when the states have to pay to manage out of control wolf populations? 9) i've heard the call of hunting wolf packs when i'm 20 miles from the nearest road. it engenders a feeling i've never experienced, even when a grizzly is snuffling around outside my tent. i've vastly exceeded my 10 lines--hopefully i'll get posted anyway.

At 7:04 PM, 2008-11-06, Gregory said:
wtf i am a hunter and feel priveleged to be able to go out and bag an animal to feed my family and hopefully have a trophy to talk about. thats why we hunt. the thrill of the chase, the time we invest, the hard work we put in. are the wolves any different???? i dont know who posted that statement, but we are different from wolves. its called self awareness and higher though processes instead of instinct. here is the nj bear analogy, the tree hugging libs banned it, now the black bears are invading homes and garbage more often. so no their is a commercial saying if you "feed" the bears, ie.w/your garbage, you will be fined over 1000 dollars to begin with. they want to tax their way out of their mess. same as always. expect a healthy "fee" to hunt the wolf.

At 7:04 PM, 2008-11-06, anonymous said:
wtf i am a hunter and feel priveleged to be able to go out and bag an animal to feed my family and hopefully have a trophy to talk about. thats why we hunt. the thrill of the chase, the time we invest, the hard work we put in. are the wolves any different???? i dont know who posted that statement, but we are different from wolves. its called self awareness and higher though processes instead of instinct. here is the nj bear analogy, the tree hugging libs banned it, now the black bears are invading homes and garbage more often. so no their is a commercial saying if you "feed" the bears, ie.w/your garbage, you will be fined over 1000 dollars to begin with. they want to tax their way out of their mess. same as always. expect a healthy "fee" to hunt the wolf.

At 6:40 PM, 2008-11-06, hunterforlife said:
i cant wait to get shoot me a wolf! im sick of them driving the elk population into the ground. im also gettin sick of the tree huggers thinking wolves are peaceful creatures and only kill what they eat.

At 4:59 PM, 2008-11-06, anonymous said:
there were elk, wolves and cougars living in the same area before settlers arrived. now that we are here why should it be different?

At 12:27 PM, 2008-11-05, Danny said:
the pro-wolf people also don't realize how destructive these animals are. sure they're beautifull creatures, but i dont want to worry about them while hunting! i would sure hate to see whitetail hunting go down the crapper when they're arent enough of them bacause there are too many wolves killing them

At 12:24 PM, 2008-11-05, Danny said:
the wolf problem out west is coming soon to the midwest too. here in wisconsin, the wolf population is growing fast. pretty soon, they will overpopulate, run out of room, and move into populated areas and start attacking kids and pets, just like cyotes have! the pressence of the wolf changes everything, and if wolf lovers had their way hunting would be illegal and wolves alone would control the big game population. we all need to be responsible about this because it has potential to be a big problem.

At 10:11 PM, 2008-11-04, James said:
tammy, "survival of the fittest"??? well i am at the top of the food chain, so good luck wolves...survival of the fittest!!! regards, james

At 8:24 PM, 2008-11-04, BENIE MRGAN said:
i think it is wrong to kill a wolf just cause they try to live!

At 8:19 PM, 2008-11-04, Ben Schexnayder said:
i want to tell you crackpots something!i like to hunt, but when you start saying that it's ok for you to kill elk for pleasure,sport,vension,but not cause you need to live off of it.you think it's wrong for a wolf to kill a elk for food,survile,and cause god put it in them to live.you want to kill them cause they kill something you wanted to get.is that a reson to hate them?

At 6:53 PM, 2008-11-04, HuntinFool said:
i got a new 22-250 with a bull barrel and a thumbhole stock that i am naming the wolfenator!

At 3:17 PM, 2008-11-03, BRANDT said:
dang wolfes if only i just happened to be there watchin with my 30-06

At 9:28 AM, 2008-11-03, Ian said:
smoke a pack a day!

At 9:30 PM, 2008-11-02, sam said:
i'll bet most of you wolf lovers are voting 4 obama!!

At 10:44 PM, 2008-11-01, Eric said:
run to death was a figure of speech. im sorry i should have said run half to death

At 3:11 PM, 2008-11-01, Michigan Bear said:
the wolf population has destoryed white tail hunting here in the dirty glove, the u.p. used to be home to many white tail trophy's (trophy by michigan standards, not the west) you would used to see 20 30 deer a day now you can go two weeks with out seeing a deer. my friends that live in the up tell me about how often they see wovles in the wild and i always found it hard to believe, untill this past summer i seen one running across the high way in broad day light while camping.

At 9:20 AM, 2008-11-01, Rocko said:
how laughable to post people should do their homework and you didn't even read the captions. the bull got away!

At 11:31 AM, 2008-10-31, Eric said:
as a native to north idaho i have see the damage these animals are doing to the elk population, they are all but extinct in heavily wolf populated areas, and its not from the hunters! now days hunters are as much of natural preditor as wolves, the only difference is control. hunting is regulated wolves are not. as for some of the comments on this artice, you people need to do your home work before voicing your thoughts. that bull was not in poor shape it just appears that way because he's been run to death in sub zero weather. if i would have witnessed this there would be six less wolves.

At 8:49 PM, 2008-10-30, RLA said:
doug smith is a liar, and egotystical goverment employee. he has his own agenda and beliefs. not sound, educated, data and statistics. again, the reintroduced canadian wolf has, and never will do any good for hunting, elk populations, wyoming, montana, or idaho!

