Who’s faster? Rare footage shows wolf chasing coyote on snow

An ice fisherman in Ontario, Canada, claimed to have saved a coyote from ambush by two wolves by startling the larger predators with his snowmobile.

An ice fisherman in Ontario, Canada, claims to have saved a coyote from attacking wolves by startling the larger predators with his snowmobile.

Ryan Thorburn told Michigan Live that he had just quit fishing when he spotted the coyote running from two wolves. His footage (posted below) shows one wolf in a high-speed pursuit on the snow, with the coyote galloping for its life.

“They ran right past me, the one right in front of me you see in the video, then the second wolf behind me,” Thorburn said. “The one behind me stopped and stared at me. It did frighten me because I don’t trust wolves. This was definitely a surreal experience.”

Thorburn, an ER nurse, said the wolves “did get the pounce on the coyote” before he used his snowmobile to distract the wolves, allowing the injured coyote to escape.

“I spooked the wolves by slowly creeping around the corner. The wolves caught glimpse of me and ran away, and the coyote got up and ran the opposite way,” Thorburn told For The Win Outdoors.

According to multiple reports, wolves can run in bursts up to 38 mph, while coyotes have been clocked at 43 mph.

–Image courtesy of Ryan Thorburn

How many wolves can you spot in these photos?

Zoologist Roland Kays on Sunday tweeted a trail-cam image showing members of a Michigan wolf pack in the darkness and asked his followers how many animals they could spot.

Zoologist Roland Kays on Sunday tweeted an image showing members of a Michigan wolf pack in the darkness and asked followers how many animals they could spot.

We’re asking the same question, using the same trail-cam image and two others that show a different number of wolves (see immediately below).

Can you spot the wolves in all three images? (Answers are provided at the end of the post, with red circles showing animals that aren’t as clearly visible.)

The images were captured on Michigan’s Upper Peninsula via motion-sensor cameras monitored by Diana Lafferty, Assistant Professor of Wildlife Ecology at Northern Michigan University.

The top image was captured in September 2020; the other two were captured in 2019.

They show members of the Echo Lake wolf pack, which inhabits a territory that spans about 30 square miles across wilderness and rural communities near Marquette, Mich.

The five-member pack hunts as a social unit and preys on white-tailed deer and smaller mammals.

The top image was captured as part of an ongoing trail-cam research project run by NMU Master’s student Tru Hubbard and Lafferty.

Kays, in his Twitter post, tagged Snapshot USA, a collaborative camera-trapping project he leads at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Science, along with Bill McShea of the Smithsonian Institution and researchers from other states.

Below are the answers (five wolves in the first image, four in the last two) and we apologize if the animals were too easy to spot.

Yellowstone tourists react as wolves gang up on grizzly bear

A tour group in Yellowstone National Park on Friday experienced a “once-in-a-lifetime” sighting of an adult grizzly bear being harassed by a pack of wolves.

A tour group in Yellowstone National Park on Friday experienced a “once-in-a-lifetime” sighting of a large grizzly bear being harassed by wolves.

The accompanying footage, captured by Adam Brubaker of the Tied to Nature guide service, shows the large bear wandering across a meadow and suddenly realizing other critters were in its midst.

The bear stands on its hind legs as two wolves of the Wapiti Lake Pack appear in the foreground. Rather than turn back, the bear runs in the wolves’ direction.

One of four tourists in Brubaker’s group asks if the bear, by running, is trying to clear the wolves out of its territory.

ALSO ON FTW OUTDOORS: Record lake trout ‘a big deal’ for more than its size

The guide responds: “I think more than anything, he wants to know what it is, and what’s going on. That’s why he was standing up. It’s the same thing with people; they don’t want to be surprised by anything.”

Then more wolves emerge, and it becomes clear that they’re intent on clearing the bear out of their territory.

One of the tourists predicts the wolves will “attack him on both sides,” and several begin to harass the bear. At one point as many as 10 wolves can be seen chasing and nipping at the bear, as it fights back while reluctantly fleeing toward the trees.

“Y’all,” an astonished tourist remarks.

“Bear, why didn’t you move when you had the chance?” another tourist bemoans.

Once at the tree line the confrontation seems over, with Brubaker explaining that the wolves were simply escorting the bear from the meadow.

On Facebook he wrote, “I had the awesome opportunity to share this once-in-a-lifetime wolf and grizzly sighting while on tour in Yellowstone today.”

Brubaker told For The Win Outdoors that he was not sure if the wolves were acting in this manner to protect nearby cubs, or guarding a fresh carcass.

