There were wolves near my campsites quite often, sometimes very close, starting right in May at my very first site and continuing through my last camp in October. I made three wolf sightings this year which is uncommon; usually I hear but do not see. So far I have never seen a wolf while he was howling.
When wolves howl so close that it raises the hair on the back of my neck, it is somewhat intimidating. This occurred several times. I wish I knew more about the nature of wolf calls. Are they upset with me, or are they welcoming me?
One morning, there was a wolf howling between my camp and the lakeshore about 70 meters away at daybreak. I just happened to be heading to the shore and a black wolf and I saw each other simultaneously. She was trotting about 20 meters away. She paused for a few seconds, stared at me back over her shoulder and then was gone into the bush.
I was canoeing one day and a very large very long wolf with the typical variegated brown coat loped along the hillside on the shore about 100 meters away, trotting effortlessly parallel to me for about 50 meters before being swallowed up by the brush. He stopped once and gazed at me for a few seconds.
One evening, while I was having a nice hot shower under some pine trees, several wolves howled just out of sight in the bush. It is a bit disconcerting to be standing there with no clothes on while the wolves are so near. Are they mocking me?
Another night just after I went to bed, several wolves howled nearby, moving to different spots and howling again and again. In the morning when I went outside I checked for wolf sign. One or more of the wolves played silly beggars with me. There was a large burned stick from the fireplace laying on the ground a few meters away, with a pot stick also carried nearby. The latter had a tooth mark in it. The burned stick scared me as I wondered if the stick was still a live ember when it was moved. It would be hard to explain a forest fire started by a wolf. Perhaps he was functioning as "Smokey the Wolf"; "Only YOU can prevent forest fires". I now make sure all fireplace embers are extinguished for the night with water or soil even if otherwise well contained. When I went to the shore, my canoe had one of the painters that had been coiled underneath the canoe stretched straight out along the ground. The rope was fastened securely to the bow of the canoe but the wolf hauled it away as far as he could. Where I had my shower the night before, the ground underneath had been torn up and matted when a wolf had lain there for a snooze, leaving one of his tracks in the ground. There was fresh scat close by.
One day I had hiked a long way and was returning to camp. About one kilometer from camp two wolves howled quite close, moving along a small ridge and howling over and over. I turned away from the ridge and made for camp and the howling frequency diminished. I assumed they were telling me where they were located and to please avoid their spot.
Many of the howls were during daylight, early in morning or late in afternoon. Several times I heard one wolf howl and then far away another wolf call, presumably talking to each other to identify positions or to pass on a message.
Another night just after I went to bed, several wolves howled nearby, moving to different spots and howling again and again. In the morning when I went outside I checked for wolf sign. One or more of the wolves played silly beggars with me. There was a large burned stick from the fireplace laying on the ground a few meters away, with a pot stick also carried nearby. The latter had a tooth mark in it. The burned stick scared me as I wondered if the stick was still a live ember when it was moved. It would be hard to explain a forest fire started by a wolf. Perhaps he was functioning as "Smokey the Wolf"; "Only YOU can prevent forest fires". I now make sure all fireplace embers are extinguished for the night with water or soil even if otherwise well contained. When I went to the shore, my canoe had one of the painters that had been coiled underneath the canoe stretched straight out along the ground. The rope was fastened securely to the bow of the canoe but the wolf hauled it away as far as he could. Where I had my shower the night before, the ground underneath had been torn up and matted when a wolf had lain there for a snooze, leaving one of his tracks in the ground. There was fresh scat close by.
One day I had hiked a long way and was returning to camp. About one kilometer from camp two wolves howled quite close, moving along a small ridge and howling over and over. I turned away from the ridge and made for camp and the howling frequency diminished. I assumed they were telling me where they were located and to please avoid their spot.
Many of the howls were during daylight, early in morning or late in afternoon. Several times I heard one wolf howl and then far away another wolf call, presumably talking to each other to identify positions or to pass on a message.
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"If you've ever seen the forest
when a fire is running wild,
and you love the things within it ...
... then you know why Smokey tells you
when he sees you passing through,
'Remember...please be careful...'."
From: "Smokey the Bear" song by Steve Nelson and Jack Rollins