At 2:44 PM, 2008-10-30, Idaho Elk Hunter said:
this needs to be managed! in a very short time we are going to be doing everything we can to save the elk in idaho. for those of you that are in favor of the wolfs maybe you get out of town and go see whats really going on. or just wait a year or two and they will be in town. i imagine the outdoorsman in this state will take managing them into there own hands at some point.

At 10:56 PM, 2008-10-29, hunter said:
the wolves arent the problem. they have been hunting elk long before we started. its more natural than the guy walking around hunting the same animal so he can have another head to hang on the wall. as far as them being cruel, how many animals are gut shot each year and die slowly? how many have a leg shot off? how many are spotlighted and shot only for their antlers? im not against hunters or the wolves, just trying to put into perspective.

At 8:19 AM, 2008-10-29, JFK said:
i really don't get the wolf lovers. the long and drawn out death by the tearing fangs of a wolf pack must be the absolute worst way to die. i saw a tv show where recently reintroduced wolves were chasing elk (in yellowstone, i think) and the wolf lovers were watching from the road with binoculars and cheering the wolves on. they thought "finally nature has been restored with this reintroduction". i think it's fair to say, the elk were considerably less gleeful. in fact, it made me think how "natural" it would be to see some of these "reintroduction� people being chased down and consumed. heck, i'd even settle for one of them attempting to battle an infection without antibiotics. but, forget that though. they�re too good to suffer. it�s just the rest of the species that have to put on the "natural" show.

At 8:54 PM, 2008-10-28, R Hayes said:
god gave man dominion over the animals of the field. wolves and mountain lions are detrimental to populations of deer, elk and the like. the deer population in the state of ca has been severely damaged by the moritorium on mountain lions in the state. people are at danger also. wolves will soon be endangering people also if their population is not kept in check. nature at its finest does not mean wolves, mountain lions, bears, and the like should go unchecked and unharvested. population control is the answer and man has to do it.

At 2:30 PM, 2008-10-28, Tammy said:
these pictures were good. everyone does need to remember these animals are all gods creation and they were here before us. i have been around hunting my entire life and i agree to shoot something if you are planning on eatting it, but for a trophy it is not a good idea. i also fish but it is to eat the meat. for the wolves killing the healthy elk, you can tell that the elk is in poor health by looking at it. remember the wildlife biologist have studied wolf kills for many years and most kills are the sick and weak ones. please take a class from doug smith at the yellowstone institute to get more educated on the matter. also remember "survival of the fittest".

At 11:51 AM, 2008-10-28, anonymous said:
i am a hunter and would like to hunt wolfs some day but they dont need to be wiped out and these pics were totally awsome thanks missouri hunter

At 10:50 PM, 2008-10-27, Jackpine savage mn said:
when they reintroduced them i thought it was a bad idea and now i think the removel of them would be benificial to all.what are they doing for me! kill em

At 8:28 PM, 2008-10-27, elkhead said:
people just dont understand how much impact these wolves are having on our elk population. they need to have seasons on these killers.

At 8:27 PM, 2008-10-27, elkhead said:
people just dont understand how much impact these wolves are having on our elk population. they need to have seasons on these killers.

At 7:01 PM, 2008-10-27, Culley22 said:
where are the "after" photos with him posing with his successful harvests?? that'd make this pictoral that much better!!!

At 4:58 PM, 2008-10-27, Angel said:
i believe that humans are the ones to blame as far as taking down all our big game.i hunt, but i believe that you need to limit yourself, dont shoot if you arent for sure its the one you want. the wolves were here long before us, and look at all the buffalo, whitetails, elk, mule deer, ect. that were here with the wolves, before we came along!!!

At 11:56 AM, 2008-10-27, jim said:
so does the mean your agiant hunting every thing or just wolves

At 1:01 AM, 2008-10-26, anonymous said:
the wolf is one of gods creatures so we should not try to harm them. god wouldnt have put them here for no reason. when you kill a wolf you are playing god and you shouldnt be doing that. praise the lord!

At 1:18 AM, 2008-10-25, Cam said:
amen to kayser and to rrb....i would have taken out the large black one as he seems to be at the front lines in a good chunk of the first pictures meaning he was probably a leader....cut the head off the snake and the pack is going to hurt a lot more than if you just drop a couple of the inside members. another thing you can do is injure or gut shoot one animal, this will cause a fight that will kill the injured animal and most likely injure and eventually kill more of the pack as well. it was a trick that the indians used whne they were in need of doing "pack control".

At 10:49 PM, 2008-10-24, Bill Kayser said:
i don't know the photographer,don jones credentials,but there's a good chance that the wolfs killed the bull when they got him in the timber for sport and then killed another the next day.i know this probably sounds preposterous to big city pilgrams,but what do i know,i,m just a dumb montana cowboy and wilderness guide.

At 10:17 PM, 2008-10-24, rrb said:
i used to say "shoot shovel shut your mouth", i have changed my thoughts, "shoot, drop let em rote" i will kill ever one i see, tag or no tag, and to the photoghapher, im jealous, i whished it had been me and my nikon, great pics

At 5:47 PM, 2008-10-24, Texas hunter said:
wasnt that good

At 8:47 PM, 2008-10-23, anonymous said:
to brandon: we are not talking about deer in minnesota which have a much higher success rate in terms of survival of their young. most whitetail in minnesota produce an average of 2 to 3 young in the spring and have a great survival rate. a healthy cow elk usually only produces one calf....maybe two if we are very luck, but the mortality rate is through the roof...especially now since generations of elk have gone without having to fend off the wolf. now the wolves are invading calving grounds for the elk herds and reflex killing the calves as the cows are giving birth! we have a video and i have seen it with my own two eyes....it is absolutely terrifying to watch. since these generations of elk have not had this keystone and top predator to deal with in the past they have no clue how to handle this so their calves survive. so in other words....because wolves work in your area you shouldn't open your mouth until you know the whole story in our ecosystem. comments like yours is what gives the anti-hunters and pro-wolf people more ammunition....you should be on the hunters team not theirs.

