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Boundary Waters Quetico Forum Winter Camping and Activities Worried about wolves..... |
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10/20/2013 02:57PM
Ill be lucky enough to live in Ely this winter, I winter camp, day hike, snowshoe and CC ski. I have heard reports from snowmobiler's of wolf packs 40 large, in the past years. Is this something I should be concerned about? How do I deal with them? Thank you.
the pines are green the, lake is blue; always coming back home to you.
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10/20/2013 03:18PM
There is a fantastic educational film called "The Grey" that covers in-depth what you should do if you encounter wolves in the wild. You should be able to find it on Netflix, or at your local video store.
10/21/2013 09:26AM
quote Tryg: "There is a fantastic educational film called "The Grey" that covers in-depth what you should do if you encounter wolves in the wild. You should be able to find it on Netflix, or at your local video store. "
Always pack small bottles of liquor. In a pinch, you can tape them to your hands, smash them on a rock, and have weapons for fighting. Drink the liquor first to give you a boost of confidence.
Also, identify the wolves "kill zone" and make sure you walk directly to the center of it, where their den is located. That helps your long term survival.
"It is more important to live for the possibilities that lie ahead than to die in despair over what has been lost." -Barry Lopez
10/21/2013 11:33AM
quote Tryg: "There is a fantastic educational film called "The Grey" that covers in-depth what you should do if you encounter wolves in the wild. You should be able to find it on Netflix, or at your local video store. ":) that was one of the worst movies I ever saw!!
Without the bad times, the good times wouldn't seem so good.
10/21/2013 11:54AM
quote pswith5: "quote Tryg: "There is a fantastic educational film called "The Grey" that covers in-depth what you should do if you encounter wolves in the wild. You should be able to find it on Netflix, or at your local video store. ":) that was one of the worst movies I ever saw!! "
I was rooting for the wolves ......terrible movie
"I am haunted by waters"~Norman Maclean "A River Runs Through It"
10/21/2013 03:42PM
quote Joseph16: "Ill be lucky enough to live in Ely this winter, I winter camp, day hike, snowshoe and CC ski. I have heard reports from snowmobiler's of wolf packs 40 large, in the past years. Is this something I should be concerned about? How do I deal with them? Thank you."
You are indeed a lucky guy. Hope you have a fun winter.
Ely is home to the International Wolf Center.
International Wolf Center
I set a goal of losing 10 lbs. this year. I only have 15 left to lose.
10/21/2013 10:38PM
quote Joseph16: "You guys are so lame. Im laughing right now. But for real what do you do if your attacked?"
It is very, very unlikely that wolves will attack you. If they do, stand tall, waive your arms, make noise. If that doesn't work, fight back.
Visit the International Wolf Center. They will reassure you.
"I go because it irons out the wrinkles in my soul" -- Sigurd Olson
10/22/2013 12:15AM
quote kanoes: "quote Joseph16: "You guys are so lame. Im laughing right now. But for real what do you do if your attacked?"
tell them youre a vikings fan, they will feel sorry for you and just walk away, tails tucked."
Ha, ha, ha!!!! LOL!!! Now I have to clean wine off my computer screen.
"I go because it irons out the wrinkles in my soul" -- Sigurd Olson
10/22/2013 11:48AM
ski poles
a vicious looking dog from a nearby cabin ran right up to me
one swat with the the ski pole sent him on his way
the odds of a wolf attacking are much less than being hit by lightening if that means anything to you
a vicious looking dog from a nearby cabin ran right up to me
one swat with the the ski pole sent him on his way
the odds of a wolf attacking are much less than being hit by lightening if that means anything to you
let science, not politics decide, ... but whose science?
10/22/2013 12:14PM
quote ZaraSp00k: "ski poles
a vicious looking dog from a nearby cabin ran right up to me
one swat with the the ski pole sent him on his way
the odds of a wolf attacking are much less than being hit by lightening if that means anything to you"
One dog vs. a whole pack of wolves...better bring more ski poles! Just kidding, I'd be more worried about there being any snow than if a wolf was going to attack and eat me.
10/22/2013 09:25PM
quote Joseph16: "Ill be lucky enough to live in Ely this winter, I winter camp, day hike, snowshoe and CC ski. I have heard reports from snowmobiler's of wolf packs 40 large, in the past years. Is this something I should be concerned about? How do I deal with them? Thank you."
I think somebody is pulling ones leg when talking packs as big as mentioned. A pack of 8 is actually very big.
10/23/2013 08:27AM
We have been lucky enough to have had four encounters with wolves. We have a cabin on a BWCA access lake and have seen many wolves up until the wolf hunting season. Since the first season it appears they have been scared back into the woods.
First was out dogsledding with a guide. We rounded a corner and a pack of 10 were near the shore of the lake on the ice. The looked more curious then vicious. We stopped and the guides only concern was the wolves may look at the dogs tied up as easy prey. They simply ran and played their way down the lake.
The second was when my son and I were walking out from the cabin to ice fish. We were about 300 yards from shore when we noticed two wolves had something down on the ice in the center of the frozen lake. What they had down was a third wolf they were playing with. They were about 400 yards from us and we knew we would never out run them back to shore. They looked back at us and continued in the opposite direction across the lake.
The third was while out camping with wife and daughters. We were in the BWCA on Birch lake. Across from our campsite on a little bay three wolves walked out, looked at us a few minutes and walked away.
