There is a world somewhere between reality and fiction. Although ignored by many, it is very real and so are those living in it. This forum is about the natural world. Here, wild animals will be heard and respected. The forum offers a glimpse into an unknown world as well as a room with a view on the present and the future. Anyone able to speak on behalf of those living in the emerald forest and the deep blue sea is invited to join.
(07-31-2019, 06:25 PM)Roberto Wrote: Bear kills wolf in grizzly attack
By Fred Langan in Toronto 12:01AM BST 28 May 2005
When a four-year old grizzly bear was put in the same five-acre enclosure as four grey wolves, each about the size of a large alsatian, at the Grouse Mountain Refuge for Endangered Wildlife in Vancouver, it was supposed to "provide wildlife with the most natural setting possible". Rather too natural for the dozen or so tourists who watched in horror when the alpha-male wolf went nose-to-nose with the bear over a cow bone. With a single swipe of its paw the 500lb bear took the wolf's head off. In the wild the two species seldom meet. The three remaining wolves are now in a separate enclosure.
(07-31-2019, 06:25 PM)Roberto Wrote: Bear kills wolf in grizzly attack
By Fred Langan in Toronto 12:01AM BST 28 May 2005
When a four-year old grizzly bear was put in the same five-acre enclosure as four grey wolves, each about the size of a large alsatian, at the Grouse Mountain Refuge for Endangered Wildlife in Vancouver, it was supposed to "provide wildlife with the most natural setting possible". Rather too natural for the dozen or so tourists who watched in horror when the alpha-male wolf went nose-to-nose with the bear over a cow bone. With a single swipe of its paw the 500l In the wild the two species seldom meet. The three remaining wolves are now in a separate enclosure.
That article is such, that looks like a case in which reporter has taken some... "artistic freedom". Bear can without a doubt kill a wolf with single swipe of paw when getting a good hit. But taking head off, there description changes to nonsense. Reminds me about stories, where is claimed that brown bears would decapitate moose with paw swipe, total nonsense.
But looks like, that one more unsuccessful try out to keep bears and wolves in same enclosure. If good luck, that can work out, but there is always a risk for conflict. Maybe animals born in captivity, when wolf goes so close to bear in the way as is written. In wild when there are 4 wolves, they tend to act together, not so stupidly as described in article. Sad and unnecessary cases and first thought in mind is incompetence of zoo-keepers.
Anyway that article isn´t credible what comes to description of that kill. Breaking neck isn´t same as decapitation :)
Some people wont believe it, some will. Maybe this case the bear threw a well placed paw swipe and decapitated that wolf. Brown bears have a huge shoulder hump, which is pure muscle, that powers the front limbs, the arms are just an extension of the shoulder. This makes brown bears have the strongest front limbs of any predator. Hence, not impossible.
No animal decapitates a wolf with paw swipe. Simple as that. If someone believes such nonsense, then that person has a lot to learn about things. You can´t find such cases from any credible sources and everyone knows it. When something practically impossible is reported, it´s good to double check and then triple check in very critical way. That news is one small article published once. I bet, that if someone contact that zoo, they smile and tell, that this time reporter has taken some liberties in writing.
Bear can break spine with one swipe, not make heads fly in the air :) Time to get real in this thread, really.
(08-01-2019, 03:36 AM)Roberto Wrote: “Of course it proves something, it proves that a Wolf or any animal that size isn't easily ripped apart with teeth and claws, let a lone decapitated by a blunt object not equipped to do that job.”
Nobody said anything about being “easily” ripped apart. Just ripped apart thats all. Bears use their claws as a hammer blow, the “blunt” part is used for digging.
“All the Bears listed there are Females, my point was you had specifically mentioned one account of a Female Grizzly being dominate over multiple Wolves but for some reason not mentioned anything about similar instances where Sow Grizzlies were subordinate to them,
that's all.”
Agreed. I just thought it was a great accomplishment. Thats all.
Bears use their claws for digging or flipping boulders, their shoulders and forelimbs assist in this process though.
Their "blunt" part is their forelimb and paw, their claws aren't blunt but neither are they made for decapitation.
Even claws like Polar Bears or Big Cats aren't made for decapitation in fact they're made for the opposite, they're main purpose is for grasping prey.
Of course either using them as weapons is common as well and they're more than capable of inflicting damage with either.
The following 1 user Likes Pckts's post:1 user Likes Pckts's post • Shadow
(07-31-2019, 06:25 PM)Roberto Wrote: Bear kills wolf in grizzly attack
By Fred Langan in Toronto 12:01AM BST 28 May 2005
When a four-year old grizzly bear was put in the same five-acre enclosure as four grey wolves, each about the size of a large alsatian, at the Grouse Mountain Refuge for Endangered Wildlife in Vancouver, it was supposed to "provide wildlife with the most natural setting possible". Rather too natural for the dozen or so tourists who watched in horror when the alpha-male wolf went nose-to-nose with the bear over a cow bone. With a single swipe of its paw the 500lb bear took the wolf's head off. In the wild the two species seldom meet. The three remaining wolves are now in a separate enclosure.
