Yellowstone's Wolves in Winter - Spend a Day with the Wapiti Pack, Chapter 1 of 2 - December 2019

[@dennybarton9572]

Thanks for the videos, I know it takes a lot of time and devotion and this one is one of your all time greats , the red wolves are back in the news , for them to become extinct would be a great loss , I wonder if they could survive in Yellowstone ?

[@Yellowstonewolves]

Thank you Denny - I have one more Chapter on the Wapitis then a couple videos on the Junction Buttes coming too. Best, Ron

[@edriabde8969]

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[@edriabde8969]

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[@edriabde8969]

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[@nancyhawkes9314]

I love wolves They are part of the circle with all wildlife Without them the circle is broken

[@Yellowstonewolves]

Me too. Thank you so much for commenting and watching. Please do share if you can. Best, Ron

[@tahrayay1990]

The circle is broken without any predator.

[@christinestange4813]

So interesting to watch these creatures through your lens 👍 The White female Alpha is simply gorgeous. Appreciate your efforts in documenting the wolves.

[@Yellowstonewolves]

Thank you so much for commenting and watching Christine - I will get Chapter 2 wrapped up. Best, Ron

[@jogger609]

It is amazing that they are so close to the highway but they are so beautiful . Glad to see them back a Yellowstone to help keep the eco system in balance.

[@Yellowstonewolves]

Me too. Thank you so much for commenting and watching. Please do share if you can. Best, Ron

[@margaretszuky7065]

**EXCELLENT FOOTAGE, MY FRIEND!! LOOKING FORWARD TO THE NEXT ONE!!

[@Yellowstonewolves]

Margaret Szuky almost done - it has really fun wolf behavior

[@old4004]

Thank you, Ron, for once again sharing your long-range/close-up nature photography.

[@Yellowstonewolves]

More than welcome my friend - one more coming soon on this same Wapiti pack.

[@de4110]

Thankyou Ron, Awesome watching these wolves! 😍 And thanks for braving the cold in natures splendor and sharing your experience in all of the beauty,just wonderful!! Kind Regards Aussie Deb 😊

[@Yellowstonewolves]

Thank you so much Aussie Deb. I have Chapter 2 I am almost done with. I have one shot with all "18" wolves in view.

[@de4110]

@@Yellowstonewolves That's great mate! I'll be waiting patiently for your next one 😉😄

[@gozznow]

Great video of of these wolves. Learning is understanding.

[@Yellowstonewolves]

Completely agree. Thank you so much for commenting and watching. Best, Ron

[@SuperLoriLee333]

This is very special - Thank you for your dedication and sharing your passion. Much appreciation.

[@virginih9995]

So surprising to see them so calm with the cars passing by on the road only a few meters from them ! It would be impossible to see this here in France where wolves could only be observed as easily in captivity. Thanks for the video it's wonderful!

[@Yellowstonewolves]

Thank you so much for watching and commenting on it. I have Chapter 2 almost done! Please do subscribe. Best, Ron

[@rochellebeaty317]

Great job!! I had read about the Wapitis at Elk Creek in the reports. Thank you

[@Yellowstonewolves]

More than welcome - much more to come. Best, Ron

[@patlarkin1073]

Thanks so much for sharing. We will be making our first trip out there in May and I'm hoping we will be lucky enough to see the wolves!

[@Yellowstonewolves]

You probably will see wolves. Maybe I will see you in May. Drive safe and see you then! Best, Ron

[@EnchantedwithPoodles]

Thank you for your wonderful video,

[@Yellowstonewolves]

Thank you Dori - much appreciated. Best, Ron

[@rneedham667]

Great Video!! Thank You!!

[@Yellowstonewolves]

Thank you so much for commenting and watching. Please do share if you can. Best, Ron

[@jamiemiller9268]

Super nice footage. Love the wolves. 💜💜💜

[@Yellowstonewolves]

Thank you so much Jamie - I really appreciate that. Best, Ron

[@emmadempsey4947]

Brilliant video Ron, thoroughly enjoyed watching - you lucky devil:)

[@Yellowstonewolves]

thank you so much Emma, I have Chapter 2 almost done. Best, Ron

[@emmadempsey4947]

@@Yellowstonewolves Fantastic! I am eagerly awaiting it. All the best 😁

[@WonderlustAdventures]

Whoa! I actually filmed these a week ago... didn't know the pack name. Their alpha female is gorgeous... that amazing white. Glad I saw this! :)

[@Yellowstonewolves]

Thank you for watching and commenting. Both the white alpha female and black alpha male Wapitis are big wolves. Chapter 2 (coming later today) has more of them while on the other side of Pleasant Valley.

[@WonderlustAdventures]

Look forward to it!

[@deboraharnold8615]

For all wolf lovers watch the film " How Wolves Change Rivers."