“From what I could see the pups were not with them,” he said. “The white wolf [seen in the video] has blood on her face and neck, so there could have been a carcass, but while I watched them they were not feeding on one.”

Brubaker captured the footage in Hayden Valley, one of Yellowstone’s premier wildlife viewing areas.

Wolf poacher lands in jail, loses hunting privileges for life

A Michigan man accused of several wildlife violations, including the poaching of 18 gray wolves, has been sentenced to 90 days in jail as part of a plea agreement.

Kurt Johnston Duncan, 56, also will lose hunting and trapping privileges permanently in Michigan and all 48 states that are members of the Interstate Wildlife Violator Compact.

Duncan, of Pickford, pleaded guilty on Sept. 24 to seven crimes, including three counts of illegal take and the possession of wolves; three counts of illegal take and possession of bald eagles, and one count of illegal commercialization of a protected species (wolf).

Additionally, Chippewa County District Court Judge Eric Blubaugh sentenced Duncan to pay $27,000 as reimbursement for the animals he killed, and $9,240 in court fees.

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources described the case as “historical” for the agency and state in a news release issued Wednesday.

ALSO ON FTW OUTDOORS: Record Yellowstone cutthroat trout caught after river chase

Gary Hagler, Chief of the DNR Law Enforcement Division, added: “We hope this poaching case acts as a deterrent to criminals for committing future wildlife crimes such as this.

“Our officers did an excellent job working as a team and building this investigation so it could move quickly through the criminal justice system.”

The months-long investigation of Duncan identified 125 wildlife misdemeanor crimes involving other animals, including deer, bobcat, and turkeys.

Duncan was ordered to forfeit all items, including firearms and snares, seized during the execution of search warrants.

–Generic gray wolf images are courtesy of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Yellowstone tourists videoed rare and ‘awesome’ wolf pack sighting

Only eight wolf packs are known in Yellowstone National Park, so it was quite a rare sighting when tourists came upon a pack and captured video one night.

Only eight packs of wolves—numbering less than 100 in all—are known to roam in Yellowstone National Park, so it was quite a rare sighting when tourists traveling inside the park at around 10 o’clock at night came upon a pack of wolves strolling on the road ahead.

As Daryl Mckay and his companion slowly approached, the entire wolf pack appeared before them in their headlines in a sighting Mckay called on Facebook a “simply amazing and awesome experience.”

https://www.facebook.com/daryl.mckay.10/posts/10223611829347083

They were driving back from a day trip to Cody, Wyo., between Norris and Madison junctions on Highway 89 just before Gibbon Falls when the sighting occurred on the night of Sept. 11. They captured the video on their iPhone.

“We got to watch these beauties for about 15 minutes, including a lot of howling,” Mckay wrote.

The incredible sighting comes on the heels of Yellowstone National Park, in the winter of 2019-20, celebrating the 25th anniversary of wolves being reintroduced into the park.

https://www.facebook.com/daryl.mckay.10/posts/10223611830067101

The park reported an estimated 528 wolves resided in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem as of 2015, but as of January 2020, there were at least 94 wolves in the park and eight wolf packs were noted.

Also on FTW Outdoors: Alligator grows at alarming rate; officials think they know why

In general, wolf numbers have fluctuated between 83 and 108 wolves since 2009, the park notes, adding that they inhabit most of the park with their peak activity at dawn and dusk.

These tourists just happen to catch them at the right time. In fact, it was quite the wildlife adventure for Mckay and his companion, as he also posted video of a grizzly bear, a bull moose and a large bison strolling down the road in what he called a “classic Yellowstone traffic jam.”

Also on FTW: Watch as a bear gets touchy-feely with a shocked jogger

Momma grizzly with cubs stands up to Yellowstone wolves

When a bison carcass is discovered by wolves and grizzly bears, competition can be fierce between the apex predators.

A lone adult grizzly typically has no problem bellying up to a carcass, and scattering wolves. But it’s more dangerous when the grizzly has cubs.

The accompanying footage, captured recently by a tour guide inside Yellowstone National Park, shows a momma grizzly bear and two cubs running from wolves after the bears tried to intrude on the carcass.

[protected-iframe id=”48160daaf404847f0f69f5ddf0f54b71-58289342-114731612″ info=”https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fyellowstonewolftracker%2Fvideos%2F703913033491082%2F&show_text=0&width=560″ width=”560″ height=”200″ frameborder=”0″ style=”border: none; overflow: hidden;” scrolling=”no”]

Taylor Bland, a guide for Yellowstone Wolf Tracker, told For The Win Outdoors that her footage began as at least four members of the Junction Butte wolf pack began to chase the bears.