(07-31-2019, 06:25 PM)Roberto Wrote: Bear kills wolf in grizzly attack
By Fred Langan in Toronto 12:01AM BST 28 May 2005
When a four-year old grizzly bear was put in the same five-acre enclosure as four grey wolves, each about the size of a large alsatian, at the Grouse Mountain Refuge for Endangered Wildlife in Vancouver, it was supposed to "provide wildlife with the most natural setting possible". Rather too natural for the dozen or so tourists who watched in horror when the alpha-male wolf went nose-to-nose with the bear over a cow bone. With a single swipe of its paw the 500l In the wild the two species seldom meet. The three remaining wolves are now in a separate enclosure.
That article is such, that looks like a case in which reporter has taken some... "artistic freedom". Bear can without a doubt kill a wolf with single swipe of paw when getting a good hit. But taking head off, there description changes to nonsense. Reminds me about stories, where is claimed that brown bears would decapitate moose with paw swipe, total nonsense.
But looks like, that one more unsuccessful try out to keep bears and wolves in same enclosure. If good luck, that can work out, but there is always a risk for conflict. Maybe animals born in captivity, when wolf goes so close to bear in the way as is written. In wild when there are 4 wolves, they tend to act together, not so stupidly as described in article. Sad and unnecessary cases and first thought in mind is incompetence of zoo-keepers.
Anyway that article isn´t credible what comes to description of that kill. Breaking neck isn´t same as decapitation :)
Some people wont believe it, some will. Maybe this case the bear threw a well placed paw swipe and decapitated that wolf. Brown bears have a huge shoulder hump, which is pure muscle, that powers the front limbs, the arms are just an extension of the shoulder. This makes brown bears have the strongest front limbs of any predator. Hence, not impossible.
No animal decapitates a wolf with paw swipe. Simple as that. If someone believes such nonsense, then that person has a lot to learn about things. You can´t find such cases from any credible sources and everyone knows it. When something practically impossible is reported, it´s good to double check and then triple check in very critical way. That news is one small article published once. I bet, that if someone contact that zoo, they smile and tell, that this time reporter has taken some liberties in writing.
Bear can break spine with one swipe, not make heads fly in the air :) Time to get real in this thread, really.
It was an embellished report, here's the actual account
Grizzly kills wolf at Vancouver wildlife refuge
NORTH VANCOUVER, British Columbia A captive grizzly bear killed a timber wolf in a struggle over a bone in front of about 25 spectators at the Grouse Mountain Refuge for Endangered Wildlife, the refuge director says.
The wolf, one of four captive-born grey wolves that were rejected for use in the movie industry, had found a bone in the five-acre enclosure they had shared for a week with two orphaned 4-year-old male grizzlies, said Ken Macquisten, managing director and veterinarian at the Grouse Mountain Refuge for Endangered Wildlife. One of the grizzlies, 650-pound Grinder, tried to take the bone away, and when the wolf resisted, the bear struck him. "The other wolves tried to chase Grinder off," Macquisten said, "but he bit the fallen wolf in the neck and killed him. The whole thing probably took about 15 seconds." Macquisten had placed the wolves and bears in the same enclosure 10 days ago, hoping they would provide stimulation for each other. They previously occupied separate but adjacent enclosures. "One of the biggest challenges of caring for captive bears and wolves is boredom," Macquisten said. "In the woods, they need their wits to survive. So what provides interest is the presence of another species they can't quite figure out, but are constantly trying to." He said wolves and European brown bears have been kept successfully in German and Swedish zoos for years.
08-01-2019, 04:11 AM( This post was last modified: 08-01-2019, 04:11 AM by Shadow )
(08-01-2019, 03:56 AM)Pckts Wrote:
(08-01-2019, 03:50 AM)Shadow Wrote:
(08-01-2019, 02:37 AM)Roberto Wrote:
(07-31-2019, 06:25 PM)Roberto Wrote: Bear kills wolf in grizzly attack
By Fred Langan in Toronto 12:01AM BST 28 May 2005
When a four-year old grizzly bear was put in the same five-acre enclosure as four grey wolves, each about the size of a large alsatian, at the Grouse Mountain Refuge for Endangered Wildlife in Vancouver, it was supposed to "provide wildlife with the most natural setting possible". Rather too natural for the dozen or so tourists who watched in horror when the alpha-male wolf went nose-to-nose with the bear over a cow bone. With a single swipe of its paw the 500lb bear took the wolf's head off. In the wild the two species seldom meet. The three remaining wolves are now in a separate enclosure.
(07-31-2019, 06:25 PM)Roberto Wrote: Bear kills wolf in grizzly attack
By Fred Langan in Toronto 12:01AM BST 28 May 2005
When a four-year old grizzly bear was put in the same five-acre enclosure as four grey wolves, each about the size of a large alsatian, at the Grouse Mountain Refuge for Endangered Wildlife in Vancouver, it was supposed to "provide wildlife with the most natural setting possible". Rather too natural for the dozen or so tourists who watched in horror when the alpha-male wolf went nose-to-nose with the bear over a cow bone. With a single swipe of its paw the 500l In the wild the two species seldom meet. The three remaining wolves are now in a separate enclosure.