At 8:41 PM, 2008-10-23, Cam said:
note: first major publicized attack in idaho....not the first attack overall

At 8:38 PM, 2008-10-23, Cam said:
one more side note: i have a strong feeling that the first attack on humans will be a child walking his dog on a camping trip some place. the wolves, who are amazingly territorial against other canids, will come in and the child will be an interaction with the attack. we have never in history had this dense of a timberwolf/human population.....people who say there has never been an attack are spewing mythical banter from pro-wolf advocates that love that rumor. there have been thousands of attacks, mostly in asia, but also spread out on our nieve north american rock too. the countdown is beginning.....last fall elk hunting a black male came within ten yards of me. even after i fired my .40 s&w at its feet it only jumped back about five yards but did not run from me. they have no fear of us and they will get more and more brave as long as we are still treating each one of them like they are the last one on this planet. pro-wolf people need to open their eyes and or actually come to the state and experience what is happening first hand instead of sitting in their californian home in the suburbs of san francisco hoping that if they whine enough one day they can come to idaho and take a picture of a live wolf from their car instead of just seeing one at the zoo....but that picture they don't understand is costing us thousands and thousands of hard earned and conserved elk that idaho/montana/wyoming sportsmen pay for through all of the money we actually put into the system instead of just political whining!

At 8:31 PM, 2008-10-23, Cam said:
if you don't live in idaho, wyoming or montana and interact with the wolves and the elk on a personal level, you have no right to comment on how good the wolves are to the elk population. i was born and raised in idaho, i am educated and i am an open minded person. however, i have completely swung around from thinking wolves may in fact be healthy to the elk heards to actually seeing and experiencing in person and not through other peoples opinion how devastating these animals have been to our herds. they have destroyed the lolo herd which was the healthiest herd in idaho state. wolves need to go! they kill any animal not just weak or sick ones. they reflex kill...i watched it with my own eyes during calf season and do not even eat the animal. i would sacrifice my own life to see all of the wolves go to know future generations can experience the beauty of a strong ungulate population!

At 7:08 PM, 2008-10-23, antiwolf said:
what are people thinking just wait until humans are the next target.

At 5:28 PM, 2008-10-23, steve said:
elk populations and the hunters more are important to the economy of those states than the wolves are and if they are detrimental to the elk herd, shot them all.

At 4:38 PM, 2008-10-23, sawyer said:
great pictures and i bet those wolfs were scared and i bet that elk is still alive.

At 3:48 PM, 2008-10-23, matt n idaho said:
i hate the wolfs. worst hunting season ever more wolf kills than i have ever seen.as for me and my camp we have a shoot on site policy. and i dont care if its leagal or not!!there was a reason we poisoned them the first time and the feds have no busniess stuffing them in our face. what happened to we the people? we need more people to stand up to these radical groups and lobiest and take the matters into our hands as a result of failing government. hope my kids will even have elk to see by the time they grow up!!!!!morons!!

At 12:14 PM, 2008-10-23, JRF said:
i am completely blown away by the level of uneducated comments in relation to grey wolves. to say that wolves are not native just proves that you are a victim of the "little red riding hood and the big bad wolf syndrome." there is one documented wolf attack on humans in the continental united states! but yet these creatures are given bad reputation.

At 9:53 AM, 2008-10-23, Pahunter said:
incredible footage! what i noticed in the magazine pics is what looks to be an elk rack partly submerged. the mag pic's definition is clearer than web screen. it is middle photo on right side of bull. thanks to donald jones !

At 8:45 AM, 2008-10-23, RLA said:
the wolf in the western states, such as here in wy. were introduced, not natural, not a native species. we have to live with them 24/7! no good has or ever will come from them being released into our states! you like them, come get them!!!!!!!

At 7:25 AM, 2008-10-23, Brandon said:
all i know is, i hunt white tail deer in wolf territory and the population is increasing. not to mention, i've seen numerous wolf kills(well remenants) when i've been hiking and never have i seen anything resembling a strong full grown male. seriously, these people talking about wolves like they are ecoterrorists are ridiculous and have no idea what the hell they are talking about. too bad for your poor little ranch!

At 1:27 AM, 2008-10-23, rick said:
theres a place on this planet for all species, they all serve their respective duties, but every thing has its limits, to many wolves = less live stock, less livestock = less food for us, less food for us = we eat the animal activists..mmm mmm

At 11:34 PM, 2008-10-22, lineflyer9 said:
wolves should be introduced into california, new york, massachusetts,and florida so people will get to see them in their own backyards. nothing like having a 4 legged killer in your backyard instead of the 2 legged killers they have now.

At 7:11 PM, 2008-10-22, Marylander said:
what a great opportunity to see nature in action. i don't understand the thought process of so many of the people here. how arrogant to say that they are our heards. they are there for us the same as they are for the wolf. you expect nature(in this case the wolf)to follow the laws of man. they follow the laws of nature which is the law of the creator. i am a hunter but i only take what i will eat or will give to another to eat. the wolf hunts for survival. he does not have a grocery store where he can pick up dinner on the way home. i will gladly give up my "right" to hunt for a creature that has no option. why does man think that everything should bend to his will? the complaint that these are canadian wolves and they don't belong here is absurd. they are our boundaries not the wolves. does canada have this problem with the wolves? i do believe that there is a time for managment(unfortunately) but not for annihilation.