[@Yellowstonewolves]

That is great film and highly recommended! Best, Ron

[@deboraharnold8615]

@@Yellowstonewolves thanks Ron. Have a great week.

[@juanibarra8114]

I like that you include croquis and maps for pack and other wildlife location.

[@andywerner838]

Awesome good video. I can remember in my mind the first wolf pack I saw. It was the druids. I love wolves no matter the pack.....and I feel sad when one dies. I miss blackie and her sister.

[@christinestange4813]

Watching this again Ron. Wondering how you, Yellowstone and the wolves are doing through the Covid-19 Pandemic. We hear that wildlife is flourishing without the usual visitor load. 🐺 Stay safe and well 😷✌️ PS I shared this with another enthusiast 🙂👍

[@destinationunknown4959]

I am fascinated by the Wapiti pack, team work and family made them a successful pack. They all look healthy and confident and they only kill to eat. Good wolves. Do you video them live or do you use cctv?

[@Yellowstonewolves]

HI - No everything is live, in the cold or rain to every morning or late. Me standing there with batteries and hand warmers. Please do subscribe much more to come.

[@destinationunknown4959]

@@Yellowstonewolves subscribed.

[@YNP_Wolf_Lover]

Beautiful Footage ! Thank you for sharing ! The dominant breeding male ("alpha") is 1014M.

[@Yellowstonewolves]

Thank you so much for for the notation on the male. I admit I don't really know their numbers but find it fascinating.

[@juanibarra8114]

Excelent video. Thanks for sharing.

[@Becca-Becca-Becca]

Thanks

[@Yellowstonewolves]

You are more than welcome - did you happen to get to see Chapter 2? kzbin.info/www/bejne/iX2wpYiZbLGgaJI Best, Ron

[@jeanettewaverly2590]

Fantastic footage! Is that in Lamar Valley?

[@Yellowstonewolves]

Thank you - no this is the south side of the Pleasant Valley. Pleasant is west of the Lamar.

[@readytogo6569]

Hooray! I was waiting for Ch. 2 so I could watch a Wolf Movie, one after the other. Thanks, Ron! Have a Safe and Wonderful New Year❣️ Where in Yellowstone did you film this? How do you find the animals so often?

[@Yellowstonewolves]

Ready to Go - Thank you again. I hope they are fun watch. I filmed these in the Northern Tier of the park around Elk Creek and Pleasant Valley. > How do I find the animals so often? It has been years of trial and error and just learning really where NOT to look at certain times. No one can really tell you where you will find them but you can narrow it down to where NOT to look based on habitat or food availability. I basically just spend hours and hours in the park from sunrise to sunset. Now having said all of that - grizzly boars are the most fun thing you can ever find and watch. They spend hours continually covering ground and I have sat there eating dinner and all of sudden here comes one off ridge and right towards you. He isn't looking for you, you just happen to be in his path and when he sees or hears you they change course and head off in different direction.

[@briseboy]

@@Yellowstonewolves It is also interesting to watch their attention and partial monitoring of the human presence. Because they are safe in Y'stone, this is more intermittent than elsewhere. And video watchers should recognize that the humans sounds take a little time to reach the wolves.

[@woofinu]

Merry Christmas. How many wolves are in the Wapiti Lake Pack? And how long can one elk feed them?

[@Yellowstonewolves]

The Wapitis are 17 wolves - the other pack close by are the Junctions at 18. An average elk seems to last a pack this size about a day or two with the elk being consumed in hours and then they rest. At 17 or 18 it seems that an elk really keeps them satiated for about a day and they begin to hunt the next day. A bison seems to be two or possibly three days to consume so a bit longer feed on and stay full - but those are very hard to take down. Even with elk most hunts are unsuccessful so it can be a day or two before they can’t get food again.

[@woofinu]

Ron Sterbenz Thank you. That's a lot of eating, given how big an elk is. KZbin Comments keep correcting my "elk" into "elf" 🙂 I hope Santa is not missing anyone of his crew.

[@majcherj1]

woofinu 😂😂😂

[@nolabrown3034]

Where do you film from? How far away are you from the wolves? Excellent video!

[@Yellowstonewolves]

Thank you so much Nola Brown. I only shoot video so I really want to be 1/4 mile to 3/4 of a mile away. Far enough that they behave as they would normally otherwise I am taking video of them watching me and what is the purpose of that. After about 1.5 miles it is just too far. Watch the sequence from 8:34 to 8:48 - that distance is 7/10 of mile or 1,146 meters.

[@Jtmargarit22]

Amazing video!! Thank you very much for sharing this! Out of curiosity what did you use to film them with?

[@50702GN]

great vid Ron!!.....what lens/camera are you using to get such great video at such a long range?