That article is such, that looks like a case in which reporter has taken some... "artistic freedom". Bear can without a doubt kill a wolf with single swipe of paw when getting a good hit. But taking head off, there description changes to nonsense. Reminds me about stories, where is claimed that brown bears would decapitate moose with paw swipe, total nonsense.
But looks like, that one more unsuccessful try out to keep bears and wolves in same enclosure. If good luck, that can work out, but there is always a risk for conflict. Maybe animals born in captivity, when wolf goes so close to bear in the way as is written. In wild when there are 4 wolves, they tend to act together, not so stupidly as described in article. Sad and unnecessary cases and first thought in mind is incompetence of zoo-keepers.
Anyway that article isn´t credible what comes to description of that kill. Breaking neck isn´t same as decapitation :)
Some people wont believe it, some will. Maybe this case the bear threw a well placed paw swipe and decapitated that wolf. Brown bears have a huge shoulder hump, which is pure muscle, that powers the front limbs, the arms are just an extension of the shoulder. This makes brown bears have the strongest front limbs of any predator. Hence, not impossible.
No animal decapitates a wolf with paw swipe. Simple as that. If someone believes such nonsense, then that person has a lot to learn about things. You can´t find such cases from any credible sources and everyone knows it. When something practically impossible is reported, it´s good to double check and then triple check in very critical way. That news is one small article published once. I bet, that if someone contact that zoo, they smile and tell, that this time reporter has taken some liberties in writing.
Bear can break spine with one swipe, not make heads fly in the air :) Time to get real in this thread, really.
It was an embellished report, here's the actual account
Grizzly kills wolf at Vancouver wildlife refuge
NORTH VANCOUVER, British Columbia A captive grizzly bear killed a timber wolf in a struggle over a bone in front of about 25 spectators at the Grouse Mountain Refuge for Endangered Wildlife, the refuge director says.
The wolf, one of four captive-born grey wolves that were rejected for use in the movie industry, had found a bone in the five-acre enclosure they had shared for a week with two orphaned 4-year-old male grizzlies, said Ken Macquisten, managing director and veterinarian at the Grouse Mountain Refuge for Endangered Wildlife. One of the grizzlies, 650-pound Grinder, tried to take the bone away, and when the wolf resisted, the bear struck him. "The other wolves tried to chase Grinder off," Macquisten said, "but he bit the fallen wolf in the neck and killed him. The whole thing probably took about 15 seconds." Macquisten had placed the wolves and bears in the same enclosure 10 days ago, hoping they would provide stimulation for each other. They previously occupied separate but adjacent enclosures. "One of the biggest challenges of caring for captive bears and wolves is boredom," Macquisten said. "In the woods, they need their wits to survive. So what provides interest is the presence of another species they can't quite figure out, but are constantly trying to." He said wolves and European brown bears have been kept successfully in German and Swedish zoos for years.
Btw, just as I thought, captive born wolves... no wild wolf would act like that, imo, that starting to challenge big bear "face to face", same as suicide. What a pity :/
Nature red in tooth and claw: The bloody moment a bear decides to take on a whole pack of wolves and steal the deer they've just killed
WARNING GRAPHIC CONTENT Grizzly bear tried to steal a dead deer that was killed by a pack of wolves in the Rocky Mountains in Montana The wolves then fought back but the bear took each of them one and managed to claim the prey for himself Spectacular shots of the bloody battle were captured on camera by British holidaymaker Tom Littlejohns This is the bloody moment a bear takes on a whole pack of wolves in an incredible brawl over a dead deer.
The wolves were preparing to much down on a dead deer carcass after capturing the animal in the Rocky Mountains in Montana
*This image is copyright of its original author
But as they prepared to devour the deer, the pack of wolves were disturbed by a grizzly bear who wanted to steal the prey
*This image is copyright of its original author
Biting off more than it can chew: One of the wolves appears set to pounce on the slower, lumbering bear, unwittingly walking into a fight it won't win
*This image is copyright of its original author
The bear then gave chase to the wolves who tried to protect their dinner from the hungry bear trying to steal their food
*This image is copyright of its original author
As the animals brawled in the mountains, the snow beneath them turned red as the blood from the deer was smeared along the ground
*This image is copyright of its original author
One close-up picture shows one wolf baring its teeth on the blood-stained snow as the bear continues to fight for the deer
*This image is copyright of its original author
Retreat: Despite the wolf's ferocity, it appears to have been no match for the much bigger bear, who showed no signs of being in an epic battle
*This image is copyright of its original author
Another wolf comes on the scene to try and protect its food but the bear uses his large paws to bat the animal away
*This image is copyright of its original author
Later the lone bear was pictured hovering over the dead deer after successfully stealing it from the pack of wild wolves
*This image is copyright of its original author
You win this round: While the bear appears satisfied with its afternoon work, one of the wolves can be seen watching on, cowering, ruing its luck at encountering a bigger foe
08-01-2019, 04:50 AM( This post was last modified: 08-01-2019, 04:54 AM by Shadow )
I put here two quotes from the book "Fighters" by Lassi Rautiainen, I strongly recommend to read it, if there is interest to read about wolf-bear interactions and about it, how wolves have their moments too.