At 7:11 PM, 2008-10-22, anonymous said:
jonathan, we call that a 6x6 or six point bull out here. he was probably just trying to survive!

At 5:01 PM, 2008-10-22, HuntinFool said:
wow, people have no clue what these wolves are doing to our elk herds and when they run out of elk they will eat whatever has a heartbeat! before you make a stupid statement about save the fuzzy little worthless wolves, come to idaho and do some of your own hiking and see for yourself the impact these predators are having! they are not the same wolves we had originally and need to be exterminated (again)!!!! if you love wolves so much, come take a hike with me without something for personal protection against them and i will introduce you to a nice friendly pack that you can cuddle with!

At 3:23 PM, 2008-10-22, Jonathan said:
the thing is... the elk is an 8- point buck. the fact he stood against those young wolves is because it was probably mating season. he was just being territorial. it's not uncommon to see the "food" stand up against the hunter. and for you animal loving naturests... elk taste good if you sesson it right. ^_~

At 8:38 PM, 2008-10-21, RLA said:
by the time obama and the environuts get done with us,(hunters)hunting will be done. the greatest strife of our generation is about to be upon us!

At 8:34 PM, 2008-10-20, buckeyesteve said:
i don't live out west, but it sure seems to me as though hunters out there better start pushing to make the wolf "fair game" as well. hunters are the only chance a balanced eco-system has of existing.

At 6:34 PM, 2008-10-20, Dan said:
i agree with lou; reintroduce wolves in central park and photograph them taking down a hot dog stand...an old, weak hot dog stand. then, there would be more healthy hot dog stands. less cholesterol, healthier new yorkers! brilliant! once again, the wolves save the human race.

At 10:13 AM, 2008-10-20, Bowhunter308 said:
you guys have too much time on your hands. kudos to the man that sat in those freezing elements and shared these amazing pics with us.

At 4:19 PM, 2008-10-18, UP said:
ya'll need to chill. i think this photographer was very lucky to have caught this moment. its a natrual thing. nature isnt always fare. and about the wolves killin the sheep and not eating on em'... thats under nobodys control so just accept it. congradulations if you have a wolf problem... nobody cares!

At 10:46 AM, 2008-10-18, tyler said:
wow i am very impressed in that elk.also they were young but they were 16.

At 4:02 PM, 2008-10-17, Buck Boone said:
why don'tthe photos, which are great, match the "copy," of the story?

At 11:14 AM, 2008-10-17, flyfisherman said:
pictures are discouraging. most of the knowledge of the pro-wolf people came from a bunch of books that some city boy environmentalist wanted to influence the public. if you want some real truth go talk to the ranchers and farmers that deal everyday with the wolf and bear problem. they don�t just spend a hunting season with them. they spend all year every year! you all talk like you are experts because you have hunted for a while or read a book. i lived 26 years in northern wyoming as a rancher. my father was a rancher and so was his. you think that some researcher that spends 2 summers studying wolves and then writes about it has any clue! the wolves have actually made our hunting better because of the location of our ranch is out side of the park and the elk are pushed there. i have watched a pack of wolves take down a healthy 6x6 bull elk, eat the guts out of it while it was still alive and then leave all the meat. if you ever lived in the country you know that if a bunch of dogs get to gather, it is bad news. we had 88 sheep killed in our corrals 50 yards from the house. not one was eaten on. it becomes an addicting game. that is exactly what the wolves that i watched did. i am not a grizzly bear fan, but they at least eat what they kill. i agree with the comment that there is so much more to it than people realize. if you only have read a couple of books and think they are cool please keep quiet and listen.

At 10:36 AM, 2008-10-17, bigeee1 said:
the reintroduction of the wolves and their subsequent continued protection is the anti-hunters new way of attmepting to destroy our hunting heritage. better that wolves decimate game herds and hunting operations shut down than have actual humans hunting a managed and healthy game population for sport, substinance and in some cases profit. be wise and beware. despite many sportman supporting the wolf reintroductions it is a fact that many hunting operations in effected areas are closing up due to a lack of huntable elk and deer. this is exactly what the anti's wanted and they are getting their wish.

At 8:45 AM, 2008-10-17, LDC said:
elk evolved to be powerful and hardy oven millions of years for a reason. these photos illustrate the point. wolves will kill whatever they can. that's survival. if they kill strong healthy bulls, that means only stronger ones will live and mate. that's why elk and deer haven't gone extinct. build a better mouse trap, and along comes a better mouse! we as hunters can't replicate that contribution to the gene pool. maybe if we dogged them with spears like one of the previous bloggers suggested we could, but rifles, compound bows, and scent locking camo don't come close. if we want to keep hunting strong, healthy, wiley game; this type of selection has to continue.

At 7:39 AM, 2008-10-17, Brandon said:
i live in minnesota, we have more wolves out of any state except alaska and we have a growing whitetail deer population. all these people worried about wolves killing off the deer population are nothing but paranoid schizos.

At 8:08 PM, 2008-10-16, RLA said:
matt, it good that you are involved at your age, but one point to ponder, wolves don't starve out here, it has been proven by usf&w and wyg&f, that when they reduce prey numbers or eliminate them in a certain area, they simply move on, expand their range, or switch prey species, as they are doing in yellowstone. that is why they are showing up in colorado, utah, oregon and washington. the wolf situation is far more complex than the average hunter knows. there is and was an underlying goal tied to the reintroduction.

