Wolf Hunting Tips

sblount

FNG
Joined
Jan 23, 2015
Messages
32
Hey guys,

Wolf season opens for me here in Wyoming on the 1st. This will be a first but I can hunt for about a month. Could you share any tips you have to hunt them. I fortunately have an elk feed ground across the street and the wolves are active in there everyone in a while so I know they are in the area.

Thank you
 

Ross

Super Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Feb 24, 2012
Messages
4,684
Location
Liberty Lake, WA
Be walking hours before daylight or go out at midnight and listen for their howling. Then learn there main travel routes and intercept them close to day break. They love hunting at night and being close to them in the eerie dark as they howl is an experience you won’t forget. Good luck👍 If you find an Old kill they will come back to play with bones like predator just May be awhile.
 

Attachments

  • 76F707F8-1831-4F2F-BA1A-1F9838832906.jpeg
    76F707F8-1831-4F2F-BA1A-1F9838832906.jpeg
    272.3 KB · Views: 59
  • AC07AC15-F918-430B-B1CC-D6472CE03BA5.jpeg
    AC07AC15-F918-430B-B1CC-D6472CE03BA5.jpeg
    156.5 KB · Views: 57
  • 0C40B5D3-D603-48CC-8097-116DBF0097FF.jpeg
    0C40B5D3-D603-48CC-8097-116DBF0097FF.jpeg
    179.4 KB · Views: 56
  • 02BE8BAB-74C6-4CF4-ACF6-184D6FBCA016.jpeg
    02BE8BAB-74C6-4CF4-ACF6-184D6FBCA016.jpeg
    200.8 KB · Views: 59
  • 03CD98A4-C0C2-4CC6-B714-DF7EF6F7C788.jpeg
    03CD98A4-C0C2-4CC6-B714-DF7EF6F7C788.jpeg
    165.6 KB · Views: 60
Joined
Dec 11, 2019
Messages
20
Location
Hawaii/Western Washington
Be walking hours before daylight or go out at midnight and listen for their howling. Then learn there main travel routes and intercept them close to day break. They love hunting at night and being close to them in the eerie dark as they howl is an experience you won’t forget. Good luck👍 If you find an Old kill they will come back to play with bones like predator just May be awhile.
Awesome info thanks man. Another question, it seems like they don't have the same weapons restrictions as most big game animals. It makes me wonder if I should bring my ar since it has a light and that would make me feel a little more comfortable trying to close the distance on some wolves in the dark. Would 77gr be effective enough? I would rather use that than my bolt 25-06 I think
 

VernAK

WKR
Joined
Dec 24, 2012
Messages
2,025
Location
Delta Jct, Alaska
Wolves are very territorial as are most canines. Howl in their territory and they will usually come to run out intruders,

The 77 gr in 223 will take a wolf but as a dedicated wolf cartridge, I prefer a bit more diameter. I'm currently liking the 6CM.
 

grimm158

FNG
Joined
Jun 7, 2022
Messages
28
Location
Idaho
Awesome info thanks man. Another question, it seems like they don't have the same weapons restrictions as most big game animals. It makes me wonder if I should bring my ar since it has a light and that would make me feel a little more comfortable trying to close the distance on some wolves in the dark. Would 77gr be effective enough? I would rather use that than my bolt 25-06 I think
Sounds like a really good excuse to pick up a 308/6.5 AR ;)
 

MBAlex

FNG
Joined
Apr 17, 2022
Messages
43
Disclaimer: I haven’t shot one yet but have been baiting the hell out of them ahead of the upcoming season. I’ve got about 200 pictures of them in one specific area.

Locating them is the hardest thing. What worked for me is finding linear features deep in the bush (forestry roads, power lines) that are near water sources. Once you have located an area like this that has sign, setting up bait and a camera allows you to pattern them. Leave your bait site up for at least a week, and don’t get discouraged if they don’t find the bait right away. In my experience, once they find it they will continue to come back. For instance, I know one pack comes through one of my bait sites about every five days and they will stay there overnight and into the next morning if there is plenty of bait. I’ve also been able to figure out which way they like coming into the bait.

Good luck.
 

Attachments

  • 722AB719-9D32-4DB1-9970-742A013B5E45.jpeg
    722AB719-9D32-4DB1-9970-742A013B5E45.jpeg
    95.3 KB · Views: 51
  • 54677D87-C20F-430B-B5AE-42F5FC71A58D.jpeg
    54677D87-C20F-430B-B5AE-42F5FC71A58D.jpeg
    192.4 KB · Views: 50
  • 0A3DF22C-E2BD-4915-A540-3B468B11F541.jpeg
    0A3DF22C-E2BD-4915-A540-3B468B11F541.jpeg
    681.2 KB · Views: 50
Joined
Aug 4, 2020
Messages
543
I got a wolf this year while elk hunting so I am practically an expert. I went down to a small ledge in the dark about an hour before sunrise to set up for elk. It was a choke point between a large flat area and a water source. Two elk had been killed at that choke point in the last two days so there was food. I was solo and as quiet as I could possibly be but the closest gut pile was maybe 50 yards away with an unobstructed view except for 3-4 foot tall brush obscuring the gut pile from view. No doubt the wolves saw me coming down with my headlamp and heard me getting situated. I was still and sitting in the dark after that. Shortly after sunrise a large male wolf was looking for me. Probably on a scouting mission for the packs safety. He would quickly trot 10-15 yards, stop, look around and sniff coming uphill to my left. The wind was in my favor. One of the times he disappeared into the trees I quickly got setup to the left and proned out with my bipod. There was one window in the trees left so I set up for that spot. Sure enough he had come uphill enough to be level with me and was looking for me through that window 125 yards away. So my expert comment was a joke but go where know gut piles are in the dark and sit quietly and wait. Not a lot of wisdom there but add it to your library. It was my first time hunting idaho and the veterans of 20 years had never seen one.
 

Attachments

  • IMG_6569.jpeg
    IMG_6569.jpeg
    525 KB · Views: 76
  • IMG_6576.jpeg
    IMG_6576.jpeg
    799.3 KB · Views: 76

gtriple

WKR
Joined
Dec 15, 2021
Messages
1,137
I got a wolf this year while elk hunting so I am practically an expert. I went down to a small ledge in the dark about an hour before sunrise to set up for elk. It was a choke point between a large flat area and a water source. Two elk had been killed at that choke point in the last two days so there was food. I was solo and as quiet as I could possibly be but the closest gut pile was maybe 50 yards away with an unobstructed view except for 3-4 foot tall brush obscuring the gut pile from view. No doubt the wolves saw me coming down with my headlamp and heard me getting situated. I was still and sitting in the dark after that. Shortly after sunrise a large male wolf was looking for me. Probably on a scouting mission for the packs safety. He would quickly trot 10-15 yards, stop, look around and sniff coming uphill to my left. The wind was in my favor. One of the times he disappeared into the trees I quickly got setup to the left and proned out with my bipod. There was one window in the trees left so I set up for that spot. Sure enough he had come uphill enough to be level with me and was looking for me through that window 125 yards away. So my expert comment was a joke but go where know gut piles are in the dark and sit quietly and wait. Not a lot of wisdom there but add it to your library. It was my first time hunting idaho and the veterans of 20 years had never seen one.
That's exactly how I hunt coyotes during deer season.
 
Top