In two weeks the Okanogan WSU extension office is putting on a field day for range and forest property owners. The office is located on the south side of Mt. Hull, my property is on the north side. Luckily there is a Forest Service road that goes over the top and right to the WSU office.
I took my trail bike to go find where exactly it is and how long it takes to get there from our house. The 3525 is a main artery that I use to hunt the old logging spur roads for grouse in the fall. It's a very familiar road to me, at least the north side of the mountain.
I was about a mile into the 3525 and rounding a corner when this large black shape flashed in front of me. All I saw was about three quarters of it's shape as it was half airborne off the side of the road disappearing into the timber. From the front shoulder to the tip of it's long bushy tail it had the unmistakable shape of a canine. The shocker was it's size, at least twice the size of my 50 pound Standard Poodle, Sasha. All I could say was "HOLY SHIT"! It was a WOLF!
I jumped on the binders and slid to a stop and peered over the drop off into the timber. Nothing! It disappeared, totally. I was astounded on how fast such a large animal could vanish with no trace. I checked the road surface for tracks to validate what I had just seen but it was too hard packed and gravelly to leave a print. I wondered for a moment it I was having a peyote or shroom flash back, but was fairly sure it was real. "HOLY SHIT"! "A WOLF"...
At the Alpine Brewery that night I recounted my story to the locals and they all agreed there has been sightings of either wolves or cross breeds that rumor has it someone release into the wild. Maybe I wasn't just the old man who cried wolf...
I took my trail bike to go find where exactly it is and how long it takes to get there from our house. The 3525 is a main artery that I use to hunt the old logging spur roads for grouse in the fall. It's a very familiar road to me, at least the north side of the mountain.
I was about a mile into the 3525 and rounding a corner when this large black shape flashed in front of me. All I saw was about three quarters of it's shape as it was half airborne off the side of the road disappearing into the timber. From the front shoulder to the tip of it's long bushy tail it had the unmistakable shape of a canine. The shocker was it's size, at least twice the size of my 50 pound Standard Poodle, Sasha. All I could say was "HOLY SHIT"! It was a WOLF!
I jumped on the binders and slid to a stop and peered over the drop off into the timber. Nothing! It disappeared, totally. I was astounded on how fast such a large animal could vanish with no trace. I checked the road surface for tracks to validate what I had just seen but it was too hard packed and gravelly to leave a print. I wondered for a moment it I was having a peyote or shroom flash back, but was fairly sure it was real. "HOLY SHIT"! "A WOLF"...
At the Alpine Brewery that night I recounted my story to the locals and they all agreed there has been sightings of either wolves or cross breeds that rumor has it someone release into the wild. Maybe I wasn't just the old man who cried wolf...