“A big, 2,000-pound bison was killed by another bison during the rut, and this was Day 2 of the carcass,” Bland said of the early August sighting. “The wolves were trying to keep the bears from feeding on it.”

She referred to the wolves’ behavior as “resource guarding” and said it did not appear that they intended to kill the cubs.

However, Bland said, “Wolves will occasionally kill grizzly cubs because the cubs will grow up to be competition. Same goes for bears and wolf pups.”

Viewers may note that the momma grizzly tried to stay between her cubs and the wolves during the brief pursuit, and ultimately stopped to square off with the wolves.

Her cubs, like momma, occasionally stood in what seemed a defensive posture.

Finally, the wolves gave up and ventured back toward the carcass.

Bland added that after the wolves had filled up on bison flesh, momma grizzly and both cubs returned and feasted on the carcass for two-plus hours.

“Most of the wolves bedded down about 100 yards off the carcass,” Bland said. “Two yearling cubs stuck around but [momma] bear chased them off multiple times and they were no match for her.”

The bison rut, or mating season, runs from mid-July through August. During this period, rival males are sometimes killed by more dominant bison. The carcasses provide sustenance to other species.

Bland said her group’s sighting – “one of the most epic bear-wolf interactions I’ve ever seen” – occurred in Lamar Valley.

Her footage was captured from a distance of a quarter-mile and she removed the sound, she said, because the excited chatter from her group “drew away from the events that were happening.”

–Top image courtesy of Taylor Bland; aerial shot of the Junction Butte wolf pack last winter is courtesy of NPS / Dan Stahler

Los Wolves dicen no a Juventus en su intento por fichar a Jiménez

No es secreto que Andrea Pirlo, el director técnico de Juventus, ha puesta la mira en Raúl Jiménez como refuerzo para la próxima temporada del club italiano. Desde Italia, los medios ya reportan que Pirlo ha hecho un primer acercamiento con los Wolves para adquirir al mexicano en intercambio por Aaron Ramsey. Sin embargo, el club británico ya rechazó esa primera oferta.

Juventus está por despedirse del mexicano Gonzalo Higuaín, cuyo futuro podría estar en el LA Galaxy de Chicharito. Mientras tanto, la ‘Vecchia Signora’ busca reforzar su ofensiva con nombres que insluyen a Raúl Jiménez (como ya mencionamos), así como Arkadiusz Milik del Napoli y Edin Dzëko de la Roma.

También según los medios italianos, el Wolverhampton rechazó la oferta.

Jiménez no es nuevo en la lista. Ya Maurizio Sarri, DT técnico de Juventus antes de ser cesado por su mal desempeño, ya había levantado la mano. Ahora, aún con el cambio de dirección, Jiménez se mantiene como favorito constante del equipo de Cristiano Ronaldo.

Cabe destacar que quizás las insistencias de parte de Pirlo sean más discretas que las de Sarri. Además, Jiménez terminó su temporada en la Champions con un penal fallido, lo que no lo deja del todo bien parado.

En el lado positivo, para el equipo porque no para el jugador, la actual crisis debido a la pandemia de coronavirus ha devaluado el valor de Jiménez por hasta 10 millones de dólares, lo que lo convierte en un fichaje ligeramente más accesible. Aunque aún se mantiene en 40 millones, cifra poco realista para la Juventus de hoy.

[vertical-gallery id=11837]

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

Opinión: Raúl Jiménez la leyenda de los Wolves, ¿sería un error salir?

Lo volvió a hacer Raúl Jiménez, en el último compromiso de los Wolves ante el Burnley por la jornada 36 de la Premier League, el mexicano tomó un rebote sin pensarlo mucho, de volea, con mucha potencia y destino a portería que fue imposible para el …

Lo volvió a hacer Raúl Jiménez, en el último compromiso de los Wolves ante el Burnley por la jornada 36 de la Premier League, el mexicano tomó un rebote sin pensarlo mucho, de volea, con mucha potencia y destino a portería que fue imposible para el arquero rival y ayudó a su equipo a conseguir el empate 1-1 al 75 que a la postre sería definitivo. Un verdadero golazo.