These quotes are about wolf Perseenpurija, in English Bum Biter.
"Two other conscientious cub minders have been Bum Biter and the darker-coloured Bushy Tail, these being siblings born in 2008. Both still formed part of the basic pack at the start of the 2012 winter. Bum Biter is the bravest wolf that I have ever encountered when it comes to tackling bears. Normally a lone wolf will keep to a distance at which precipitous flight is possible and will avoid deliberately provoking a bear. But Bum Biter, strong in both body and mind, would enthusiastically attack a whole group of bears, darting about among the enraged beasts, biting viciously at their rumps. He never waited to see the poor bear’s reaction to his bullying tactics but rushed on to the next target, bounding energetically about with bared fangs. Many a bear of a more timid disposition gave up wondering about the wolf’s audacious behaviour and fled. "
"The most aggressive wolf I have ever encountered, Bum Biter appears to take sadistic pleasure in worrying bears. At his boldest, he will barge into an entire party of bears feasting on carrion, giving sharp bites to their behinds."
(07-31-2019, 06:25 PM)Roberto Wrote: Bear kills wolf in grizzly attack
By Fred Langan in Toronto 12:01AM BST 28 May 2005
When a four-year old grizzly bear was put in the same five-acre enclosure as four grey wolves, each about the size of a large alsatian, at the Grouse Mountain Refuge for Endangered Wildlife in Vancouver, it was supposed to "provide wildlife with the most natural setting possible". Rather too natural for the dozen or so tourists who watched in horror when the alpha-male wolf went nose-to-nose with the bear over a cow bone. With a single swipe of its paw the 500lb bear took the wolf's head off. In the wild the two species seldom meet. The three remaining wolves are now in a separate enclosure.
(07-31-2019, 06:25 PM)Roberto Wrote: Bear kills wolf in grizzly attack
By Fred Langan in Toronto 12:01AM BST 28 May 2005
When a four-year old grizzly bear was put in the same five-acre enclosure as four grey wolves, each about the size of a large alsatian, at the Grouse Mountain Refuge for Endangered Wildlife in Vancouver, it was supposed to "provide wildlife with the most natural setting possible". Rather too natural for the dozen or so tourists who watched in horror when the alpha-male wolf went nose-to-nose with the bear over a cow bone. With a single swipe of its paw the 500l In the wild the two species seldom meet. The three remaining wolves are now in a separate enclosure.
That article is such, that looks like a case in which reporter has taken some... "artistic freedom". Bear can without a doubt kill a wolf with single swipe of paw when getting a good hit. But taking head off, there description changes to nonsense. Reminds me about stories, where is claimed that brown bears would decapitate moose with paw swipe, total nonsense.
But looks like, that one more unsuccessful try out to keep bears and wolves in same enclosure. If good luck, that can work out, but there is always a risk for conflict. Maybe animals born in captivity, when wolf goes so close to bear in the way as is written. In wild when there are 4 wolves, they tend to act together, not so stupidly as described in article. Sad and unnecessary cases and first thought in mind is incompetence of zoo-keepers.
Anyway that article isn´t credible what comes to description of that kill. Breaking neck isn´t same as decapitation :)
Some people wont believe it, some will. Maybe this case the bear threw a well placed paw swipe and decapitated that wolf. Brown bears have a huge shoulder hump, which is pure muscle, that powers the front limbs, the arms are just an extension of the shoulder. This makes brown bears have the strongest front limbs of any predator. Hence, not impossible.
No animal decapitates a wolf with paw swipe. Simple as that. If someone believes such nonsense, then that person has a lot to learn about things. You can´t find such cases from any credible sources and everyone knows it. When something practically impossible is reported, it´s good to double check and then triple check in very critical way. That news is one small article published once. I bet, that if someone contact that zoo, they smile and tell, that this time reporter has taken some liberties in writing.
Bear can break spine with one swipe, not make heads fly in the air :) Time to get real in this thread, really.
Hahahha, you should become a lecturer or something.
06-11-2021, 06:51 PM( This post was last modified: 06-11-2021, 06:54 PM by Apex Titan )
Wolves often kill and eat Bears
The Surprising Relationship Between Wolves & Bears
*This image is copyright of its original author
It may come as a surprise to many that wolves eat bears. This is a problem that seems to be growing anywhere the two species overlap.
My 18-year-old son Dawson sat in a stand beside me as we watched a medium sized bear feed at the bait. It was the first day of my bear hunt in Ontario a few years ago, and Dawson was filming the hunt for me as he often did. The bear was not one I would consider shooting on the first day of the hunt. Suddenly, the bear stood up and looked into the bush, then spun around and rocketed out of the area as if he had been shot out of a canon.
