Have you ever seen a wolverine in the Lower 48?

Have you ever seen a wolverine in the lower 48 states?

  • Yes

    Votes: 66 34.0%
  • No

    Votes: 128 66.0%

  • Total voters
    194
Joined
Sep 11, 2017
Messages
1,237
Location
Bozeman, MT
I’ve seen three in the last couple years in SW Montana. This is the only one I’ve got a photo of. Watched him work along the opposite side of this lake for about 30 minutes.

ff23cbd17f95b2fc040b452585dd0c8f.jpeg



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6.5Express

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Mar 31, 2013
Messages
209
Location
WY
I saw one last fall while deer hunting in northwest Wyoming and saw another six or so summers ago in the park.

In 2017, my buddy and I were backpack deer hunting in western wyoming and had tracks from one right into our camp in the snow. Came to the base of a tree we had a buck hanging in and left. Weirdest looking track in the snow but confirmed by wgfd biologists as a wolverine.

I saw oneon the north slope of the brooks range in 2015 while caribou hunting as well.
 

mtwarden

Super Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Oct 18, 2016
Messages
9,804
Location
Montana
One side story about wolverines. We were snowshoeing through the Bob Marshall one winter near the Chinese Wall and came across a set of wolverine tracks headed the way we were. We followed them a bit, but veered off when it looked like an easier way. Before too long, we were back on his tracks. We saw an opportunity for easier going (so we thought) and veered off his tracks again, only to get back on his tracks once more.

This happened several times over the course of a couple of miles. We were off his tracks for quite awhile when came to the pass we needed and again his tracks going through the same pass.

We looked back and could see that his route was a dead straight line from where we first picked up his tracks to this pass. Ours? Was a crookedly line going up/down and around.

Lesson learned, follow the wolverine tracks, he didn’t waste a single step! :D
 

JasonWi

WKR
Joined
Jul 3, 2012
Messages
1,124
Location
Salem, Oregon
I saw one around 1999-2000 in the Oregon. I wasn’t sure what I was looking at, the whole encounter lasted a few seconds
 

Caseknife

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Feb 22, 2020
Messages
269
In 2019 my hunting partner and I saw one while hunting in UT but were actually in very southern Idaho when we saw the wolverine. There was a hawk pestering something on the ground about 150 yards off the road. We determined that it was a wolverine, so we took off to get a bit closer. It was totally unaware of us as it was loping from sage to sage looking for lunch. We finally got to about 30 yards and it noticed us, arched his back and growled and then took off into the timber. First for either of us, he is a retired biologist and I have a degree in wildlife management. Will try to dig up a picture.Wolverine.jpg
 
Last edited:
Joined
May 9, 2012
Messages
1,233
Location
Bothell, Wa
We looked back and could see that his route was a dead straight line from where we first picked up his tracks to this pass. Ours? Was a crookedly line going up/down and around.

Lesson learned, follow the wolverine tracks, he didn’t waste a single step! :D
I saw one several years ago in Wa. Not far from SunCadia/Cle Elum so not really deep wilderness. After a few phone calls I found a FS Bio who was just finishing up a study. This bio confirmed your observation. He encouraged me to try and get him on a game cam. His advice was to not set up on or even near a trail. He said that Wolverines rarely use trails and just head straight to where they want to go completely ignoring natural barriers.

Earlier that same day a buddy and I had seen a sow with two cubs so I had bear cubs on my mind. When we turned a corner I was like "damn another bear cub". As he ran off it was obviously not a bear cub so my buddy points and say's, "That's not a cub that's a Honey Badger!" lol
 

eldeuce

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Dec 31, 2020
Messages
211
Location
Northern CO
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