Wolves.

[Lothiriel]

Yes. Wolves here in Delaware County in NY. I just heard them, and they sounded exactly like this. In the middle of the wolves, the coyotes broke out in one of their ear-ritating screaming fits. And they sounded like this. After they had finished their 6 second fit, the wolves were still at it -- way far away and long and low.

So folks, please don't tell me there aren't wolves here.

 

[woodmort]

I live next door to you in Chenango County and the only wolves we have here are residents of Wolf Mountain in the NW part of the county. However, there are reports of a possibility of wandering wolves or released pets in the state--read this http://www.artdaily.org/index.asp?int_sec=2&int_new=51185 . Also, keep in mind that the evidence is strong that the Eastern coyote is a wolf/coyote cross, this may mean, depending on random breeding, that some individuals could be closer to wolves than coyotes. The Eastern coyote certainly has a lot of wolf traits--hunt in packs and take down deer. I'm not saying you're wrong, just that there are no general confirmed sightings nor Id's by the DEC wildlife people that would indicate a resident population of purebred wolves. As such I remain skeptical.

 

[Achickenwrangler#1]

A wolf was killed near here and the 'officials' denied denied denied any release of such, yet closed the road and said it was a german shepard,I can't imagine why they would lie about it. Yes, release to kill coyote and they interbred - go figure...funny, I live near wolf creek, wonder why they named it that years ago. How far do you think they can travel in a day or two or three...

 

[dacjohns]

Do any of your neighbors have wolf dog crosses or "domesticated" wolves?

 

[Lothiriel]

No. Our neighbors have Border Collies, Labs, and one has (I think they still have it) a German Shepherd. I haven't heard of any domesticated wolves around here. I do agree that wolf/coyote crosses are likely, but in order to have them, there needs to be at least 1 wolf in the area.

 

[dacjohns]

The reason I asked is this:

There are wolves in Wisconsin where I worked for a season. One day I heard some "wolves" howling in the middle of the day and when I got back to the office I asked my coworkers about it. Someone had either dog-wolf crosses or captive wolves right where I heard the howling. I'm pretty sure they were crosses. The howls sounded just like wild wolves.


It is possible that a stray wolf or two has wandered down from Canada.

You don't have to have a wolf in your area to have coywolves. The crosses could have naturally spread into your area.

 

[woodmort]

Quote:
No there doesn't. Most of the coyotes in NYS carry grey wolf DNA--that is the reason they are bigger and act different, more wolf-like, than their western cousins. These crosses probably have been moving down from Canada since the 1930's. They have been in the Catskills--including Delaware Co--at least since the early 1940's.

 

[Zonoma]

Achickenwrangler#1 :

A wolf was killed near here and the 'officials' denied denied denied any release of such, yet closed the road and said it was a german shepard,I can't imagine why they would lie about it. Yes, release to kill coyote and they interbred - go figure...funny, I live near wolf creek, wonder why they named it that years ago. How far do you think they can travel in a day or two or three...

It's because it was a werewolf.

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[geoff40]

Its like the mountain lion thing. They like to blame it on the "escaped exotic pet" every time, but you have to wonder who has mountain lions as pets? Nobody, and I mean nobody, that anyone who participates on this forum, can cite they personally knowing of someone who has a pet mountain lion. I am willing to say that and bet on it. Nobody knows the brother of an ex girlfriend who had an affair with a gal who's uncle Bill kept mountain lions as a pet. In other words, I am saying in the case of big cats, the escaped exotic pet is a bunch of malarky.

But, plenty of people have wolf-dog hybrids; which are often 3/4 or 7/8th wolf, why they want them is another of the modern mysteries of the world. If you've ever seen one up close, they have this way of looking at you, or right through you, with those yellow eyes, like they are wondering...oh never mind :0)

The wolf thing...here in NH last year, the State wildlife authorities had a meeting about updating the State endangered species list (not the same thing as the Federal list), and one of the animals they are including for the upcoming update is the gray wolf, AKA timber wolf. Why? Because according to them, the species is known to be close enough (Quebec, possibly Maine) that they feel it is likely that some of them "wander through" from time to time. I was at the meeting, it was very interesting. Hopefully you don't need a geography lesson as to how close the border of the Province of Quebec is to the northern NY State border.
There are about 100 reported mountain lion sightings every year in NH. The State says they are mistaken identity or escaped exotic pets. Its very political, no doubt. I personally think they fear lawsuits against logging and other activities in the regions likely involved. And, I know mountain lions are here, because along with 3 friends I saw 2 of them together about 15 years ago in broad daylight, miles up a logging road. They were 100 feet away, and it was nothing short of spectacular. I heard 1 calling for 2 nights in a row just a few years ago from by back steps. There were nearby sightings during those 2 days.
The politics of wolves is also very intense. It doesn't matter if they reintroduce them or not, they will be here sooner or later, and according to increasing numbers of people, like yourself, they already are. I don't doubt what you're telling us.
Friends of mine who I trust say they've seen wolves here, and I don't doubt them either. Like me, they are hunters and know what they are talking about. They know animals. 2 winters ago I saw either a HUGE coyote cross the road in my headlights, or it was a wolf. I really don't know which, but whatever it was I think had to be 80 pounds or a bit more in size. Bigger by far than any coyote I've ever seen before, or shot, including alpha males. The species of coyote we have here in the northeast has a ton of wolf DNA in them, and as has already been pointed out they are very similar in their lives. Their social structure (pack) is the same, they hunt the same, etc. The pack takes care of itself, like wolves it is not a matter of every dog for themselves.
I am told that the Eastern coyote is thought to be cross breeding with wolves, producing these large, near-wolf hybrids, which I find a bit curious, because I have also always been told that wolves will run down and kill off any foxes or coyotes they run across. And coyotes will run down and kill foxes. Survival of the fittest I guess. I have seen coyotes chasing a fox with my own eyes, and I've seen video of wolves chasing 2 coyotes.

 

[RingedTeal]

Quote:
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