Dawson reached for the camera and turned it on. He’s filmed enough bear hunts to know that when the small bear leaves in a hurry, there’s a good chance a bigger bear is about to make an appearance. But I was conflicted as I watched the bear streak out of the area. I’d seen a lot of bears around baits and I had never seen one leave in such a state of total panic.
A moment later, the issue came into clear focus as a timber wolf trotted in and looked over the area. He sniffed around a little, made a half circle around the bait site, then left on the trail of that 200-pound bear. It wasn’t my first introduction to the fear that wolves put into bears, but it was a graphic one.
As wolf numbers have increased across North America in the last couple decades, their effect on deer populations has generated a lot of attention among sportsman’s groups and in the media.
No doubt there are a lot of teeth in the woods, and wolves have significantly reduced deer numbers in many areas, but there are other animals suffering at the rise in wolf populations and they haven’t been getting the attention they deserve. The black bear is a prime example.
Many bear hunters, guides and outfitters are getting a wake-up call about how the high numbers of wolves and low numbers of deer are affecting the amount of predation on black bears.
On my bear baits in Minnesota, I have seen active bear baits go completely dead when wolves move into the area. Wolves will eat some types of bear bait, but that’s not the real reason they hang around. Wolves eat bears. And what better place to find a bear than the high-percentage area in the vicinity of a bear bait?
I have long suspected that wolves could be a real problem for bear populations, in fact I have seen wolf scat full of bear fur on several occasions, but in speaking with biologists, none could verify that it’s common for wolves to kill and eat bears.
In fact, most biologists are very reluctant to say anything that would cast wolves in a bad light. Considering the emotionally-charged political climate surrounding wolves, many people within the game departments of states where wolf populations are at issue just seem to avoid the subject.
"Wolves hang around bear baits not just for the bait, but because they know it’s a high-odds place to get a meal of black bear meat. Once the wolves arrive, baits often go dead as the bears abandon them."..
*This image is copyright of its original author
Woodsmen, trappers, hunters and outfitters in areas with high bear-wolf interactions aren’t so inhibited. Mike Foss, a long time bear hunting outfitter in Northern Wisconsin is frustrated by the lack of understanding about how much effect wolves have on bear populations. He has come across the remains of bears killed by wolves in the forests and he feels the problem is increasing.
“Not only is our deer population having a difficult time rebounding from dismal numbers caused in part by wolf predation over the past decade,” he says, “but some bear guides, including me, believe our great bear population is literally under attack, specifically cubs and younger, immature bears.”
He claims that much of the predation takes place in the winter where wolves pull bears out of the dens and eat them. He cites a fellow guide who found evidence of wolf predation at three bear dens late last winter.
And he’s not alone. Tom Ainsworth, long-time bear outfitter in the Duck Mountains of western Manitoba says it’s common in his area as well. He puts out bear bait on snow machine in late winter and he’s noted where wolves have killed bears on several occasions. He says wolves will kill bears whenever they have the right opportunity. One of his guides is a veteran wolf trapper who claims to have come across many cases where wolves have caught bears in their dens, drug them out and killed them. Wolves will also target cubs all year whenever they are far enough from a climbable tree.
Hunter examines a carcass of a bear killed and eaten by wolves:
*This image is copyright of its original author
In that part of Manitoba, trappers and hunters target wolves all winter which helps keep the problem somewhat under control. But in Wisconsin, the lack of opportunities to control wolf populations along with mild winters has created a perfect storm for high predation rates and many bear enthusiasts are becoming alarmed.
There are more cameras in the woods than at any time in the past, and instances of interactions between bears and wolves are on the rise. The advent of phones with cameras has added to the documentation of wolf predation on bears. Blogs, social media and YouTube have examples with photos and videos show evidence of bears being pulled from the dens and eaten by wolves.
But are the cameras just catching what has been common all along, or are the numbers of bears being killed by wolves on the rise? Mike Foss feels that wolves are targeting bears more and more. “Is there now such a predator-prey imbalance—not helped by federal judicial protection of the wolf—that deer numbers can’t recover and other prey, including the black bear, is providing an alternative food source? I believe that is probable.”
(06-11-2021, 06:51 PM)Apex Titan Wrote: Wolves often kill and eat Bears
The Surprising Relationship Between Wolves & Bears
*This image is copyright of its original author
It may come as a surprise to many that wolves eat bears. This is a problem that seems to be growing anywhere the two species overlap.
My 18-year-old son Dawson sat in a stand beside me as we watched a medium sized bear feed at the bait. It was the first day of my bear hunt in Ontario a few years ago, and Dawson was filming the hunt for me as he often did. The bear was not one I would consider shooting on the first day of the hunt. Suddenly, the bear stood up and looked into the bush, then spun around and rocketed out of the area as if he had been shot out of a canon.
Dawson reached for the camera and turned it on. He’s filmed enough bear hunts to know that when the small bear leaves in a hurry, there’s a good chance a bigger bear is about to make an appearance. But I was conflicted as I watched the bear streak out of the area. I’d seen a lot of bears around baits and I had never seen one leave in such a state of total panic.