The fourth time I was setting up a trail camera in an area people ad been leaving fish guts. We had seen the wolves come to the shore ledge rock once the boats would leave and eat the fish guts. I was putting the camera on a small tree when two medium sized pups walked out and watched me. They were maybe 10-15 yards away. Then an adult poked its head above a rock and watched me. My wife got a picture of me with the wolves in the back ground and we got some fun pictures of the wolves attaching the trail cam once I left as well as the pictures from the trail camera. Again, they looked more curious then vicious and I never felt in any danger.
None of our family has ever felt any danger from our encounters. We don’t push it with the wolves as like any wild animal we would expect them to be unpredictable. We also winter camp and usually see many tracks and hear them at night. It adds to the adventure!
First was out dogsledding with a guide. We rounded a corner and a pack of 10 were near the shore of the lake on the ice. The looked more curious then vicious. We stopped and the guides only concern was the wolves may look at the dogs tied up as easy prey. They simply ran and played their way down the lake.
The second was when my son and I were walking out from the cabin to ice fish. We were about 300 yards from shore when we noticed two wolves had something down on the ice in the center of the frozen lake. What they had down was a third wolf they were playing with. They were about 400 yards from us and we knew we would never out run them back to shore. They looked back at us and continued in the opposite direction across the lake.
The third was while out camping with wife and daughters. We were in the BWCA on Birch lake. Across from our campsite on a little bay three wolves walked out, looked at us a few minutes and walked away.
The fourth time I was setting up a trail camera in an area people ad been leaving fish guts. We had seen the wolves come to the shore ledge rock once the boats would leave and eat the fish guts. I was putting the camera on a small tree when two medium sized pups walked out and watched me. They were maybe 10-15 yards away. Then an adult poked its head above a rock and watched me. My wife got a picture of me with the wolves in the back ground and we got some fun pictures of the wolves attaching the trail cam once I left as well as the pictures from the trail camera. Again, they looked more curious then vicious and I never felt in any danger.
None of our family has ever felt any danger from our encounters. We don’t push it with the wolves as like any wild animal we would expect them to be unpredictable. We also winter camp and usually see many tracks and hear them at night. It adds to the adventure!
The more you do, the more you are.
10/23/2013 11:27AM
i solo most of the time (winter too) and don't worry about the wolves at all. i have seen 3 in my life-never a pack. and none in the bwca. heard them plenty and i always seem to have tracks in the snow near my tent in winter but never an encounter outside of my car. i only worry when i bring my pooch with and keep her on a leash to be safe.
tg
tg
and into the forest I go to lose my mind and find my soul
10/23/2013 10:00PM
Once, while summer hiking on a snowmobile trail, I had a wolf suddenly appear out of the brush about ten yards ahead of me. It stopped, took one long look at me and, ran away as fast as lightning.
Knowing that wolves travel in packs, I hid in the brush for 45 minutes hoping to see more. The rest of the pack may have been watching me, but I didn't see the slightest sign of them.
Knowing that wolves travel in packs, I hid in the brush for 45 minutes hoping to see more. The rest of the pack may have been watching me, but I didn't see the slightest sign of them.
"I go because it irons out the wrinkles in my soul" -- Sigurd Olson
10/26/2013 11:36PM
??? dude, you really have to stay out of knife fights. it is not healthy. the good people in ely really don't want outsiders coming up there and causing problems.
you are looking for adventure. try alaska. ely was the frontier more than a hundred years ago. now it is families trying to survive in a tough economy.
in the seventies, as the bwca regulations were being imposed, it was easy to get into trouble in the ely bars. they always say that canoeists don't spend money in ely. but we would spend a lot of money on drinks in the ely bars. with enough beers things would get interesting, and then things would usually turn to crap. fortunately for me my uncle was a well regarded hockey coach on the range. mentioning his name saved my butt more than once. and it often got me free beer for the rest of the night.
my 23 year old daughter is in yakutat, alaska right now. she has had three grizzly bear encounters in the last two months. one was face to face on a never traveled road. that is danger and living on the edge.
i think you need to adjust your plans.
you are looking for adventure. try alaska. ely was the frontier more than a hundred years ago. now it is families trying to survive in a tough economy.
in the seventies, as the bwca regulations were being imposed, it was easy to get into trouble in the ely bars. they always say that canoeists don't spend money in ely. but we would spend a lot of money on drinks in the ely bars. with enough beers things would get interesting, and then things would usually turn to crap. fortunately for me my uncle was a well regarded hockey coach on the range. mentioning his name saved my butt more than once. and it often got me free beer for the rest of the night.
my 23 year old daughter is in yakutat, alaska right now. she has had three grizzly bear encounters in the last two months. one was face to face on a never traveled road. that is danger and living on the edge.
i think you need to adjust your plans.
10/27/2013 01:20AM
I was camped out near Gabbro a couple of years ago and these two wolves would come out on the lake every day and check out what I was up to. they stayed about a hundred to two hundred yards a way and would just sort of run around coming in and then running back out from me. It was very strange. At night they came in closer. In the mornings I would see fresh tracks around my camp as close as 30 yards from my tent. At first I thought they may be hunting me but after a couple of days it just seemed they more curious than anything else. Still they were nothing I wanted to try and mess with.
"seek the roots not the fruits"
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