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MT Wolf

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MT Wolf

Postby MTLongdraw » 10 26, 2016 •  [Post 1]

Saturday (10-22) marked the opener for MT’s rifle season. My plan was to hike into a remote basin in an attempt to find a big mule deer. This particular basin has produced a big buck for a family friend 3 years ago. Last year my wife saw a large one in there too, so needless to say my hopes were high.
Due to work schedules I would be solo on this hunt. Well kind of. A friend and his son were going to ride in on horses early Saturday morning. Not being a horse guy I chose to hike in Friday night and do a backpack hunt. Never have done a back pack hunt and SOLO was going to be an adventure.

Got to my “flat spot” just shy of the top of the ridge at about 530 Friday night. I was in about 4-5 inches of snow. Set up camp and glassed for the remainder of the evening. Saw nothing and very little sign that there was anything in the basin. Still optimistic I set up camp and crawled in for the night…At 730.
As you can imagine it was a very long night. Didn’t fit in the tent. On a slope accompanied with the fact I couldn’t truly set my tent up, I spent a lot of time climbing up to the top of my tent and sliding back to the bottom.

Woke up about 6, about an hour and a half before daylight. When I woke up I realized it had snowed about 5 inches overnight. Got my stuff ready and waited for the sun to come up. As it did I quickly realized it was extremely foggy and visibility was awful. Spent about the first half hour of daylight glassing the basin.

Knowing that I could only hunt until about noon due to the fact I had to be at work Sunday morning and was 4 miles in with a camp to pack out, I contemplated leaving really early. Around 8 o’clock I heard two quick shots down in the timber. I glassed the fringes of the timber in hopes of seeing an elk or deer skirt out the top of the timber and end up below me. No such luck. A few minutes later I ran into the two guy I had planned to meet up with.

As we sat there glassing, about ten minutes later, the fog rolled back. The two immediately started yelling “Wolf, Wolf, Wolf” I wasn’t able to find them right away, but as I did I immediately saw a big black wolf trot into the timber. Three wolves in total. We tried to get shots off but no luck. Seeing a wolf is cool but it’s a long ways from getting a shot. I’ve seen lots of wolf. I’ve even had them as close as 50 yards but have never ever had a shot opportunity.

As time went on we continued glassing the basin as fog rolled around and presented opportunities. I specifically remember telling them how cool it would be to kill a wolf but mentioned it seemed like a virtually impossible task.

At about 9 oclock, exactly thirty minutes after our first encounter I looked back on the same bench down below. As the fog rolled out there was a brown wolf and two gray wolfs sitting there. I called out those infamous words and threw my Mystery Ranch on the ground. I told the kid to take the first one and I would take the third. As I threw my rifle up I just happened to land on the second one, a gray wolf. I called out the audible and told him to stand by while I settled into the top of my load lifters. As I steadied my BDC at about 350 I called out I was ready and to shoot. No response so I let it go. I instantly saw a gray wolf pile up in my cross hairs. I instantly lost my $H!^. For 6 years I have bought a wolf tag in hopes of getting an opportunity. One I never truly believed would happen. I began jumping around and screaming “I just killed a wolf, I just killed a wolf, I just killed a --------- wolf.” I was absolutely beside myself. The other guy never ended up getting a shot off as his gun misfired and then his scope fogged up.

We sat there for several minutes as the wolves sat down in the timber and howled. We eventually made our way down and found her. The only way I can describe it is surreal. Nothing like it. It truly took about 3 days to sink in.

I harvested a young female. Probably weighed about 60-65 pounds. She photo’d really nice and had a beautiful hide which is at the tanners now.
I don’t know if this will ever happen again but I will continue to try. An true “trophy of a lifetime”
Thanks for reading my story.
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MTLongdraw
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Re: MT Wolf

Postby six » 10 27, 2016 •  [Post 2]

Great hunt. Thanks for sharing.
Elk are where you find em...
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Re: MT Wolf

Postby Deanmac » 10 27, 2016 •  [Post 3]

I enjoyed the read and pictures, congrats
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Re: MT Wolf

Postby WapitiTalk1 » 10 27, 2016 •  [Post 4]

Outstanding Josh, nicely done! Your tent story cracked me up......"Didn’t fit in the tent. On a slope accompanied with the fact I couldn’t truly set my tent up, I spent a lot of time climbing up to the top of my tent and sliding back to the bottom." I've been there and have the T shirt; sometimes a guy just can't find a flat spot :D.
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Re: MT Wolf

Postby Lefty » 10 27, 2016 •  [Post 5]

Great story. Currently a legit wolf is a bigger trophy to me than mature bull or 27" mulie
Cherish that hunt!!!


You were either lucky or smart putting that tent under a tree. One of my scouts has one,..2 hours into the evening driving rain he figured out why I had an empty tent set up. :o
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Re: MT Wolf

Postby MTLongdraw » 10 28, 2016 •  [Post 6]

Thanks guys. Lefty you are right. I really believe that about the three trophies and I surely do. Funny about the tree. Right before I left a good buddy who is wise beyond his years told me big spruce trees are your friend. Last text I got that day before heading in. I remember his advice!
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Re: MT Wolf

Postby ishy » 10 28, 2016 •  [Post 7]

Very cool, great story.
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Re: MT Wolf

Postby bowhuntermojo » 01 15, 2017 •  [Post 8]

Great Story. What an adventure. Man those wolves are big animals.
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Re: MT Wolf

Postby Timber » 02 01, 2017 •  [Post 9]

Great job!! That tent........!!!! :D :D :D :D :D
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Re: MT Wolf

Postby alaska drop camp » 02 11, 2017 •  [Post 10]

wolves really are an awesome trophy, even in Alaska where I live, you don't get to many chances to shoot one! congratulations!
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Re: MT Wolf

Postby MTLongdraw » 02 27, 2017 •  [Post 11]

Timber wrote:Great job!! That tent........!!!! :D :D :D :D :D


If Wal Mart is looking for pro staffers I'm in...How miserable! :lol: I'd go do it again tomorrow if I could lol
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