A moment later, the issue came into clear focus as a timber wolf trotted in and looked over the area. He sniffed around a little, made a half circle around the bait site, then left on the trail of that 200-pound bear. It wasn’t my first introduction to the fear that wolves put into bears, but it was a graphic one.
As wolf numbers have increased across North America in the last couple decades, their effect on deer populations has generated a lot of attention among sportsman’s groups and in the media.
No doubt there are a lot of teeth in the woods, and wolves have significantly reduced deer numbers in many areas, but there are other animals suffering at the rise in wolf populations and they haven’t been getting the attention they deserve. The black bear is a prime example.
Many bear hunters, guides and outfitters are getting a wake-up call about how the high numbers of wolves and low numbers of deer are affecting the amount of predation on black bears.
On my bear baits in Minnesota, I have seen active bear baits go completely dead when wolves move into the area. Wolves will eat some types of bear bait, but that’s not the real reason they hang around. Wolves eat bears. And what better place to find a bear than the high-percentage area in the vicinity of a bear bait?
I have long suspected that wolves could be a real problem for bear populations, in fact I have seen wolf scat full of bear fur on several occasions, but in speaking with biologists, none could verify that it’s common for wolves to kill and eat bears.
In fact, most biologists are very reluctant to say anything that would cast wolves in a bad light. Considering the emotionally-charged political climate surrounding wolves, many people within the game departments of states where wolf populations are at issue just seem to avoid the subject.
"Wolves hang around bear baits not just for the bait, but because they know it’s a high-odds place to get a meal of black bear meat. Once the wolves arrive, baits often go dead as the bears abandon them."..
*This image is copyright of its original author
Woodsmen, trappers, hunters and outfitters in areas with high bear-wolf interactions aren’t so inhibited. Mike Foss, a long time bear hunting outfitter in Northern Wisconsin is frustrated by the lack of understanding about how much effect wolves have on bear populations. He has come across the remains of bears killed by wolves in the forests and he feels the problem is increasing.
“Not only is our deer population having a difficult time rebounding from dismal numbers caused in part by wolf predation over the past decade,” he says, “but some bear guides, including me, believe our great bear population is literally under attack, specifically cubs and younger, immature bears.”
He claims that much of the predation takes place in the winter where wolves pull bears out of the dens and eat them. He cites a fellow guide who found evidence of wolf predation at three bear dens late last winter.
And he’s not alone. Tom Ainsworth, long-time bear outfitter in the Duck Mountains of western Manitoba says it’s common in his area as well. He puts out bear bait on snow machine in late winter and he’s noted where wolves have killed bears on several occasions. He says wolves will kill bears whenever they have the right opportunity. One of his guides is a veteran wolf trapper who claims to have come across many cases where wolves have caught bears in their dens, drug them out and killed them. Wolves will also target cubs all year whenever they are far enough from a climbable tree.
Hunter examines a carcass of a bear killed and eaten by wolves:
*This image is copyright of its original author
In that part of Manitoba, trappers and hunters target wolves all winter which helps keep the problem somewhat under control. But in Wisconsin, the lack of opportunities to control wolf populations along with mild winters has created a perfect storm for high predation rates and many bear enthusiasts are becoming alarmed.
There are more cameras in the woods than at any time in the past, and instances of interactions between bears and wolves are on the rise. The advent of phones with cameras has added to the documentation of wolf predation on bears. Blogs, social media and YouTube have examples with photos and videos show evidence of bears being pulled from the dens and eaten by wolves.
But are the cameras just catching what has been common all along, or are the numbers of bears being killed by wolves on the rise? Mike Foss feels that wolves are targeting bears more and more. “Is there now such a predator-prey imbalance—not helped by federal judicial protection of the wolf—that deer numbers can’t recover and other prey, including the black bear, is providing an alternative food source? I believe that is probable.”
They look like American black bears are being targeted by wolves in certain areas. Black bears seem to respond more like prey than predator at times as their primary defense is climbing to escape especially during the days they had to live among smilodons, dire wolves, and short faced bears.
This interaction in the video below is also interesting.
(06-11-2021, 06:51 PM)Apex Titan Wrote: Wolves often kill and eat Bears
The Surprising Relationship Between Wolves & Bears
*This image is copyright of its original author
It may come as a surprise to many that wolves eat bears. This is a problem that seems to be growing anywhere the two species overlap.
My 18-year-old son Dawson sat in a stand beside me as we watched a medium sized bear feed at the bait. It was the first day of my bear hunt in Ontario a few years ago, and Dawson was filming the hunt for me as he often did. The bear was not one I would consider shooting on the first day of the hunt. Suddenly, the bear stood up and looked into the bush, then spun around and rocketed out of the area as if he had been shot out of a canon.
Dawson reached for the camera and turned it on. He’s filmed enough bear hunts to know that when the small bear leaves in a hurry, there’s a good chance a bigger bear is about to make an appearance. But I was conflicted as I watched the bear streak out of the area. I’d seen a lot of bears around baits and I had never seen one leave in such a state of total panic.
