Every year I have published the detailed results of the annual radio collaring of Yellowstone wolves — wolf number, color, weight, pack, the status of the wolf (such as alpha male).
I was slow to do it this year. Those of you who prompted me to get to it . . . thank you!
Here is a pdf file I converted from a spreadsheet.
Wolf radio collaring data for Yellowstone Park, 2008
There don’t seem to be any of those legendary 200 pound “Canadian” monsters of anti-wolf legend. Most of the wolves are 90-100 pounds (note: a kilogram – 2.2 pounds).
Two wolves were 55 kilograms (about 120 pounds). One of these was amazing Yellowstone Delta wolf 126F, the alpha female and one of the oldest wolves in the Park.
The Hayden Pack’s famous “black pup” had grown to 110 pounds by the time he was captured and weighed.
Comments
Thanks Ralph,
great job! Does anyone know where 126F was originally from (parents)?
Happy howlings from Germany
Elli
Elli,
Wolf 126F is the daughter of two of the original wolves, 13M and 14F. She came from what was then named the Soda Butte Pack. It was renamed the Yellowstone Delta Pack after both 13 and 14 had died.
Ralph, friends —
I am an absolute beginner at wolf watching as I saw my first two in May, even though I’ve been to Yellowstone twice a year every year for the last 25-30 years. I’m hooked and want to learn more.
My question is, can anyone tell me anything about the two wolves I saw three days in a row at Sheepeater Cliff and Indian Creek areas? The gray wears a radio collar, and they were together all the times that I saw them. Their pictures are here —
http://s319.photobucket.com/albums/mm469/knopfling/Yellowstone/
Linda,
This is in the territory of the Leopold Pack and maybe also the Gibbon Pack.
I have no idea about the particular wolf. These wolves don’t have the following the Druids have because their appearance is not reliable.
Hey, great photos!
Ralph,
Thanks for the reply and compliment on my pix.
linda
I added a couple more pictures.
http://s319.photobucket.com/albums/mm469/knopfling/Yellowstone/
Linda I may have been there the same day you were. There was a elk kill down in the water at that stream. SheepEaters was a exciting place to be for a week or two, because of the elk being in the water it was consumed slowly. Bears, Several diffrent wolves and eagles were seen feeding on the carcass.
From what I have heard from many they photos you took are the Leopoulds, I have several shots of the same pair.. I have no way of verifying that information though. Nice shots glad you got to experience seeing them that close.
Nate,
Thanks for the information.
The elk I was watching, just north of Indian Creek, got away from these two by staying in the water and kicking at the wolves. It went around a bend, the wolves followed, then the elk apparently ran east through all the cars and people along the road to get away, from what the people there told me. I didn’t personally see that, but I did see the wolves walking away going west. It was kind of dramatic to watch, at least for me.
The creek was a little too deep for the wolves to maneuver, and with only two of them, they didn’t have success.
I heard that there was a third wolf in the area, but I never saw it, only the black and the gray with the collar.
I saw them on May 21-22-23.
It certainly was an exciting time for me, my first time spotting wolves, and to have them so close. The grizzly in my pictures was just a few miles south of there near Grizzly Lake, and there were two black bears in the area.
WOW! I am so impressed with these pictures, Linda! My daughter and I spent our vacations in 2006 & 2007 watching the wolves (2006) and grizzlies (2007) on Dunraven pass. We had so much fun. The wolves were too far to get good pictures, but we saw 7 adults and 6 pups. Or maybe it was 7 pups and 6 adults? Either way, it was a wonderful experience. Thank you for sharing your experience with us. Unfortunately, due to high gas prices, my daughter and I were unable to visit the park this year. However, she has decided when she goes to college in the fall of 2011, she wants to attend BYU-Idaho in Rexburg, Idaho. She is going to pursue a degee in Wildlife Biology so that she can work with and help the Yellowstone wolves. Information like this keeps her and I both interested and informed. THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!! Thanks to Ralph for updating, as well.
Melissa,
Thank you very much for the compliments. It was so great to finally get to see them and see them so closeup and three days in a row.
I hope you get to visit Yellowstone again soon. I am just aching to get back again and plan to do so once or twice this month and/or next, depending on prices, etc. BYU-I would be a good, close place.
I wasn’t able to get decent pictures, but I got to watch these two wolves try to take down an elk near Indian Creek campground. It was so dramatic. The elk was in the creek, and it was just a bit too deep for the wolves to maneuver. First the black wolf went into the creek, and the elk kicked at it. Then the gray one did the same thing, and the elk kicked it away. Then both wolves tried but didn’t succeed. If they’d had a whole pack, they might have killed the elk. Instead, the elk walked north in the creek and went around a bend. The wolves followed but apparently gave up. People around the bend said the elk got away east across the road. The wolves left to the west.
Ralph and fellow wolf watchers,
Like yourselves, I have enjoyed watching the wolves of Yellowstone, especially within Lamar Valley.
The story of 13M has intrigued me after having read about him in the book, Yellowstone Wolves. Does anyone know where I can get a picture of him? Also, can someone confirm for me that he was known as The Gray Ghost?