Sheep hunt turned into wolf hunt. Success photo included.

[meichele]

While looking high and low for a few days for a 160 class dall ram I have been trying to get and not finding him, I watched a pack of 7 wolves for a couple of days. By mid day Sunday, the temptation was too much too bear and I stalked these wolves to 360 yards. A close setup but by the time I dissapeared out of sight and reappeared, that was the range. I watched one wolf poke his head up out of the tundra every 2 minutes to look around while the others just slept. I timed it just right and when his head dissapeared, I stalked the last 20 yards to get onto some good level ground. I thought to myself, the next time I see your head pop up, it will be in my crosshairs! [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img] I got into position and set the scope up 5 clicks to be dead on. I peered through and 10 seconds later, his head popped up. I thought about it and decided if all I can hit is his face it will ruin the hide. I waited for one to get up. After only a minute one stood up to stretch. I aimed and fired. I could see it was a hit, but he didnt drop. [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif[/img] I waited for another clean shot and within a few seconds another wolf assesed the wounded wolf's situation and ran him off as if to say "Get out of here, you cant help us anymore." He stopped facing my direction, I quatered up his chest and fired. BANG!, flop. Another wolf ran over to see what happened facing me again. I though to myself, this is like dejavoo! I quartered his chest, BANG!, flop. The first wolf never presented another clean opprotunity and he fled, which I gave him some time and went to recover him a bit later. (Turns out he didnt go far.) I went over to the 1st kill site and set up for some photos. I only got a few then my battaries died.

Up here we are allowed 5 wolves per year under our hunting license. No tags required for a resident. We have so many wolves that the game department wants them thinned out. Non residents pay only 30 bucks for a tag. Season is 8-10 through 4-30 each year. It was quite gratifying to stalk that close to a pack of one of the greatest and most efficient land predators this world has seen during our era.

Equipment used:

Swarovski EL 10x42 binos, Swarovski 20-60 spotting scope, Swarovski LG range finder, semi custom rem 700 in 308 win, Mark 4 fixed 10x scope and hornaday 155 AMAX bullets. BTW, the AMAX's were awesome!! Very lethal and explosive.

CHEERS!

[yotefever]

Not such a bad day after all. Great story and loved the pic too.
Looks like I might make it up to your great state and do some hunting in the near future and hope to make a wolf hunt while there, can't do it here in WI I just call them in while coyote hunting [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif[/img]

[ss7mm]

Michael:

Sounds like plan "B" worked out pretty good to me. [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img] [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img] [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

Great looking pair of wolves and I'd guess it's very very rare to get two at one time, from the same pack, in one day just a short time apart. Must have been a pretty satisfying day for you. [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

Now all you need to do is find the Ram and you could say you completed everything plus a little extra. Good luck with your ram.

Great story and a very nice picture of a pair of wolves. You guys up there really have it rough. Sometimes you don't know what to shoot there's so many different animals in the same area at the same time. [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img] [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img] [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

[royinidaho]

30 bucks a tag, eh? How much for a license?

Hmmmm, let's see, I go to Boseman and turn left and drive to the water and turn right and WALA, woofs!

As Yogi Berra says, when you come to a fork in the road take it. Good stalk and good shootin.

[sambo3006]

Please do not post any more pictures like that. My wife would kill me if I booked an Alaskan hunt. [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif[/img]

[meichele]

[ QUOTE ]
You guys up there really have it rough. Sometimes you don't know what to shoot there's so many different animals in the same area at the same time.

[/ QUOTE ]

You know, you hit the nail on the head. There are sooo many opprotunities here it becomes hard to decide what you want to plan for and where to go. Alaska conciders wolves "big game" animals. I have never harvested more than 2 big game animals in a calender year let alone 3 within seconds of eachother!

RII,
I think NR licenses are around 100 bucks?? Maybee a little more but not much more than that.

[duckinalaska]

Michael,
Very nice, what I liked most about it was that you used a good ol' 308.
Brandon