[@Yellowstonewolves]

Hi GN - I am using my SwaroOptik spotting scope and an MFT camera. On the camera - take your pick they all have some +s and -s with them. I was given a new cams to try (I shouldn't name brands) but some didn't do well at 10 degrees after about 4 hours out there. Wapiti Chapter 2 of 2 will post tonight and there are some really nice long distance shots without one of those $80K -120K lens. Best, Ron

[@Хорт-и2т]

hello. Do you know where the wolf 1105m is now?

[@dhand34]

How often are you in Yellowstone?

[@Yellowstonewolves]

Da Ha - I don't really have a schedule but as often as I can. I just avoid the mid summer when it is really crowded. Best, Ron Chapter 2 will post later today. Best, Ron

[@andycoleman2708]

What lens do you film with? You said some of Part 2 was almost a mile away?!

[@Yellowstonewolves]

I digiscope most of the time with swarovski ATX and a 95mm objective.

[@cherylledward8233]

Hi Ron, What equipment were you using and how close were you.

[@cherylledward8233]

Excellent footage!

[@Stardust414]

This reminds me of The Wolves of Yellowstone NatGeo docu-series. Such magnificent animals 💞 One series in particular detailed the numerous positive benefits that followed as a result of reintroducing the wolves back to Yellowstone in 95. Wolves were hunted them to the brink of Extinction prior to that. When I searched for the series title just now, I was unfortunately reminded of the gruesome killing of "06"-- one of Yellowstone's longest-living wolves who was watched & admired by many. She met a untimely, gruesome death at the hands of a remorseless trophy Hunter just outside of her protected territory within Yellowstone Park. I understand and respect the circle of life as it's laid out in the book of Genesis. What I have no respect for is killing for fun/for sport & hunting for trophys. What does it say about a person when they enjoy taking the life of a living breathing creature who's caused them no harm? Or taking the life of an animal that is 10x their size & strength, just bc they can?!? What does it say about someone who gets joy & excitement from killing anything? & While I'm on my soapbox, I find it absolutely abhorrent to hunt and kill a species to the brink of extinction & then have the audacity to "bring them back" years later. If we destroy a species, we should live with the consequences. We humans aren't God!! And yet many people think they're entitled to play the part. It's evil & God WILL punish us all & start again if we keep it up. You cannot thoughtlessly disobey & disrespect God's word. We know how that worked out last time 😳

[@patElfpat]

Birdie Jeffers, I think that people who would do something so unnatural are fearful. The way they have learned to feel less scared of something, in this case wolves, they kill it. The other things they do, the stuff we don’t even want to think about, is just trying to build themselves up. I don’t know that from studies or anything. Just how I feel.

[@Yellowstonewolves]

Birdie - I thank you for watching and commenting I very much appreciate it. On this topic though I hope you reconsider it a bit. "I find it absolutely abhorrent to hunt and kill a species to the brink of extinction & then have the audacity to "bring them back" years later." I think if we are on the brink of and extinction and we can reverse it, then it is the right thing to do. Being on the brink is much different than than being past it. It is not playing god, it is playing with what god gave us, knowledge and learning. Humans make mistakes and we learn from them, then we can also learn to repair what we broke and that is just a fundamental as making the mistake to begin with. Most won't turn down a miracle drug that will save a loved one's life. Is that playing god or just using what god gave us to work with?

[@joanmarshall6653]

The world would be a better place if people would stop believing in the god myth.

[@briseboy]

@@joanmarshall6653 It IS a better place, because you have rejected the narcissistic idea. "People" retain beliefs because they believe that such beliefs will increase their human social status or protect them from having to recognize death's finality and dispersal into other organisms. Having closely studied wolf cognition and behavior for beyond a decade, though that is in the past, due to numerous constraints, including the incessant violence perpetrated by humans upon them, leading to their loss and behavioral changes, one finds that the wolf teaches the ephemerality of life. Other animals as well value the life and presence of those to whom they are bonded, far more than does the common human, who so often erroneously believes that life has no value due to its being mortal and limited. In fact, of course, this can be the only reason why love and kindness ever evolved. We, like the wolf, are immersed in the trophic web. All heterotrophs eat other organisms. Were there some top Dog, it would likely farm US, if you wish to establish a religion more factual than the simplistic self-serving mideast religions so popular on this continent where they most emphatically DO NOT belong. I've been within yards of wolves taking down what they NEED to live, yet in my life have never experienced a human in such need. The imagined top "Dog" must be fattening up the humans for leisurely consumption as there are now more obese humans in the world than hungry. Yellowstone is a partial haven for wolf, presently in a hellish sea of bullet-emitting obese humans, and denying that humans are the world's worst problem is falsehood. Traveling in Montana and Idaho, I see FAR too many of these camo'ed apes scoping daily for wolf sign. Any other representation of the problem is inaccurate.

[@jefflong8449]

Enough of the background noise

[@Yellowstonewolves]

Ok - thank you for watching and commenting. Best, Ron