VIDEO 📽 | GOLAZO DE RAUL JIMÉNEZ ⚽️😱

Hoy @Raul_Jimenez9 🇲🇽 marcó un golazo de volea con los @WolvesEspanol tras un rebote de su rival del @BurnleyOfficial, si bien nadie se esperaría lo que pasó al final 😕 ¡PERO QUE GOLAZO LA VERDAD AMIGOS #Villaleros! #RaulJimenez #Wolves pic.twitter.com/v2MFUAjMpY

— Los Villaleros (@TheVillamelones) July 16, 2020

La campaña de Jiménez ha sido mejor que la anterior, la primera con los Wolves que ya había sido muy buena con 17 goles y 8 asistencias, participando en 25 goles para su equipo.

En la 2019-2020 Raúl adquirió una madurez importante y con su gol 17 en la Premier League y el 26 en la campaña, sumado a las 10 asistencias, el mexicano ha participado en 36 goles de su equipo y aún quedan dos jornadas definitivas para las aspiraciones del Wolverhampton de Champions League.

¿Sería un error dejar a los Wolves?

Mucho se habla en el futbol de dar el salto a un equipo grande de Europa y sin duda Raúl Jiménez está listo, de los dos años que lleva jugando en el Wolverhampton, es el primero en el que juega ya siendo parte del equipo y no a préstamo como sucedió en su primera campaña.

[vertical-gallery id=11837]

Su desempeño ha ido en incremento y eso despierta interés en los grandes equipos, pero ni su profesionalismo, ni su talento, ni sus estupendos dos años en Inglaterra le aseguran éxito en otro club.

Dejar a los Wolves cuando está viviendo el mejor momento de su carrera podría ser una decisión arriesgada que daría un giro a su carrera, cuando aún le restan tres temporadas de contrato en un equipo donde el mexicano ha encajado de manera perfecta.

Más que dejar salir al mexicano, los Wolves deberían reforzarse, abrazar a Raúl con un equipo más competitivo que les permita meterse entre los primeros cuatro puestos la siguiente temporada.

Si Raúl Jiménez mantiene su nivel y la curva sigue siendo ascendente, las ofertas de los grandes equipos, siempre van a estar.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

Man charged with 125 wildlife crimes says he ‘likes to do it’

A Michigan man who was charged with 125 crimes against wildlife—including 18 wolves and three bald eagles—faces fines and jail time.

A Michigan man who was charged with 125 crimes against wildlife—including 18 wolves and three bald eagles—told law enforcement detectives that he was catching the animals because he could and “likes to do it.”

Kurt Johnston Duncan, 56, of Pickford was arraigned Wednesday in Chippewa County’s 91^st District Court on 125 wildlife misdemeanor charges stemming from an 18-month investigation by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources Law Enforcement Division, the DNR announced.

Additional suspects are expected to be charged in the near future.

Duncan, who pleaded not guilty to all charges, faces jail, along with fines and restitution payments of $86,500 (based on the penalty structure) for killing the animals, the species of which included deer, turkey, bear and bobcat.

Specifically, he faces up to 90 days in jail and a $1,000 fine for each wolf and bald eagle, with restitution of $1,500 per eagle and $500 per wolf. He faces up to 90 days in jail and a $500 fine for each other the other wildlife crimes.

However, the Chippewa County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office is only seeking $30,000 in restitution.

Also on FTW Outdoors: Watch ice fisherman pull a 50-pound fish through tiny hole

Bald eagles are protected under state and federal law. Wolves are also protected in Michigan and are on the federal Endangered Species List.

“We had a team of conservation officers that worked well together throughout this investigation,” said DNR Law Enforcement Division Chief Gary Hagler. “Investigations like this require a long-term commitment from everyone involved. I want to thank the prosecutors in this case who worked with our officers. We are happy with the outcome and hope this case sets an example to prevent future natural resource crimes.”

DNR served four search warrants to Duncan in March. Law enforcement detectives said Duncan was using the animals for a variety of reasons, including crafts, selling, or disposing of them.

Conservation officers have collected evidence to support the charges against Duncan and identify additional suspects. Duncan’s cash bond was set at $500 with the stipulation he was to have no contact with the co-defendants, possess no firearms or dangerous weapons, and not participate in fishing or hunting.

Photo showing a conservation officer investigating snares Duncan was charged with using illegally to capture the animals is courtesy of DNR. A captured bird can be seen in lower right. A snare can be seen in circle.

Follow David Strege and the outdoors on Facebook.

¿Está listo Raúl Jiménez para jugar en un ‘grande’ de Europa?