At 8:03 PM, 2008-10-16, RLA said:
jd, you make a very good point, and a very conservative estimate. the wyoming g&f put the wolf numbers just in wy at over 700. how about 10 pounds of meat per dog per day, thats 7000# a day, average elk, 500#, so we are talking 14 elk a day, 365 days a year. that's 5110 per year. an elk has a trickle down value of over $1000 on average. now we are talking a lot of dollars, and a big dent in the herds. and this is just a very, very, consevative calculation!

At 6:53 PM, 2008-10-16, M.W said:
wolves take down healthy bison, elk are no problem ! outfitters in montana and wyoming are reporting a big drop in elk herds- wolves need to be managed by the fish & wildlife professionals.

At 3:44 PM, 2008-10-16, Armchair Cowboy said:
first of excellent pics. loved the description with each one. you sir have the job of a lifetime. secondly matt you are one smart kid. your parents should be proud that you don't jump to conclusions and you stop, think and rationalize what you are saying. thirdly, how are we any better than the wolves. most hunt just for trophy. wolves hunt for fun? some hunters hunt for food. wolves hunt for food. we take the best of the herd. wolves take what they can get. people only want the wolves around so they can hunt them. wtf i am a hunter and feel priveleged to be able to go out and bag an animal to feed my family and hopefully have a trophy to talk about. thats why we hunt. the thrill of the chase, the time we invest, the hard work we put in. are the wolves any different????

At 2:35 PM, 2008-10-16, osborne cox said:
it is awesome that we have these animals in there natural environment. i'd love to see them at my vineyard in arkansas!

At 12:38 PM, 2008-10-16, Coyote Killer said:
the old timers (100+ years ago) killed off the wolves and bears for a reason!

At 12:01 PM, 2008-10-16, bob said:
gary form iowa, if you want wolves you can have all the wolves you want from the rockies, maybe then you can feel lucky enough to live in a state with wolves. oh i almost forgot the deer probelm you speak of will taken care of, the wolves will kill them all.

At 11:28 AM, 2008-10-16, Gary from Iowa said:
i am not lucky enough to live in a state where wolves exist now. i do live in a state where the whitetail deer population is huge and out of control( no real predators). the slob hunters here want to kill every predator that moves (coyotes mostly)because they think they will have that much more game for themselves.

At 10:25 AM, 2008-10-16, JD said:
i would like everyone that thinks wolves kill just the sick and weak to stop and think for a moment. consider this. a pack of 6 wolves with an average weight of 135 pounds needs alot of meat to survive.a low number would be 600 pounds a month. lets estimate that there are 30 packs of wolves out there of this size. that would be 180 wolves. (a very low number for what is actually out there)that number of wolves would be consuming around 216,000 pounds of meat anually. now we should all be very worried about this because if the wolves "only feed on sick and dieing, 216,000 pounds of sick and dieing" that means that most of the elk herd in north america is sick, weak and dieing.if the wolves only kill the sick weak and dying then that would mean that up two thirds of our elk herd maybe more is sick and dying, the north amercan elk herd had better be placed on the endagered list because if it is this sick and week it won't last the winter. really? reality check? they kill what they want when they want!

At 1:55 AM, 2008-10-16, cmblake6 said:
reading through the comments above, i am amazed by the trolls. perhaps we should start hunting trolls?

At 12:35 AM, 2008-10-15, RLA said:
they do kill for fun, those that do not believe it, belong in a disney movie. it has been documented numerous times on winter feed grounds that a pack will kill and kill, and mame, and eat little of what they kill. some times nothing of what they kill. the wyoming g&f has seen it numerous times, the worst was on the grosventre feed grounds and snake river feed grounds. one instance, 23 elk were killed in one night by one pack. only one eaten, several were simply hamstrung are partially eaten alive. so they are not warm and fuzzy creratures, they are 150 pound killing machines.

At 12:35 AM, 2008-10-16, ALSO FROM IDAHO said:
s! s! s! you know what i'm saying. nuff said.

At 12:00 AM, 2008-10-15, Pam said:
wolves do not kill just for sport....like we humans do..they kill to survive...and they normally will not take a healthy animal, they usally target the sick and dying...yes in extreme cases they will try i repeat try to take down a healthy animal but that takes alot of wolves in a pack to accomplish and alot of effort...so they do prefer the unhealthy if they can get it

At 10:20 PM, 2008-10-15, steve said:
i am a avid hunter from idaho were the wolf problem is rapidly getting out of control. i read a comment from a person that didnt believe that wolves do target pregnent cows.they should come out to idaho in the spring and i will show them wolves circling cows trying to calve. then coming in and taking the new born calf and the cow if they can. i can guarenty you that wolves do not just target the sick and weak. the elk in the pictures above is a heathly strong bull elk not sick at all. i hunt every year for bolth deer and elk. i find more then one or two wolf kills every year. the wolves have no fear of humans and have no natural preditors to control there numbers. they are just realy big dogs and they breed like them. if you dont believe me check out saveourelk.com

At 9:41 PM, 2008-10-15, DGentry said:
my comment is just on the comments. appears to me people post just to see their opinions in print or to argue. i look at most of the pics because they are interesting. my opinion won't remove the pics if i don't like then and won't add more if i do. my opinion will not change anyone else's opinion either. so why all the arguing?

