Within the last four years or so about all I see is tracks of singles,before that I saw tracks of packs but not many singles.Any opinions on this related to numbers of wolves . For me the logical conclusion is ------ fewer wolves.They are only killing about 250 in 2017 trapping and hunting combined..I always was skeptical about some of the wolf experts claims (only the big daddy wuff gets to do the mommy Wolves ) but who am I just some old dude that wants get some lead in a few not a wolf educated "person" smith

I don't know about your area,but here some in the wolf packs tend to split up after breakup in spring.Once they start on the beaver,it seems some prefer to hunt on their own.They still keep in contact with the rest of the pack,(Can hear them howling over long distances on clear nights) but some travel alone or sometimes in pairs in summer.Just before freeze up the pack will start running together again and get back on the moose.I think a lot of times some of these lone wolves will form their own pack if they can find a place to make a living and wont return to their original family group.A normal size pack is 5 to 7 wolves here,with a dozen being a large pack and that is uncommon here.
Once in a while I notice a lone wolf running in winter.These wolves are succeptable to bait and fairly easy to snare.Some of these are larger older wolves and some are young,smaller wolves.Often they have bite marks on their face and rump,noticeable when skinned.

In the coastal area of Alaska that I frequent (SW and SE) I see single or maybe double sets of tracks much more often than I see evidence of packs regardless of the time of year. I'm thinking it might be a food issue; lots of different feed sources in coastal areas and there is no need to hunt in packs??

Also, pack size will depend greatly on available prey. More prey = bigger packs. More prey = smaller territories.

Singles could be on their own for various reasons. Old wolf kicked out of the pack, adolescent dispersing, or maybe just a pack member on walkabout away from the rest of the pack.

Ive followed a single track many times that suddenly broke off into 10-12. Big packs follow a single set of tracks when they know where they are going.

That is common here too Ryan,once the snow gets about a foot deep.Even 3 or 4 wolves will follow in each others track,you can count how many when they stop to make a mark.Sometimes a couple will come in from the side and follow the track,then veer off later on.

Thank you for your insight.Sure would help if we could snare here.

In this country there have been more and more single sets as the population of wolves has exploded. With only so much room I think more dispersers and cast offs are inhabiting the areas between packs and along pack boundaries. These singles have become much more conspicuous on the early fall bear baits.

I'm of the opinion you see more single tracks when the population is higher, not lower.

Osky

All I ever find are single tracks. Hope to someday find where a dozen clearly individual tracks are recognizable.

If that's the norm in your area I would hazard a guess that it is due to a couple things.

1. a single wolf can most likely take down a blacktail deer. 2. Maybe your wolves are scavenging the tide line and not killing anything..so they don't need any help.

Where I trap,it's usually singles passing through,occasionally a pair.I don't know of any packs in the area.There are areas in Montana where hunters have put a real hurt on some packs,as have government trappers,in some places.


I would go to the FWP website and look up past year's wolf reports.Look under wolf,then helpful information,and find the annual wolf report.There should be a map,showing where wolves were taken that year.The latest report is for 2016(2016-2017).This should tell you what the harvest looks like around you.

Very, interesting stuff, thanks trappers..

Single wolf tracks are common. Individual Wolves out scouting, young males and females dispersing, old males run off from the pack. Research shows that 10% of wolf population are solo animals usually living in the grey zone between packs. A dangerous place to be and I'm thinking a low survival rate.

Thanks to all you for sharing your knowledge ,a valuable group to help be a better trapper . smith

Like Ryan said quite often a single track is actually more than one wolf they are just traveling single file. Talked to a carnivore biologist a few years ago and he said in his experience singles don't live long because existing packs will follow and kill them. I have seen a lot of single wolves but most of the time they were scouting like Brian mentioned. Twice now I've seen where a single wolf killed a full grown moose so they can certainly survive on their own. A friend of mine watched one kill a big cow a few years ago. Maybe the packs down there are getting broken up because of the number of animals being taken? 250 is a lot of wolves.

In my area (NW MT.) I find mostly singles and pairs and occasionally a 3-4 pack. As already mentioned I've also seen many times where a single set of track turns into 2-3 because the animals were using the same track...then branch out, then back into a single set. last few years the hunting & trapping has thinned em out to a nice balance imho.....

Not that many years ago I was wolf hunting in Idaho and saw pretty much the same. i came to the assumption right or wrong it was a breeding pair and a couple offspring that stayed together as a pack. Maybe every couple years the older pups move on and the younger sister replace them. It did seem making a living as a wolf in those mountains was a much harder job than it is in Minnesota.

Osky