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Wolves on the Westside?

34K views 351 replies 73 participants last post by  Gary Thompson 
#1 ·
Yesterday, I went fishing up the Middle Fork of the Snoqualmie with my family. I was up river about 300 yards from where my family was hanging out playing on the shore of the river. I was working my way back downstream when my wife starts yelling and making gestures that there was an animal off in the bushes. I was thinking a black bear but when I got within hearing range she says "it was a really big grey dog with a thick coat and very bushy tail". By her account ( I never saw it), the animal was on the edge of the high water mark about 50 yards away between her and the road. When she saw the animal moving at a fast pace up river she called the kids in behind her, it stopped and stared at her for a few seconds, and then continued up river through the washout. The animal never threatened her or the kids. My pistol was sitting on a towel about 5 feet away from her but she was so freaked I bet if it had threatened her she would have probably thrown rocks and forgotten about the gun.

She has seen plenty of coyotes from a far and as close as ten yards and she is convinced this was not a coyote. Later that night she looked at a lot of the WDFW wolf game camera images and she is convinced it was a wolf.

As a crow flies the western edge of the Teanaway Wolf pack is no more than 50 miles from wher we were and with the Taylor Bridge fire pushing a lot of animals around I wonder if there are wolves pushing west. We know it's only a matter of time before they make it over the Cascades to find the deer and elk populations (hello North Bend) to their liking but I always guessed it would be another year before we heard anecdotal reports and 2 years before the WDFW would acknowledge a western wolf presence. After yesterday I am pretty sure they are already here. I'm going to call the WDFW tomorrow to talk to them about it.

So what do you think?
 
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#3 ·
Maybe it was the huge piles of trash that the "campers" were leaving behind. I was up there this morning, and it's becoming a total joke again. And the road's not even paved yet. Perhaps the wolves will treat the place better.
I hauled a bunch of trash out that "campers" had left behind. I'll take encounters with four legged beast over the losers that visit the MF any day of the week. It'd be nice to see a sheriff or gamey drive up there at least once a day.
 
#4 ·
Yesterday, I went fishing up the Middle Fork of the Snoqualmie with my family. I was up river about 300 yards from where my family was hanging out playing on the shore of the river. I was working my way back downstream when my wife starts yelling and making gestures that there was an animal off in the bushes. I was thinking a black bear but when I got within hearing range she says "it was a really big grey dog with a thick coat and very bushy tail". By her account ( I never saw it), the animal was on the edge of the high water mark about 50 yards away between her and the road. When she saw the animal moving at a fast pace up river she called the kids in behind her, it stopped and stared at her for a few seconds, and then continued up river through the washout. The animal never threatened her or the kids. My pistol was sitting on a towel about 5 feet away from her but she was so freaked I bet if it had threatened her she would have probably thrown rocks and forgotten about the gun.

She has seen plenty of coyotes from a far and as close as ten yards and she is convinced this was not a coyote. Later that night she looked at a lot of the WDFW wolf game camera images and she is convinced it was a wolf.

As a crow flies the western edge of the Teanaway Wolf pack is no more than 50 miles from wher we were and with the Taylor Bridge fire pushing a lot of animals around I wonder if there are wolves pushing west. We know it's only a matter of time before they make it over the Cascades to find the deer and elk populations (hello North Bend) to their liking but I always guessed it would be another year before we heard anecdotal reports and 2 years before the WDFW would acknowledge a western wolf presence. After yesterday I am pretty sure they are already here. I'm going to call the WDFW tomorrow to talk to them about it.

So what do you think?
 
#5 ·
I would say its a wolf, 50 miles is a morning jog for a wolf. Once you have a pack established, young males will travel great distances to establish territory and new hunting grounds.

I would also say your elk herd has already been spotted, the Fish and Game get pretty tight lipped about where wolves are or could be.
 
#9 ·
Cool, wolves are cool animals.
Not cool if you have a cattle or sheep ranch and the wolves are kicking your ass.
Glad you family got a chance to see one up close.
I also agree that the wolves can start on the "trash dumpers" any time any place.
I can see the head lines now. "trash dumpers" endangered and mall shopper beware, the wolves are watching.
 
#14 ·
In the early 70's when I was stationed in the Arctic, I had a wolf that lived with me. I didn't "own"her because you can't, but it was great to get out on the tundra and watch her run. When the local pack was in the area, she would communicate with them and everyone loved to listen, except a couple of times when one colonel would call me about 3-4 am and ask me to bring her inside so he could get some sleep. She was extremely friendly and never threatened anyone or any domestic animals. She had been found as a pup.
 
#15 ·
A buddy of mine was confronted by a pack in the Teanaway about a week and half ago while he was riding his horse. He had them in front and flanking him on both sides. He walked his horse out by backing him down the trail all the while the wolves paralleled him on both flanks at thirty yards. The incident scared the hell out of him and he reported it to WDFW. This is the cliff notes version of his tale.
 
#24 ·
Wolves are a controversial species because their reintroduction to the west was done for altruistic reasons with one set of stake holders (environmentalists) without considering the impacts on other stake holders (e.g. Ranchers & hunters).

Like any wild species, wolves need to be managed to mitigate conflicts with humans. This has come after the fact with wolf reintroduction so there are a lot of people with strong opinions on the subject.
 
#36 ·
A wolf on the MF Snoq is a long shot, but not improbable under the circumstances mentioned - the wildfire on the east side. At the rate wolves are becoming re-established in WA, it won't be long before a bonafide pack populates the west side. Cool. Wild lands need more apex predators.

Sg
Why is it a long shot when these animals can travel dozens of miles a day and there is a large pack just over the crest of the cascades? The state has confirmed 8 packs (mind you this has just happened in the last four years) and officially acknowledge that there there may be up to 5 more packs in the state. I'd say it is a much of long shot as Grizzlies in the North Cascades.

Wild lands need more apex predators
BTW I don't disagree with this sentiment. I am certainly not in the see it shoot it crowd but do think that they need to be managed like all other wildlife.
 
G
#30 ·
They are here on the Westside. I take no side in this. See Wolf Sightings on Hunt WA. The link has been posted. There are what i would consider very legit pictures of a pack on the Nooksack. Hybrids or not. Pics are the Nooksack, and I see wolves.
 
#37 ·
Sorta like planting Northern Pike in your favorite trout stream and then telling you that you will go to jail if you catch one.
 
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#110 ·
Nope! poor analogy...

Should read: Sorta like finding a BULL TROUT in your favorite trout steram and then telling you that you will go to jail if you catch one.

Like Mr Olmstead said earlier... these wolves found their way down out of BC. They were not "plants" so much as natives returning from a long exile.
 
#38 ·
Imagine the analogies in fly fishing, and you can see how ridiculous it is.

Well we should ban fishing from all waters to "restore the natural balance of things" it seems we've had a detrimental effect of making salmon more spooky for bears, trout more wary for eagles and otters.

It's difficult to explain to non-hunters but if you rented your fancy vacation home out to a bunch of crack heads for 15 years unchecked, what condition do you think your home would be in? That pretty much sums up to what the wolves have done to public lands in W. Montana. Now we're going to do some cleaning.
 
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