Wolves are not constrained by political boundaries. While most of our efforts are focused on Forest Service grazing allotments in the Wood River Valley, we occasionally survey movement corridors just outside the project area. We recently decided to travel one such drainage starting at its headwaters. We received reports of wolves nearby and were hoping to confirm their presence and potential use of the valley as a connection to the project area. I love days like this, theorycrafting wolves’ behavior based on their ecology and getting into the field to fact check yourself. After 5 hours of shuttling, our vehicles were positioned on each end of the drainage. We slept near the trailhead, resting up for a 25-mile hike – with significant off-trail portions – the next day.
Rising early, we conducted a howling survey above a wet meadow high in the Pioneers. This time of year the response rate is low, but in wildlife research it’s important to put yourself in a situation to get lucky. You never know. With nobody calling back we hit the trail, following the tracks of deer, elk, coyote, fox, and bobcat. No wolves, but other locals were out and about. 2000’ of climbing later we dropped over a beautiful high pass into a cirque at the head of the neighboring valley. Our destination was visible far, far below. Surveying the area, we noted a few potential rendezvous sites for later, and added mountain goats to the running track list. There was still plenty of water amongst the grasses, forbs, and whitebark pines that dominate this alpine meadow. The verdant landscape was a refreshing sight after spending so much time in the lower valleys in drought.
After rehydrating from a crystal-clear stream we hit the trail, dropping steeply down valley. This area was closed to sheep grazing a few years ago, and there is little visual evidence of their passage. A happy result. Other vestiges of human presence are more obvious though; the odd minecart, thick rusted cables, even a modern wheelbarrow…anachronistic amongst its neighbors. Leaving the rocks behind, we enter a forest dominated by subalpine fir, encountering a family of hunters after elk in the high country. We swap information on trail conditions and wish them the best of luck, they are much farther from the road than most.
Finishing our 3000’ nosedive, we pass an amazing waterfall as the forest transitions to Douglas fir and lodgepole. No wolf sign yet, but we are hopeful now that we have reached the flatter and wetter valley floor. Heading downstream, we follow a surprisingly fresh pair of cougar tracks, as well as numerous hoofprints from hunters packing in. Everyone we encounter is here for the elk, but we are surprised at the number of human visitors. So much traffic erases tracks and displaces wolves, we kick ourselves for not surveying the area prior to hunting season. Still, we soon encounter a large canine-shaped scat full of elk hair, impossible to confirm due to age but likely a wolf!
Plodding downstream, a mama bear and her cubs surprise us from a talus slope a few hundred feet above. They do not notice us, and we wish them well as they climb up an unnamed gulch, away from prying eyes. Bear season has started, but fortunately a sow with cubs is an illegal target. A few dusty miles pass and our pack trail elbows upslope. We plan on going off trail for the remaining 10 miles, following the creek itself out of the mountains and looking for high-quality wolf sign on the muddy banks.
The river gifts us sign of other species. Moose, bear, otter, weasels, mink… We walk the stream itself to avoid thrashing through the dense riparian growth. Dippers guide us downstream, fluttering from rock to rock as they shake their tails in protest at our passage. An indicator species for healthy mountain streams, I am happy to see so many of them. The river soon pinches down to a stunning canyon with vertical walls towering above. Tributaries roar in, fish dart about in pools, and the water deepens. It is a beautiful place, and we are honored to be given the opportunity to travel it. Carefully, we slide down a few rapids and are happy to find that the exit will not require a swim. We wade out of canyon onto a gravel bar and continue downstream into the foothills.
As the angle lessens, the river begins to meander, and beaver dams appear. This keystone species helped keep the riparian zone lush and green through the summer. The surrounding hills are brittle brown and dust. By now we have seen sign of nearly every larger mammal in the region, but only have one potential wolf scat. We continue, shortcutting bends on game trails left by elk, moose, and bear. The mud is an excellent teacher, providing a myriad of opportunities to hone our tracking skills. Slopes above give way to snags and fireweed, the result of a fire that tore through the area a few years ago. Still, there is much sign of regrowth, and I have no doubt this hard reset will bring a healthy forest back in its own time.
In the final miles, we come across a nice canid print, approximately 4” in length and just as wide. We are excited and begin to search the area for more. Scouting the far bank, we find what we came for. Multiple sets of tracks from 3.5” to 4.5” with stride lengths around 30”. The smallest could be a large coyote but given the freshness and quality of tracks in mud, we are confident these are wolves! We take GPS points and make note of their direction of travel. The encounter has revived our aching legs, and we trot through the last riverbends, past a vexed moose, and out of the mountains.
The landscape ahead is stark and dotted with cattle, riparian vegetation and beaver ponds are a thing of the past. No losses have been reported here, and we are happy to know that these wolves chose to head upstream, likely in pursuit of their natural prey.
Until next time,
Nate