El ascenso de Raúl Jiménez en el futbol europeo ha sido notable desde la llegada del mexicano a la Premier League. Las grandes actuaciones con el Wolverhampton han despertado el interés de otros equipos y tal parece que por fin, los ‘grandes’ de …

El ascenso de Raúl Jiménez en el futbol europeo ha sido notable desde la llegada del mexicano a la Premier League. Las grandes actuaciones con el Wolverhampton han despertado el interés de otros equipos y tal parece que por fin, los ‘grandes’ de Europa voltean a ver el trabajo del delantero azteca.

En España no pasó nada con Jiménez en el año que estuvo en el Atlético de Madrid, nunca pudo ganarse la confianza del ‘Cholo’ Simeone y prefirieron venderlo al Benfica en lo que en esa entonces fue la transacción más cara que haya echo en su historia el club portugués.

Raúl Jiménez vistiendo la camiseta del Atlético de Madrid en la 2014-2015. Foto vía @record_mexico

En Portugal tuvo sus altibajos, pero el ascenso era notable, sin embargo el último año de Jiménez en Benfica al delantero ya no se le veía cómodo y la afición de las Águilas es muy exigente y querían ver más minutos al jugador más caro de su equipo.

Raúl Jiménez celebrando un gol con Benfica en 2018. Foto vía @Benficastuff

La salida de Portugal era necesaria, Benfica le sacó muy buen dinero a Jiménez y el Wolverhampton encontró lo que buscaba. Raúl necesitaba probarse en otro nivel de competencia, exigirse como jugador y seguir creciendo y eso le ofrecieron los Wolves, la confianza de la titularidad, el respaldo de todo el equipo y un sistema armado específicamente para destacar las cualidades del centro delantero tanto como asistidor como definidor. El resultado: 39 goles y 18 asistencias en dos años.

¿Está Raúl Jiménez para un ‘grande’ de Europa?

Sin duda lo está, no es fácil ganarse el respeto en la Premier League y Jiménez lo ha conseguido, el mundo entero ha destacado las cualidades del mexicano y tal parece que el nivel de madurez que viene mostrando pondría a Jiménez en la posición de tener los mejores años de su carrera.

Raúl Jiménez celebrando un gol con el Wolverhampton. Foto vía @RodFarfanA

Con 29 años, la carrera de Jiménez tendría al menos cuatro o cinco años en su mejor nivel y si es junto a los mejores del mundo, aún no habríamos visto lo mejor de Raúl en su carrera.

Juventus y Tottenham son algunos de los interesados en Jiménez, ambos planteles son poderosos, pelean títulos año con año, Juventus tal vez un escalón más arriba que los Spurs, pero son protagonistas y quieren a Raúl la siguiente temporada.

Los Wolves ya le pusieron precio al mexicano, si se había hablado que el delantero rondaba los 47 millones de euros, los ingleses han decidido cerrar números y tasar a su ‘joya mexicana’ en 50 millones de euros, lo que haría de Raúl, el jugador mexicano más caro de la historia.

Un verdadero ‘killer’ del área

Las cualidades de Raúl Jiménez son muchas y muy llamativas para los grandes clubes europeos, aquí las principales del delantero mexicano:

Romance con el gol: No ha dejado de anotar desde que llegó a Inglaterra, el mexicano hace goles de todas maneras, de cabeza, de derecha de izquierda, dentro del área, de larga distancia, es un verdadero depredador del área y un dolor de cabeza para las defensivas y los porteros rivales.
Su cerebro, mayor cualidad: No solo sabe anotar, Jiménez hace jugar a sus compañeros y esos jugadores que piensan antes de actuar pertenecen a una rara especie en peligro de extinción, muy valiosa para cualquier equipo.
Adaptabilidad: A lo largo del tiempo hemos visto ir y venir a muchos jugadores mexicanos al viejo continente, algunos logran consolidarse y otros regresan muy pronto sin haber alcanzado sus objetivos. Raúl ha mostrado solidez mental para adaptarse a otros países, idiomas y culturas. Ha vivido en España, Portugal e Inglaterra y le ha ido bien, las directivas de los clubes interesados en el mexicano no tienen de qué preocuparse en el tema mental y de adaptación, el mexicano sabe hacerlo.

Los mejores años de Raúl Jiménez están por venir, sería muy positivo para él jugar junto a grandes figuras del futbol mundial como Cristiano Ronaldo en la Juventus o Harry Kane en Tottenham. El futuro del mexicano podría dar un salto importante en este verano y ya nos emocionamos con la idea de ver al delantero en un equipo Top 10 de Europa.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]