The two pups curiously graced me with their presence.
John Starr - Naturalist Photographer
by John Starr
The beaches area made the news during the summer and fall of 2015. Wolves were killing our pet dogs. There was fear and panic among residents and cottage-goers alike. People didn’t feel safe. A trapper was called in, and the nuisance pack was eradicated. With a willingness to learn and be open-minded - we as a community can keep this from happening again.
It was 1986 when my grandmother purchased the family cabin in Traverse Bay. It’s been a second home for me ever since. In 2012, I purchased a home with my father in Hillside Beach. I purchased this home to set up a headquarters to pursue, learn, and to ultimately photograph the wolf packs in and around the beaches area. Although I have experienced many sightings, seen thousands of tracks, have heard their howls in the stillness of many frigid winter nights — they have always found a way to elude me. I began to feel like I was chasing ghosts.
So why were they showing no fear and killing our dogs in 2015? Well, there’s an easy explanation to that. Wolves perceive dogs as a threat to their territory and food source. That year, I was surprised to see how many dogs were roaming around in the middle of the night. Something bad was bound to happen. I’ve read many stories over the years about wolves approaching humans while walking dogs. These encounters seem scary, but the wolf is trying to get you to leave its territory. This is called escorting. Wolves innate senses kick in when a dog is present – therefore, they lose some of the natural fear that they have for us. These encounters are extremely rare, and there has never been a documented case in which a wolf has attacked a person who was walking a dog. But wolves will kill dogs who are left to roam around alone.
Recently, there was a post on Facebook from a woman who said she was attacked by a wolf while she was walking her dog. I spoke to the conservation officer who was involved in investigating the case. The woman reiterated her original statement that was shared to thousands of people on Facebook, and confessed that the wolf didn’t actually touch her or her dog. Sensationalist stories on wolves are common. Embellished encounters are only perpetuating the misconceived notion that wolves are blood-thirsty creatures. The science states otherwise. My thirteen years spent following alongside these animals states otherwise. Embellished stories have consequences. We, as humans, need to be more mindful of the information we choose to put out to the world.
You either love wolves or you hate them. There are a lot of fallacies of the supposed “big bad wolf.” It didn’t take me long to realize that these animals aren’t what Hollywood/media makes them out to be. I will always tell people that I’m more afraid of a buck during rutting season than a pack of wolves any day. I’ve been in circumstances where I’ve encountered wolves in the deep woods, with no weapons, no cell service, and I have never felt threatened in any way. I’ve been escorted out of areas where there may have been a den, rendezvous, or kill-site; but each time this has happened, it was done in a non-aggressive way. They’re protecting their territory; I’d do the same if a stranger were on my property.
If you do encounter a wolf - stay calm. If you’re with a dog, keep it on a leash, retreat backwards, and don’t stop until you feel safe. We need to learn to live with the animals around us. If you have dogs or cats, bring them indoors an hour before sunrise and an hour before sunset. Predators become more active at dusk and dawn and remain active all throughout the night. Leaving your pets unattended to roam free will increase the risk of predation. There are unwritten laws of the land, set billions of years before us, and we must learn to follow them.
Thirteen years is a long time to try and photograph something. It can really test who you are as a person. So, when I surprisingly got wolf pups on one of my trail cameras - I knew I had to give it everything I had to try and photograph them. But I had to do this without being a disturbance.
Like a hunter - I learned how to track, cover my scent, and to move through the forest without being detected. I apply all of these techniques whenever I track wolves - except the rifle is replaced with a camera and super telephoto lens. Never did I think I’d ever have an opportunity to use these techniques to photograph wolf pups.
These two pups curiously graced me with their presence. They came so close that I could have reached out and touched them. I wouldn't recommend approaching any wild animal; I actually condone it - but they surprised me - and I couldn't do much but stay still until they left. I was in full camouflage, but they knew I was there.
No aggression was shown from the adults. The mother and a subadult passed within 20 meters of me. The way they move through the density of the forest with complete silence and ease is pretty incredible! This photo was taken in a heavy blow-down area. An area I will never disclose to anyone. Piles of dead trees blown over by wind throughout the years that naturally made a maze, mixed with conifers and heavy undergrowth. As nimble as I am - navigating this terrain on foot was no easy undertaking. These pups did it with ease.
Far from any cabin or road – this is their shelter, protection, and their playground. Bones with chew marks, scat, and wolf beds (used by the sub-adults) pressed into the ground with shedded winter coat fur surrounded the area. A wolf homestead site is absolutely fascinating! You get a real sense of the wild within a place like that. I’ve always been very analytical and fact-driven; my outlook on life is to transcend nihilism, but I couldn’t help but feel like what I experienced that day was somewhat spiritual.
I left the den site in a state of awe and reverence that I have never felt before. The hike back to my car was done in complete silence, my brain humming a resonance of accomplishment, shock, and wonderment. The adults could have eaten me alive if they wanted to - but that is simply not in their nature. I will carry and share the admiration with complete and total respect for these very misunderstood animals for as long as I live.
Follow John Starr on Instagram @johnstarrphoto