News

Wolf sighted up in the Turtle Mountains

By Scott Wagar

02/07/2012

When Reno and Marilynn Strand awoke on Sunday morning, January 22 and looked out their front window they probably thought they were looking at the PBS show “Nature” up close and personal, because what they saw out their window left them in amazement and with great concern.

“At 7:15 that morning, Reno got up and let the dogs out,” Marilynn said. “I came into the kitchen about 7:30 and began making coffee when I noticed our border collie standing in his pointing position. I thought that was odd that our dog was in that position. So, I looked out the window to see what he was pointing at and there was a big animal 30 feet from our house going back and forth and back and forth. As the animal was pacing I realized it was a wolf. So, I called out for Reno and told him what I was looking at and he came running with his field glasses and confirmed it was a wolf. From there, I ran to the door and opened it, and our dogs were very happy to come inside.”

Once the Strands’ dogs were in the house, Reno and Marilynn kept a close eye on the wolf, which eventually left their property and went toward their neighbor’s house.

“We called over to our neighbor, Wayne Olson, who also has a dog and warned him about what we saw,” Marilynn said.

With the wolf gone, the Strands went back to their Sunday morning routine, but seeing such an animal, with such a vicious reputation, they continued to look out into their yard.

“We watched intermediately for some time and about a half an hour later a deer ran into our yard and stopped about 20 feet from our house. What we saw was terrible because the deer’s neck had been slashed open and the whole back end had been eaten off,” Marilynn said. “Then, out of nowhere, we saw a coyote come into the yard from the north, then another coyote came in from the south and one more from another direction.”

As the three coyotes began circling the deer, the Strands called the local sheriff department to see if they could shoot the deer and take it out of its misery, which local law enforcement agreed they could do. They also asked if they could shoot the wolf if it came back, which the sheriff’s department told them they could, but only if it threatened their livestock.

With the phone call complete, Reno brought out his rifle and made an attempt to shoot the deer. However, the animal was positioned in such a way that Reno couldn’t fire off a shot because he would be shooting toward his neighbor’s home.

As Reno stood there considering what he could do next, a police vehicle drove into the yard, chasing the deer and coyotes off Strands’ property.

“After that we never did see the animals again, but we did hear them for a couple nights after that, but we haven’t heard them since,” Marilynn said.

The Strands feel that the wolf was in their yard because it was attempting to get their dogs. Since that time, they have been careful when letting their two dogs and cat out of the house, because they fear losing them.

“I now go out with our animals and keep a close eye on them,” Marilynn said.

According to Jonathan Tofteland, the game warden for the Bottineau area, there are wolves in the Turtle Mountains, but normally they are passing through from one area to the next and seldom settle down in the area, especially when there is a large population of coyotes in a region.

“Wolves are normally pretty uncomfortable around coyotes and normally don’t stay in an area where there are a large number of coyotes,” Tofteland said. “The wolf was probably just going through the area and is more than likely gone already.”

Tofteland added that local residents really do not have anything to really worry about when it comes to the wolf.

However, he also said that if individuals do have a concern over their pets it is alright to keep a close eye out for their animals.