Wolves on the Prowl

If your like me, you like the idea of wolves, but too frequently fall into the trap of thinking they are just "wolves." They can't do that much damage. I've had a few eye openers over the years to belie that point. I remember Todd and I were playing soccer once, kicking the ball back and forth. I had 1 large and 2 smaller dogs and they kept getting in on the fun (I actually had 5 dogs but one was too old to give a crap and the other was humping everything). At one point, Todd, whose a pretty stout fellow, was running about to kick the ball. Ox, the biggest of the dog barreled in and bit him in the leg, grabbing his pants at his knee. I watched as she used her own momentum to spin Todd around; he started to fall when Cheyenne crashed into him from another angle and he hit the ground. It was quite an eye opener.

Always in my mind I think to make a wolf encounter more interesting and far more deadly.

Wolves travel in packs as we all know, they range in size from a half dozen to a score. The pack is a highly structured social until and one of the most complex in the animal kingdom. An alpha male rules the pack, an alpha female with him. These are the two that have the pups, occasionally others will but for the most part its these two. They breed in the early part of the year, leaving their den after about 10 weeks, the young pups in tow. As the wolf pups grow the follow the pack but do not hunt; while the pack is out ranging the pups remain in an area usually with older wolves until the pack returns. This rendezvous area changes constantly.

In the attack wolves do not rush in and barrel down their prey. They approach cautiously, breaking apart and flanking they target. Several rush into bite and nip at the prey's flanks, circling it constantly. They generally wait for an opening caused by a flanking attack so that one can leap in and hamstring the target or bit it in the nose/face. They do not engage in a hit and be hit style battle.

The pack always has an omega wolf, an older or weaker wolf that the other wolves attack to relieve aggression; it is the omega who usually instigates play hunting with the wolf pups. 

If an alpha is killed the beta wolf moves up and their hierarchy of the pack retained.

When a wolf reaches the young adult stage they break from the pack in search of a mate; these are called disperers. When a solitary howl is heard in the deep of night, that's the disperser seeking a companion.

Wolves.