Cheyenne's Howl

Printed in Mountain Messenger on Friday - September 26, 1997

First Year in the Life of the Wolf

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Wow, aren't those Fall colors just beautiful. I am getting visitors from all over who are traveling up here in the mountains and they are saying that the colors are great just about everywhere. From where I sit up on one of my favorite rocks, I can see a whole mountain side of colors. This is a favorite time of year for me. The weather is turning cooler and I am now starting to create my winter coat. Even though Mom and Dad can, I can't wait for snow. It is one of my favorite times of year and I get to wear one of the most beautiful fur coats you've ever seen.

Well once again the forecasters in Denver were wrong. They kept telling everyone not to go to the mountains last weekend because the weather was bad. Do those guys live in a box somewhere and pick weather forecasts at random out of a hat? Up here in Silver Plume we had the sun coming in and out both days. Why don't those forecasters do a little more homework before they tell everyone not to go anywhere? Wait a minute, I know why they always tell everyone not to go to the mountains. If no one else goes and they go, they have the beauty all to themselves. Maybe they are not as dumb as they appear. I sure wish I had a job where I could be wrong as much as they are and still get paid the big bucks. No one ever lets me be wrong. There are no second chances for a wolf.

Several students have written asking for a quick summary of a year in the life of a wolf, so here goes. In the Springtime five to eight pups are born in a den prepared by their Mother and guarded over by the other members of the pack. The den is near a source of water which is necessary for the mother. After several weeks, the pups curiosity will draw them to just outside of the den, however they will remain in the den for about eight weeks.

After that time they will move to what is known as a rendezvous site where they will stay for up to thirty days. At each rendezvous site the pups will explore their new world, play games of tag, and chew on anything and everything. All of this play is part of the process of learning to hunt and the development of survival skills. It is also at this age when most pups begin to develop their vocal cords. I can't tell you how cute it sounds to hear a pup doing its first solo howl.

At about five months of age, the pups are strong enough to travel with the pack and can actually take part in their own survival. By the time they are six months of age they can take part in their first hunt. Because of the size of the animals that they hunt, such as Moose , Elk, and Deer, the hunt is highly dangerous and the fatality rate among the young and even the old is high. With the coming of winter, a heavy and longer coat is grown, but this alone will not ensure the survival of the pups. These young pups will be hindered by their inexperience and their underdeveloped bodies. Many will not live to see the spring thaw. Those that survive will go on to help with the survival of the pack and a few, after some time, will break away to form their own pack. Those that form their own pack will start the mating cycle in February and early March with the pups being born in April and May.

Cheyenne