This is Rick Pearce and he was bowhunting for elk in the upper Squaw Creek when a pack of wolves responded to his cow calls and bugling. Pearce had a wolf tag, so he kept calling to see what they would do.

Here's the story he told. "Five wolves heard the dinner bell and came to within 70 yards of his position. The alpha female had two pups that started circling, one to the left and one to the right.'I knew they were flanking me and didn't want it to go farther."

Then, a sixth wolf Pearce hadn't seen before sneaked in behind him, coming within 40 yards. Pearce could hear the large animal, probably the alpha male of the pack, panting behind him.

'It made the hair on the back of my neck stand up,' Pearce said.

Pearce made a 70-yard shot with an arrow, which hit the wolf in the right front leg and passed through the rib cage. The wolf went down, then made its way into some timber. Pearce followed the blood trail. The wolf got up, growled and lunged at him. Pearce finished him off with his .22 caliber pistol.

As Pearce got his ATV to retrieve the carcass, the other wolves kept circling, staying within 60-70 yards.

'I thought it was kind of strange they hung around,' Pearce said. 'People assume they will take off and run.' These wolves, however, were pretty aggressive, he said."

Comments

Nicole Lynch

Mr. Pearce just saved 100 elk. Thank you!

Jeanie Wallace

Maybe so, but still sad. I was taught never to shoot anything unless I was going to eat it or it was trying to eat me and I've never been attacked by a coyote or a wolf.

Nicole Lynch

I was taught the same thing and I follow that rule, but with one exception. There comes a time when management practices need to be put in place so that there are animals left for those of us who hunt to eat and support out families and that time is now. Wolves have become a major problem in the western states and it has gotten so bad here that elk are hard to come by. We were promised that there would be a certain amount of wolves allowed in each state to satisfy "recovery" efforts and after they were established we would be allowed to hunt to manage them. Those numbers have been far exceeded. Yes, in Idaho we are allowed a hunting season on wolves, but with the sheer amount of wolves out there, it doesn't really put a dent in them. So yes, I do agree with hunting wolves. In fact, I find it necessary. Do I want to wipe them out to extinction? No. Do they need strict management practices? Absolutely.

Andrew Pepper

Nicole I agree with you. I was taught the same rule, with the one exception being coyotes. They have become a huge problem where in Nova Scotia where I'm from. They are also becoming very aggressive with people as well. A girl was actually killed by 2 about 5 years back while hiking and there are usually a few attacks every year on people, sometimes in suburban and urban areas. They are also taking huge toll on the White tail deer population and have ever since they migrated here. They are a big enough problem that the provincial government is offering $20/coyote pelt. So I totally live by the only hunt what you'll eat but coyotes are my one exception.

Nicole Lynch

Andrew- That is terrible that a person had to lose her life before the problem was taken seriously. Do you have any news paper articles or documentation about it? I'd love to read it. It's just a matter of time before that happens here in the lower 48. There have been wolf attacks on humans in the US but since they were in Alaska somehow it doesn't count...? However, if you even mention putting a bounty on hunting wolves here, people freak out. They're put on such a pedestal that every other animal, or human, doesn't really seem to matter.

Andrew Pepper

cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/story/2009/10/28/ns-coyote-attack-died.html

cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/story/2012/08/05/ns-coyotes-campers-coast-guard.html

gov.ns.ca/natr/wildlife/living-with-wildlife/be-coyote-smart.asp

Nicole here's a couple of articles about coyote attacks in Nova Scotia. If you notice in the article from the Nova Scotia DNR that they say coyote attacks are usually caused by people feeding them directly or indirectly. I think that's part of the problem. So called "animal lovers" are feeding them because they think it's cute. The reality is if these people really love animals they should make sure the animals have a healthy fear of humans(unless they're domesticated). The one thing I will say is that in this province there has been very little push back on the coyote cull. With the exception of a few fringe groups public support seems to be behind making sure the coyote population is kept in check.

Nicole Lynch

It's just the opposite with the wolf problem for us. The environmentalist groups are doing everything they can to make sure that wolves are still on the endangered species list, when that is very clearly not the case. They don't want them hunted. They don't care that they are completely destroying our elk herds that were finally bouncing back. And unfortunately, government agencies are so corrupt that they are taking money from these special interest groups and not doing their jobs. Thank you for the links, I will be sure to read and share them with others who I think will like to see them.