A few friends went to Schafer Meadows a few weeks ago. One of them went and did a little fishing in the Middle Fork. While he was fishing this wolf was hunting him. It was sneaking up from behind him and looked like it was going to attack. Then the photographer walks out of the woods and toward the two. Wolf notices him and turns and walks back into the woods.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3138/3909966557_26c62cca33_o.jpg

Coyote perhaps. Big ears, parallel body, drooped bushy tail. Possibly a cross.

It looks like a coyote to me!

Just a coyote

Either way.....sling lead at it!

coyote for sure, and no match for a long-barrel .45...!

Thats a big one compared to what we have around here. It must be eating good.

You would know if it was a Wolf. In Idaho they are averaging 175-200lbs. I found some tracks this winter and they were bigger than the palm of my hand. Two of my Lab's paw prints would fit inside it.

Hey guys..... some of you guys know what I do for a living ( I see wolves daily) .... that looks like a wolf pup to me... looking at the pic, it is walking in 6" deep water and even the pups have extremely long legs. The snout of his face is thicker as well. A coyote has a natural fear of humans where a wolf does not. Just my two cents worth. Joe

Coyote. Wolves don't trail humans and don't attack unless cornered or extremely disturbed. Coyotes especially in campsite areas scrounge for morsals, fish remains, campsite remains and have come within a few feet of my camps while I've sat eating. Schaefer is a campsite with fish remains.

Wolf pup!! I'm going with what JoeCub say's. I know what he does for a living.

Wolf pups can be extremely curious and are known to approach humans. Every summer we have incidents here. Doubtful they will cause any harm other than chewing on your favorite pack, jacket etc. that is lying around if you aren't paying attention. Bonk 'em on the nose once with a rock or a stick and they will make themselves scarce rather quickly. They grow out of it.

That being said that photo looks like a coyote to me. Tail, face but hard to tell with the legs in the water too. I'd buy either answer.

maules.com wrote: Wolves don't trail humans and don't attack unless cornered or extremely disturbed.

Always easy to tell someone that doesn't live with them.....
JH

Good grief...Its a Coyote hoping a fisherman will leave him a easy meal. A wolf pup wouldnt be running around by itself like that. So that settles it I guess.

Every wolf I have killed in a snare or trap avoided eye contact and curled its tail. They're very submissive in the presence of humans. I have even seen them wag their tail and urinate as I approached. This out of nervousness. I trapped Grey Wolves for the USDA under the APHIS division in MN. You are more likely to be killed by your wife or your Clydesdale horse than a wolf. There are very few cases of attack and only a couple doccumented fatalities reported in recent times. The latest one up in Canada was not very crystal. Of the thousands (that's right thousands) of Grey Wolves killed in MN since Federal control only a scant few make it over #100. My largest was #98. Western and northern (CA and AK) animals get larger but the #150 Alpha male is an oddity. This year, 2009, Federal trappers in MN have about 160 wolves harvested (none over #100lbs.) from depredation complaints where livestock and poultry losses result in the trapping of these animals. These wolves are not relocated. They are destroyed and pelts and skulls when salvagable and prime go to education and science.
I live in the highest concentration of wolves per square mile than anywhere on the planet. My only fear of them is when my labrador ranges too far ahead while grouse hunting. Each year there are a few cases of dogs being killed by wolves. Stalking and being hunted for food by a wolf is such a remote occurence. I am very fortunate to have been able to trap these animals. It's a lost art in the lower 48. AK and Canada they still get to. There is so much false information out there due to fear or perceived and sometimes actual livestock losses which are compensated by the Feds to the farmer but then there is a debate usually over the numbers and so on so forth. I once investigated a large open range Turkey operation that was decimated by wolves. The Conservation Officer said so, the land owner said so. What I found was Blackbear depredation and that is what we caught. The farmer got no compensation in this case. It wasn't Wolf.
As for the picture I think it's a wolf pup. THe last pups I trapped in Sept here in MN weighed in the light #40's. A coyote has a very pointed head/nose profile. Comparing a coyote skull to a wolf skull is night and day. I like the wolf but understand they need to be managed. More than anything though is the importance of good information. #175 man eating wolves belong in the movies and even there it's too much B.S.

Scout,

You're ruining the story with facts.....

MTV

I saw a pack of Wolves near Chamberlin a couple years ago, 5 or 6 of them, the wern't coyotes.

When I was in Yakutat, we had a wolf attack at the log camp on the west side of Icy Bay.Must have been around 2001?
Little John about 7 years old got nabbed by a collared wolf. His little dog Willie saved him
and helped his mom run the wolf off, it came back and one of the loggers in the camp shot it.
The damn collar was so tight it could hardly breathe let alone eat, it was literally starving to death!
Little John had some big ol canine tracks in his butt. He thought Willie was the greatest dog in the world!!
GT

Well guys, I'm siding with Scout....and not only because he is my friend. I don't live to far from him in "Gods country" of northern MN. I occasionally see wolves on my property and they sure aren't man killers. A couple of years ago while bow hunting less than 200 yards from my house I had 2 Timber Wolves walk right by me. The closest one was probably 8-10 yards away. When they saw me they just gave a knowing look and walked on their way. Most guys around here have a habit of belly shooting any wolves they see. This is due to basically what was said about people not being educated about them. Personally I like seeing them as it is a rare occasion when a person is allowed the oppertunity.
As for their size....most of the ones I have seen are in that 50-100 lb. range. My opinion is that most people think they are much heavier due to their long legs giving the illusion of being heavier. I did see a solid black one a few years ago that was VERY large.
Also if anyone cares to read about "Lobo of the North", he was an old wolf that was trapped right near my house and was actually displayed in the bar my Dad owned many years ago. He (or what is left of him) is currently on display in Bemidji. According to "legend" he was 175-180 in his prime and is thought to be one of the largest wolves ever caught. When finially caught he had lost a lot of weight due to have a snared still wrapped around his neck from a previous attempt at his capture. The story says he had the snare on his neck for two years.
The whole story/newspaper article is on the back of the menu at a country bar 4 miles up the road from my house. Irronically the name of the bar is "LOBO'S".