Finding a wolf in Yellowstone

<p>I tried to photograph a wolf in Yellowstone but had no such luck, they where about a mile away. Is there a good time or bad time to get up close to a wolf or is a bunch of luck to know where their dens are by word of mouth. Has anyone had such luck getting to photograph a wolf up close at yellowstone, not many photos of wolf up close most everyone has moose, elk, bear, and not much more, I heard that end of may is a good time, but can anyone confirm this. Like to revisit next spring just to do wildlife and some early monrning scenic shots. What are your thoughts on this?</p>

<p>It is a matter of luck. If you happen to find some large-size road kill, and somehow manage to have a long enough lens, you might have a chance with your camera. Wolves generally keep away from people: it is a survival skill for wildlife. [My guess here: a wolf den, with cubs, is not where you want to make contact with the animals.]</p>

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<p>step one: go to your local butcher shop and get a large slab of beef<br>

step two: tie this to you pack and go for a hike threw the backcountry<br>

step three: document everything so there will be a complete record when they find your camera.</p>

<p>But in all seriousness, its just luck, wolves are most active around dusk, apart form that try to set up close to food, water, or a game trail.</p>

<p>Marc, the problem isn't just luck. You went to Yellowstone for a very few days, and this type of photography is not a drive-through. Second, more than luck, patience and time, it takes a knowledge of Nature, micro-geography, and the animal you seek to photograph.</p>

<p>Or, bring money, and hire someone who has the knowledge.</p>

<p>http://www.wolftracker.com/guide.htm</p>

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<p>The one thing you CAN do to improve your odds is to check with the rangers. If there has been a large kill (notably a bison) it will take several days for the predators to finish it off. We had JUST missed (by 10 minutes) a fight between wolves and a Grizzly in the Lamar Valley (one of the better places to see wolves).<br>

To be honest the closet place I've been to see wolves (and I mean close, within 15 feet) is not in Yellowstone but in Minnesota, around Ely and the Boundary Waters. There are dense wolf populations (and they don't have ID tags) there and I think because it is more wooded, less open, your chances of bumping into a wolf close by is just more likely. Check out some of Jim Brandenburg's work to see what I mean. It is still though a matter of chance.</p>

<p>What about Alaska I heard the chances are better in Dalni as well. What park in Minnesota and what time of year? All experts who take you out in Yellowstone say all the sightings are from a spotting scope unelss there is some road kill or you stake out a creak near a den like in the in the lamar valley, I took a guide and we only saw one from a mile a away, but all the other animals where up much closer. You just have to drive around during dusk and dawn and look for cars that are parked off the side the road for a hint there is wildlife up close. </p>

<p>Denali may be a better option.</p>

 

<p>Have a look at this site. http://www.yellowstoneassociation.org/institute/fieldSeminars/courseCalendar.aspx</p>

 

<p>I live in Bozeman and go up there all the time. </p>

<p>The best luck (and it is luck) I've had is in the Lamar Valley in the middle of winter. But I've never seen them close enough to get a good shot. The closest I ever came was the first winter I was up here and one ambled across the road right in front of me. I'd never seen one before and my first thought was "that's the biggest damn coyote I've ever seen". Shortly afterward, that changed to "damn, that was a wolf!". This was in the days of the Druid pack, which sadly met it's demise last year. This winter might be real good for wolf watching in the Lamar as new packs try and establish themselves.</p>

<p>In Minnesota my closest encounter was in early spring while we were driving looking for Moose (we saw them too). Brandenburg, admittedly an expert at wolf photography, has close images at all times of year, I would *guess* most of them are in winter though.</p>