At 9:33 PM, 2008-10-15, Mc said:
bmf i hike in more than five miles to hunt the elk here in idaho and so what if other scavengers eat it that is not the point there are winter kills and sick ones for that not a 6x6 bull that is killed in its prime for the sport that those forsaken wolves do! and ya any ford is a pos i drive a chevy.

At 9:14 PM, 2008-10-15, elks said:
also notice how there is a set of antlers from a dead bull in one of the pictures in the magazine. 2nd picture down in teh series shows a set from a decent looking bull. bet they run the elk that way often and make the kill. doing hte same thing over and over.

At 9:07 PM, 2008-10-15, elks said:
bet that bull did not make it long if at all. just because the wolves had another kill does not mean they will not take another. thats like a drunk saying no thanks i already have a beer when offered a new one

At 9:06 PM, 2008-10-15, elks said:
wow so many idiots here and not enough time. wolves are not nearly as cool as everyone thinks they are. they are a wild dog. they will kill for fun or any other opprotunity that arises. they do not keep the herds in healthy balance. if you believe this take a trip to yellowsotne and count the number of baby elk, deer and moose you see. field and stream is a hunting and fishing web site. if the wolves continue to have free range, it may become just a fishing web site. simply put the wolves are pushed by environmentalist and other anti hunters to simply replace the need for hunting. use the wolves asa management tool and we do not need humans to do the job. as a hunting community we need to stand up against htis sort of invasion against our sport. we need to support the states battle to allow regulated hunting of elk. simply put elk are a renewable resource, a source of food, and clothing. in this day and age we need to protect as many of our renewavle resources as possible, not limit thier use because we want to a wild dog.

At 8:34 PM, 2008-10-15, Jake said:
these photos should cause every hunter to be outraged. i live in north central idaho where canadian grey wolves were first "introduced" after a winter in which over half of our elk herd died. the elk have never had a chance to recover. each year there are fewer and fewer elk, deer, and moose. the wolves have gone unchecked and are destroying a way of life, destroying our right to go hunting. its amazing to me that the only people who support the wolves do not live with them in their own backyards. mostly the wolf supporters are from animal rights groups that cause more damage than good, sueing at their leasure to make sure the wolf stays safe. it will only be a matter of time before all of the animals are gone and we will be reintroducing elk, deer, moose, and probably others. those of you that think mother nature will handle it and things will stay in balance should venture into the woods in the middle af winter and witness the killing, carniage and waste. its not the wolves fualt, the wolf is doing what wolves do. its the fualt of those that put them here and those that support them. shame on you.

At 7:19 PM, 2008-10-15, NCM said:
loved the photography. it is not often that wolves are fooled by an elk. i don't know if wolves are good for the area or not, but it certainly makes life interesting.

At 6:57 PM, 2008-10-15, RLA said:
we have 500 more wolves than the federal government agreed to here in wyoming. with no plan to reduce the numbers. some areas are totally devoid of elk, and in yellowstone, they have reduced elk numbers to a level where they are now preying on bison. no good has or ever will come of the reintrodcution of canadian grey wolves into wyoming. we have to live with them, if you want them come take them to your state! it isn't even safe to take your dog for a walk in the mountains in the spring for fear of it being attacked and killed by wolves.

At 6:00 PM, 2008-10-15, Nick said:
i grew up with wolves in northeast texas in the 1960's. they were eventually exterminated because of the bounties placed on them by local authorities. i never knew of any of the wolves killing cattle. they ate wild hogs and white tail deer. now that they are gone we are completely run over by wild hogs doing millions in damage to our area crops. white tail deer are also over stocked and doing the same thing. there must be a place for these animals (wolves) somewhere.

At 5:52 PM, 2008-10-15, MPN said:
mc, even if the wolves only eat some of the meat it is not wasted. other animals will benefit from the kill, thus showing how wolves are a vital part of the ecosystem. matt, the smartest 14 year old ever!

At 5:46 PM, 2008-10-15, Matt said:
az hunter, you're the ignorant one because you won't listen to any other opinion but your own. wolves aren't going to kill all the game, why because mother nature has checks and balances. if the wolves lower the elk population too much then some wolves will starve do to less food, this decrease in wolf population will in turn lead to elk populations rising, come on i'm only 14 and i know that.

At 5:30 PM, 2008-10-15, Buzzer said:
man fooling with nature is like the government ... the more man and government messes with things the worse they make it. nature works best on her own...but we have have over populated the world and interfere with her work. to bad.... vote for less government and more mother nature.

At 5:27 PM, 2008-10-15, Sgtmac said:
hey bruno, man is an apex predator, does that mean i can shoot you? wolves hunt to eat and survive, most of you "hunters" do it for trophy's. animals hunting is natural, humans shooting elk from a couple hundred yards away is not. maybe you should try hunting with a wood spear, might get some otherwise stupid people out of the gene pool!

At 5:23 PM, 2008-10-15, BMF said:
the ignorance on this page astounds me! first and foremost, for those who say let mother nature take it's course, fools, man is the reason for their eradication in the first place, we infected them with mange, put a price on their pelts and such back in the the late 1800's. mother nature was not the cause of the loss of numbers, it was all man's doing. second, i am a hunter here in montana and hunt about 60 miles from yellowstone, i have seen wolves in the wild, but what i have not seen, are instances of whichever fool mentioned carcasses with bites taken out and left to rot. that is down right ignorant. even if a pack would do that (no chance in hell), other predators, scavengers and such would finish off the carcas. stop embellishing the lies, you look like a fool. last, as a hunter, i cherish the fact they are out there, they make the elk more alert and highten the hunt. sorry if you're no longer able to road hunt and fill your tag from your ford pos. you actually have to get your lazy self out there and get off the beaten path.