A moment later, the issue came into clear focus as a timber wolf trotted in and looked over the area. He sniffed around a little, made a half circle around the bait site, then left on the trail of that 200-pound bear. It wasn’t my first introduction to the fear that wolves put into bears, but it was a graphic one.
As wolf numbers have increased across North America in the last couple decades, their effect on deer populations has generated a lot of attention among sportsman’s groups and in the media.
No doubt there are a lot of teeth in the woods, and wolves have significantly reduced deer numbers in many areas, but there are other animals suffering at the rise in wolf populations and they haven’t been getting the attention they deserve. The black bear is a prime example.
Many bear hunters, guides and outfitters are getting a wake-up call about how the high numbers of wolves and low numbers of deer are affecting the amount of predation on black bears.
On my bear baits in Minnesota, I have seen active bear baits go completely dead when wolves move into the area. Wolves will eat some types of bear bait, but that’s not the real reason they hang around. Wolves eat bears. And what better place to find a bear than the high-percentage area in the vicinity of a bear bait?
I have long suspected that wolves could be a real problem for bear populations, in fact I have seen wolf scat full of bear fur on several occasions, but in speaking with biologists, none could verify that it’s common for wolves to kill and eat bears.
In fact, most biologists are very reluctant to say anything that would cast wolves in a bad light. Considering the emotionally-charged political climate surrounding wolves, many people within the game departments of states where wolf populations are at issue just seem to avoid the subject.
"Wolves hang around bear baits not just for the bait, but because they know it’s a high-odds place to get a meal of black bear meat. Once the wolves arrive, baits often go dead as the bears abandon them."..
*This image is copyright of its original author
Woodsmen, trappers, hunters and outfitters in areas with high bear-wolf interactions aren’t so inhibited. Mike Foss, a long time bear hunting outfitter in Northern Wisconsin is frustrated by the lack of understanding about how much effect wolves have on bear populations. He has come across the remains of bears killed by wolves in the forests and he feels the problem is increasing.
“Not only is our deer population having a difficult time rebounding from dismal numbers caused in part by wolf predation over the past decade,” he says, “but some bear guides, including me, believe our great bear population is literally under attack, specifically cubs and younger, immature bears.”
He claims that much of the predation takes place in the winter where wolves pull bears out of the dens and eat them. He cites a fellow guide who found evidence of wolf predation at three bear dens late last winter.
And he’s not alone. Tom Ainsworth, long-time bear outfitter in the Duck Mountains of western Manitoba says it’s common in his area as well. He puts out bear bait on snow machine in late winter and he’s noted where wolves have killed bears on several occasions. He says wolves will kill bears whenever they have the right opportunity. One of his guides is a veteran wolf trapper who claims to have come across many cases where wolves have caught bears in their dens, drug them out and killed them. Wolves will also target cubs all year whenever they are far enough from a climbable tree.
Hunter examines a carcass of a bear killed and eaten by wolves:
*This image is copyright of its original author
In that part of Manitoba, trappers and hunters target wolves all winter which helps keep the problem somewhat under control. But in Wisconsin, the lack of opportunities to control wolf populations along with mild winters has created a perfect storm for high predation rates and many bear enthusiasts are becoming alarmed.
There are more cameras in the woods than at any time in the past, and instances of interactions between bears and wolves are on the rise. The advent of phones with cameras has added to the documentation of wolf predation on bears. Blogs, social media and YouTube have examples with photos and videos show evidence of bears being pulled from the dens and eaten by wolves.
But are the cameras just catching what has been common all along, or are the numbers of bears being killed by wolves on the rise? Mike Foss feels that wolves are targeting bears more and more. “Is there now such a predator-prey imbalance—not helped by federal judicial protection of the wolf—that deer numbers can’t recover and other prey, including the black bear, is providing an alternative food source? I believe that is probable.”
They look like American black bears are being targeted by wolves in certain areas. Black bears seem to respond more like prey than predator at times as their primary defense is climbing to escape especially during the days they had to live among smilodons, dire wolves, and short faced bears.
This interaction in the video below is also interesting.
The video you posted is not working. Anyways, I found a very interesting account of wolves preying on adult female polar bears!
Two reports of wolves preying on denning adult female polar bears:
08-06-2022, 05:35 PM( This post was last modified: 08-06-2022, 06:08 PM by GreenGrolar )
(08-01-2022, 06:11 PM)Apex Titan Wrote:
(07-29-2022, 07:19 PM)GreenGrolar Wrote:
(06-11-2021, 06:51 PM)Apex Titan Wrote: Wolves often kill and eat Bears
The Surprising Relationship Between Wolves & Bears
*This image is copyright of its original author
It may come as a surprise to many that wolves eat bears. This is a problem that seems to be growing anywhere the two species overlap.
My 18-year-old son Dawson sat in a stand beside me as we watched a medium sized bear feed at the bait. It was the first day of my bear hunt in Ontario a few years ago, and Dawson was filming the hunt for me as he often did. The bear was not one I would consider shooting on the first day of the hunt. Suddenly, the bear stood up and looked into the bush, then spun around and rocketed out of the area as if he had been shot out of a canon.
