After listening to wolf tales by residents of the frontier settlements
rather than by real men of the “bush,” one might almost expect to see a
couple of these bloodthirsty animals harrying the rear of every band of
Caribou and keeping up a relentless pursuit. However, during a sojourn
of six months on one of the best Caribou ranges in Keewatin, where
trapping has very little effect on Wolves, I saw just one of these
animals alive, heard the howling on several occasions, and noted a
single Caribou that had probably been killed by them. It is far from a
common experience for the resident trappers to witness actual pursuit by
Wolves or even to find their kills. The following instances, related by
Fred Schweder, Jr., comprised his only direct observations on Wolves in
pursuit of Caribou up to and including 1947, when he was eighteen years
old.
During the northward migration in May, 1945, a silent black Wolf pursued
a band of 100 Caribou over the ice of Windy Bay. At one time it came
within 100 feet, but thereafter they forged ahead. After half a mile the
band split up, and the Wolf desisted. In October, 1946, Fred noticed a
Caribou fighting off two Wolves on the ice of Nueltin Lake near its
outlet. It used both horns and hoofs against its attackers. While one
Wolf was in front, the other would try to get in the rear of the Caribou
and hamstring it. This went on for two hours until darkness hid the
scene. The next morning the Caribou was dead and half eaten. On October
16, 1947, a white Wolf was seen in pursuit of four fast-moving Caribou
near Simons’ Lake. It was about half a mile in their rear, and presently
halted, probably by reason of catching sight of Fred.
November 7, 1947, was a blizzardy day; the air was full of drifting
snow. Under these conditions a gray Wolf chased a buck and a doe right
into the dooryard of one of Fred’s trapping camps 10 miles north of
Windy River. It was only about 30 feet behind them. When the buck broke
through the ice of a little creek, the Wolf went right past it in
pursuit of the doe. The latter nearly ran into Fred’s toboggan, and he
shot it at a distance of 20 feet. The Wolf came within 40 feet, but by
the time it was recognized as not just another Caribou, it was 100 feet
away. Fred then shot but merely wounded it, the sight being off his
rifle. Meanwhile the buck escaped, but 3 miles away Fred met with it
again and secured it. He recognized it as the same animal because at
both encounters it was limping from a previous wound and was hornless as
well.
In late November Fred found two fullgrown bucks and a doe on the ice of
Windy Lake, where they had been killed by Wolves. The bucks were
antlered and had probably met their end several weeks previously. Yet
their flesh was so musky and unpalatable, in consequence of the rutting
season, that it had not been devoured. A long trail of blood and hair
led to the spot where the doe had fallen, apparently a couple of weeks
previously; it was still only half eaten.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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