At 5:17 PM, 2008-10-15, former wyo guy said:
there were already wolves in yellowstone when they were "reintroduced". they just added to the population. the wy gnf biologists gave proof to usfws many times but they ignored it in order to please the wackos from ny and calif. now the wolves have been found as far as 200 miles south of yellowstone because they are already overpopulated.

At 5:06 PM, 2008-10-15, cliff said:
your all missing the point. this man saw something which most of us will never see. nature doing what comes natuarlly. in a few years with our encroachment into their natrual habitat this will be a thing of the past. it was a wonderful story with great pictures, why the debate over this or that. enjoy the story and the pictures and give the debate a rest.

At 4:55 PM, 2008-10-15, BANDIT said:
excuse me but i didnt come here on no spaceship i figure i am part of the eco system i have canine teeth and my eyes face foward,this makes me a predator.predators have always killed or ran off other predators from thier domain thus the reason for the wolves demise in the first place.but with all the d---a---'s out there now we will probably lose to the wolves this time.

At 4:44 PM, 2008-10-15, Raymond King said:
wolves were here a hell of a long time before native americans or european americans. i hunt and i farm so don't go calling me some intellectual tree-hugger.

At 4:29 PM, 2008-10-15, CHETTY said:
well i am a red-neck... i would have taken my rifle back the second day and helped the elk. the rifle would be to defend not to harm the animals. my 2 cents

At 4:16 PM, 2008-10-15, Moshe said:
i am sick of everyone blaming "european" man!

At 4:10 PM, 2008-10-15, rj said:
up here in maine we have wolves and mountain lions but the department won't conclude that they are here even with proof of the animals

At 4:09 PM, 2008-10-15, Bruno said:
if you reintroduce an apex predator, don't tell me i can't shoot it.

At 3:44 PM, 2008-10-15, Carel Two-Eagle said:
nothing wrong with healthy wolves taking a healthy elk if they can. any other perspective shouts "no respect" and "shameless greed" on the part of those holding those other perspectives. remember the concept of "sportsmanship"?? or is this your first time hearing the term? wolves are admirable predators and they espouse more good values, in the traditional ways of my people, than 2-leggeds do.. we call them "powerful". we call greedy whites "people who behave as if they have no relatives".

At 2:33 PM, 2008-10-15, Mc said:
you people who think tha wolves only eat sick and diying are fooling your self they done even eat all they kill i have seen elk and deer carcases that have a few bites off the hind quarters and the intestines and that is all the rest is wasted wolvs have no natural predator except me. who are you to put these worth-less anmials in my back yard. lets but them in yours!!! let them come after your livesotck and game anmials. stupid tree huggers.

At 2:16 PM, 2008-10-15, DeadAlien said:
wolves often take the sick and young because they are easier to catch, the same with the pregnant and any other prey whose defense is compromised. they kill what is easy to catch. the only rule they follow is the economy of metabolism. simply put: kill and eat the thing that is easiest. a elk in a frigid river is a pretty safe bet...wait out the elk and then eat when it dies. the pack certainly could have killed this animal if they had tried to attack. they also would have risked injury, the frigid water and a high energy expenditure. in this case the elk won though. i like wolves but i hold no illusions about their kind. they can be killing machines. they are also pretty smart. we need to stop putting our human morality on the things animals do for survival.

At 2:10 PM, 2008-10-15, jason gleason said:
awesome picks, i was at ysnp this past spring and i know this place. we saw a 7x7 10 yds from the road. mother nature is cruel but fair. cycle of life, everything with a pulse goes through it.

At 2:09 PM, 2008-10-15, bubba said:
redman go to saveelk.com and look for yourself, ya there was wolves in idaho timber wolves not these big beast that they released here, what animals there wont be any left if something isn't done about them

At 2:04 PM, 2008-10-15, Weedis said:
wake up people, wolves go after the sick and week animals, not the pregnant one. by weaving out the sick and week keeps the herds healthy which in turn keeps the hunting better. they only help the natural ecosystem. i live in minnesota and we have the highest wolf population in the lower 48 states and we also have a very high deer population. the wovlves have done nothing to reduce the deer population.

At 2:03 PM, 2008-10-15, deane said:
the problem with the eco nuts is that they have no idea how their stupid activities distroy real people in the real world. most of them we run into are pot head perverts who want to distroy out country.

At 1:49 PM, 2008-10-15, Redman said:
i am frequently amazed at the attitudes displayed in these forum. bubba sounds as if he will say anything to be right. the wolves were in idaho long before bubba, but people just like him interfered with the natural order and wiped out the wolf population. returning the wolves is restoring balance to the ecosystem. as for wolves pulling down pregnant cows, poulling the calves from the womb, and leaving the cow to die, i do not believe it. that is a malicious act and animals do not act maliciously. you would have to show me pictures of the actual even t in progress before i would ever fall for somthing like that. as for wolf releases back east. there are healthy wolf populations in the north east that have yet to destroy the big game population. i am all for hunting and fishing, but i have to put nature first and ensure that hte populations of the animals remain healthy. if that means i have to refrain from hunting to preserve the balance, i guess i need to eat more beef.

At 1:40 PM, 2008-10-15, Lou said:
wolves used to be native on the east coast maybe central park is a good place to reintroduce them as well.