Dawson reached for the camera and turned it on. He’s filmed enough bear hunts to know that when the small bear leaves in a hurry, there’s a good chance a bigger bear is about to make an appearance. But I was conflicted as I watched the bear streak out of the area. I’d seen a lot of bears around baits and I had never seen one leave in such a state of total panic.
A moment later, the issue came into clear focus as a timber wolf trotted in and looked over the area. He sniffed around a little, made a half circle around the bait site, then left on the trail of that 200-pound bear. It wasn’t my first introduction to the fear that wolves put into bears, but it was a graphic one.
As wolf numbers have increased across North America in the last couple decades, their effect on deer populations has generated a lot of attention among sportsman’s groups and in the media.
No doubt there are a lot of teeth in the woods, and wolves have significantly reduced deer numbers in many areas, but there are other animals suffering at the rise in wolf populations and they haven’t been getting the attention they deserve. The black bear is a prime example.
Many bear hunters, guides and outfitters are getting a wake-up call about how the high numbers of wolves and low numbers of deer are affecting the amount of predation on black bears.
On my bear baits in Minnesota, I have seen active bear baits go completely dead when wolves move into the area. Wolves will eat some types of bear bait, but that’s not the real reason they hang around. Wolves eat bears. And what better place to find a bear than the high-percentage area in the vicinity of a bear bait?
I have long suspected that wolves could be a real problem for bear populations, in fact I have seen wolf scat full of bear fur on several occasions, but in speaking with biologists, none could verify that it’s common for wolves to kill and eat bears.
In fact, most biologists are very reluctant to say anything that would cast wolves in a bad light. Considering the emotionally-charged political climate surrounding wolves, many people within the game departments of states where wolf populations are at issue just seem to avoid the subject.
"Wolves hang around bear baits not just for the bait, but because they know it’s a high-odds place to get a meal of black bear meat. Once the wolves arrive, baits often go dead as the bears abandon them."..
*This image is copyright of its original author
Woodsmen, trappers, hunters and outfitters in areas with high bear-wolf interactions aren’t so inhibited. Mike Foss, a long time bear hunting outfitter in Northern Wisconsin is frustrated by the lack of understanding about how much effect wolves have on bear populations. He has come across the remains of bears killed by wolves in the forests and he feels the problem is increasing.
“Not only is our deer population having a difficult time rebounding from dismal numbers caused in part by wolf predation over the past decade,” he says, “but some bear guides, including me, believe our great bear population is literally under attack, specifically cubs and younger, immature bears.”
He claims that much of the predation takes place in the winter where wolves pull bears out of the dens and eat them. He cites a fellow guide who found evidence of wolf predation at three bear dens late last winter.
And he’s not alone. Tom Ainsworth, long-time bear outfitter in the Duck Mountains of western Manitoba says it’s common in his area as well. He puts out bear bait on snow machine in late winter and he’s noted where wolves have killed bears on several occasions. He says wolves will kill bears whenever they have the right opportunity. One of his guides is a veteran wolf trapper who claims to have come across many cases where wolves have caught bears in their dens, drug them out and killed them. Wolves will also target cubs all year whenever they are far enough from a climbable tree.
Hunter examines a carcass of a bear killed and eaten by wolves:
*This image is copyright of its original author
In that part of Manitoba, trappers and hunters target wolves all winter which helps keep the problem somewhat under control. But in Wisconsin, the lack of opportunities to control wolf populations along with mild winters has created a perfect storm for high predation rates and many bear enthusiasts are becoming alarmed.
There are more cameras in the woods than at any time in the past, and instances of interactions between bears and wolves are on the rise. The advent of phones with cameras has added to the documentation of wolf predation on bears. Blogs, social media and YouTube have examples with photos and videos show evidence of bears being pulled from the dens and eaten by wolves.
But are the cameras just catching what has been common all along, or are the numbers of bears being killed by wolves on the rise? Mike Foss feels that wolves are targeting bears more and more. “Is there now such a predator-prey imbalance—not helped by federal judicial protection of the wolf—that deer numbers can’t recover and other prey, including the black bear, is providing an alternative food source? I believe that is probable.”
They look like American black bears are being targeted by wolves in certain areas. Black bears seem to respond more like prey than predator at times as their primary defense is climbing to escape especially during the days they had to live among smilodons, dire wolves, and short faced bears.
This interaction in the video below is also interesting.
The video you posted is not working. Anyways, I found a very interesting account of wolves preying on adult female polar bears!
Two reports of wolves preying on denning adult female polar bears:
Sadly the video has been removed. It was a brief occurrence of an American black bear and three wolves, no clear winner. Anyway here is a different video which hopefully keeps on working . The wolves eventually won:
Regarding the wolves preying on denning female polar bears, it is impressive but an extremely rare occurrence. I guess the female polar bears might be pregnant and in deep sleep for wolves to attack them.
Bear and grey wolf interractions in the wild
