Wild wolves in Missouri?

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Are there any wild wolves in Missouri? This is something that I've been wondering about for the last five years.

The reason that I ask is that five years ago I borrowed a tractor and was cutting the brush on some land that I own in northern Montgomery county. I came around a corner in the field next to the woods and saw this animal that I thought at first was one of those miniature donkeys (Sicilian?). I have some friends that raise those miniature donkeys, so as soon as I saw this animal I immediately thought to myself that that was what I was seeing up ahead of me. It was obviously much larger than any coyote that I'd ever seen out there and it was dark colored compared to the tannish looking coyotes that I'd seen previously. It was standing there looking at me approach it on the tractor and finally after I got real close to it, it took off into the woods that were right there next to us. That's the only time that I've ever seen it. Someone did tell me that possibly what I saw was a 'yotedog', or the result of a coyote & dog having bred together.

I also several coyotes that day which was unusual. Someone told me later that coyotes learn to associate the sound of a tractor cutting brush to easy to find food such as killed or injured rabbits and snakes, and they come running looking for it in the paths that are freshly cut.
 
Rory,

You may have seen a coyote dog cross. I can't find any data indicating wolves have been found in Missouri. That would be quite an expansion of their range and I can promise you would be hearing about it all over the news. Wolves tend to bring radicals on both ends of the spectrum and they are all very vocal.
 
Rory,

After posting the above, did some more research and this is what I found. These wandering wolves will sometimes travel great distances but are usually killed or run over before they get to denser populated locations.

RENTON, Mo. -- He was hungry like a wolf. And that's what led to his death.

After a roughly 600-mile trek across rivers and woods, from Michigan's Upper Peninsula to Missouri's farmland, a wandering gray wolf was fatally shot with an arrow while peering into a farmer's sheep pen.

The wolf, an endangered species in Michigan, is otherwise extinct in Missouri. And the Grundy County farmer, who mistook the 80-pound canine for a coyote, didn't see the numbered ear tag and radio-tracking collar until the wolf was dead.

The hunter likely could have disposed of the wolf with little fear of discovery. Instead, he took the carcass to a Missouri conservation agent, who traced the wolf back to near Ironwood, Mich.

Records at the Michigan Department of Natural Resources show that the wolf killed Oct. 23 in Missouri was a juvenile weighing 22 pounds when it was initially caught in July 1999 in Michigan. That's when it was fitted with an ear tag and a radio collar.

Michigan officials followed the movements of Wolf No. 18 for nine months, then lost track of it. They had a hard time believing the news when informed of the animal's death in Missouri.

As the crow flies, the distance from Michigan to Missouri is roughly 450 miles. By the way a wolf travels, crossing the Mississippi River and countless highways, it's more like 600 miles. That ranks among the longest wolf journeys documented by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.

Young wolves, especially males, are prone to leave their birth places to carve out their own territories.

"You have to wonder how many people saw this animal along the way and either kept it to themselves or told people and weren't believed," said Michigan DNR Biologist Dean Beyer.

The man who shot the wolf won't be prosecuted, since he was protecting his livestock and believed the animal was a coyote.

"For years, we have believed and told people that there were no wild wolves in Missouri," said Dave Hamilton, a wildlife research biologist for the Missouri Conservation Department. "We can't say that anymore, though the likelihood of seeing a genuine gray wolf here still is extremely small."

Gray wolves, also known as timber wolves, were killed off in Missouri by the end of the 19th century. Now the state lacks wilderness areas large enough to sustain wolves without human conflicts, Hamilton said.

But Minnesota has retained a wild population, which grew gradually after the species was granted protection and now totals 2,445.

Wolves from Minnesota have dispersed into Michigan and Wisconsin, where they have established independent populations and are classified as endangered. Michigan's wolf population is estimated at 200. Wisconsin has an estimated 250 gray wolves.
 
Mike,

That story is pretty amazing, I hadn't heard it before. Thanks for posting it.

I guess there's no way of every knowing what it was that I saw.
 
Rory

I hesitate to post this because I know many will think I'm nuts......but I saw a wolf in MO about 15 years ago. I was squirrel hunting with a bow along the James river just SW of Springfield ......my brother in law walked down into the river bottom while I stayed on a small ridge where I had a good view......he had been gone for several minutes when I saw something big coming from the direction he was headed.......I stood perfectly still and the wolf walked within 20 yards of me......it never knew I was there......I have hunted and killed coyotes for many years......this was definitely NOT a coyote......from the looks of it, it was not a "pet" either.......it was easy to tell that it lived in the woods and not in someone's yard..... it also was not a dog/coyote cross...... I got a very good look at it.....it was a wolf.....don't know where it came from or how it got there..... but it WAS a wolf....no doubt about it......
 
GonHuntin,

There is something called the 'Wild Wolf Sanctuary' near the Six Flags amusement park here in Missouri. I wonder if they've ever had any escape for good?

Maybe there really are true wild wolves here in Missouri, just like the Black Bears and I think I've heard Cougars too. I recall a story of someone killing one with a car somewhere and by examining it, it was determined to be a wild cat and not a former pet.
 
That wolf was taken not too far from my parents home. The scuttle butt was that he was allowed to keep the wolf. Because he thought it was a coyote that was getting ready to kill his live stock he was justified in shooting it. I also believe that the battery in the collar had long since died and had been missing for quite some time.
 
Correct me if I'm wrong here but a wolf in Missiouri would fall into the endangered portion of the ESA (Endangered Specie Act). As such you are not allowed to kill one unless it is attacking you. Doesn't matter if it is attacking your stock or even if it is in the process of eating another endangered specie. Your supposed to call the gubmint.
Recently I think wolves have been delisted --down to threatened in Wisconsin and Minnesota--this allows for killing one if it is in the act of predating on your livestock.
In July of 2002, in Wisconsin I saw a wolf kill a very gritty Plott dog with one bite. I was told by the state mammilian ecologist in no uncertain terms not to harm that wolf.
 
I can't answer that question.... admittedly that info I provided was gossip. I did write to the Missouri Department of Conservation to ask about it and the final disposition of the wolf.

~Heath
 
I just heard back from the folks at the Missouri Conservation Department. The guy was not charged for shooting the wolf and the carcass was returned back to its state of origin.
 
I shot a coyote that had wolf like features last February. It had a shorter snout, dark fur, and a lot more fur around the face than a normal coyote. The body size was similar to a coyote's though. Even the taxidermist commented on the similarities of the wolf like features. I will post pics when I get it back from the taxidermist. I only did a shoulder mount due to mange around the back and hind quarters.
 
I have heard that some (cage raised) wolves were released near Osceola several years ago.. and I know a woman who claims she has one living on her property verified by MDC!? -near Cole Camp, Missouri-
 
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