At 11:34 AM, 2008-10-15, Orkydorky said:
i've seen wolves in the cascade range of oregon as far back as forty five years and some other animals that were claimed not to be here. just because our do gooders and fish and game get a wild hair doesn't mean that those animals weren't already around. now i guess it's alright to wipe out the elk herds to make room for more predators. i really feel a little common sense would go a lot farther than an educated guess.

At 2:22 AM, 2008-10-15, bubba said:
they just dont prey on the sick and young, they will circle a heard of elk in the winter and pick out the pregant cows and take them down and rip out the unborn elk calfs from the cows hindend, and eat the calf and leaving the cow elk there to die, they do this all winter long, let me tell you its not a pretty sight, something needs to done, or there wont be any big game left

At 2:02 AM, 2008-10-15, bubba said:
some of you just dont get it, if it was such a good thing to release these beast out west, why wasn't some released back east or down south, its because the goverment relized they screwed up releasing such a dominant beast like that, i laugh a neighboring states to idaho now, because now your going to have to deal with the same problems we have here in idaho.

At 11:26 PM, 2008-10-14, steve said:
the wolves that they reintroduced are canadian wolves. not the timber wolves that once lived in my home state of idaho. i belive that the wolves have a right to be here. but they still need to be managed like all of the other wildlife. they are getting out of controle fast. whats it goning to take? someone being attacted or worse someones kid.

At 9:10 PM, 2008-10-14, Helloooo!!!! said:
what are you talking about huntin fool. wolves aren't going to wipe out all the game animals. what about before the wolves were extirpated from the west? the balance between prey and predator was fine. and wolves don't prey on the healthy strong animals that we do. they go for the sick and young, this in turn keeps the herd strong and healthy which gives us better quality animals to hunt. you just have a narrow minded view on this issue like so many others. too many others.

At 9:04 PM, 2008-10-14, MPN said:
realist is right. it's not just about us. time to wake up people!

At 1:31 PM, 2008-10-14, Darwin said:
i think this follows my theory of evolution. survival of the fittest. this bull proved that he deserved to live to see another day. however i don't agree with re-introducing wolves into any state and i don't believe they should be on the endangered species list. they're just another wild dog.

At 7:58 PM, 2008-10-13, Realist said:
huntinfool - you clearly are just that - a fool! wake up dude, wolves had been in the west long before you got there to hunt anything. your statement sounds like so mny of the other self-serving attitudes we hear in society now. "me, me me" how about restoring the natural balance of predator-prey relationships?! how about doing what is best for the ecosystem??

At 4:39 PM, 2008-10-13, HuntinFool said:
i can't wait til they get all the junk figured out with these mangy lame dogs! i will be first in line to buy a tag and help control the population so that we can still hunt big game in another 5 years. it was a very bad idea to reintroduce them and all the western states currently suffer from their slaughtering and it will only continue to get worse!

At 2:13 PM, 2008-10-13, Rick said:
the bull was stronger than the wolves thought. most bulls who have rutted are pretty weak. but the wolves are pretty uncanny. in the water, the wolves are vulnerable. so they stayed out and the bull just outwaited them.

At 4:13 PM, 2008-10-12, Paul Ertsgaard said:
what happened to the pics?

At 4:53 PM, 2008-10-11, huntnut said:
this is an amazing display of nature. what rare chance to witness something amazing. you did a great job of capturing the moment of attack. props to ya!

At 1:03 PM, 2008-10-11, Don said:
to frank~years ago there were greater numbers of elk, bison, wolves, ect. mother nature controlled her own, but now, man has entered the picture getting in the way of natural habitat, so to me it's unfair to reintroduce wolves into an area, knowing they will make an impact on the wild creatures already there. i will say also, years ago there were dinosaurs, would you like them reintroduced too?

At 11:05 AM, 2008-10-11, Lance (wisconsin) said:
its amazing the skill and tactics of those wolves. bringing down an elk!....and they say wolves are not having an effect on the white tailed deer populations.

At 11:36 PM, 2008-10-10, wes hope said:
elks own

At 11:13 PM, 2008-10-10, jonathan said:
it's awesome wolves can take down a elk!!

At 10:19 PM, 2008-10-10, RC said:
cool pics., and about wolves impact on elk, 150 years ago the elk population was many times bigger but so was the wolf and cougar population the only difference is european man.

At 8:10 PM, 2008-10-10, frank said:
don, you mean re-introduction of wolves into the west. they were there long before we were and so were the elk. awesome pics and story

At 6:58 PM, 2008-10-10, dan said:
i agree with you don...messing with mother nature rarely ever works.... and what an amazing chance to be able to view and photograph such an event

At 4:38 PM, 2008-10-10, anonymous said:
these pictures are amazing!!!

At 2:29 PM, 2008-10-10, Hick-From-Hell said:
very cool, thought the elk was gone for sure.

At 1:45 PM, 2008-10-10, Don said:
amazing pictures. this simply shows that the wolf isn't just a predator of the weak, sick, and undesirable animals. the introduction of the wolf in idaho and now my state of oregon, just puts more stress of the already stressed herds of elk. cougar attacks are responsible for the demise of two thirds of elk calves. now introduce the wolf? come on people leave mother nature alone! at this rate we won't have any elk to worry about.

At 12:17 PM, 2008-10-10, Blue Ox said:
the bull may have been fat & healthy, but if he kept walking toward the wolves then he probably wasn't all that bright. kudos on these pics!

At 11:11 AM, 2008-10-10, I'm in school right now said:
this is amazing photography!!

At 11:06 AM, 2008-10-10, jim said:
these pictures are allsome

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