This is a copy of a picture that was on the front page our local newspaper last winter. It was taken by MPK's neighbors. It was only a couple hundred yards from his house on Sugar Island! There was a short article saying that "it is one of a pair that have apparently taken up residence on the northeast end of Sugar Island." The neighbors who had sent in the picture said that "the wolves have been showing an iterest in the local ducks that gather near the old shipping channel."
We've seen them quite often, mostly in the winter when they venture out on the ice on the river & travel over to Squirrel Island. (A Canadian Island between Sugar Island & Canadian mainland) And either we or our neighbors can tell several stories about the wolves, moose, bear, fox & alot of other animals that we see either crossing the ice or swimming the river! I've even found prints that a wolf left after a rain - under the clothes line. I had a brainstorm of an idea & took a couple of buckets out & flipped them upside down on top of them (to preserve the) & drove into town & bought some plaster mix. I really didn't think it would work, but the casts that I took of them turned out great! And I gave them to my grandsons.
The most memorable experience that I've had since I moved up here (that involves animals!) was about this time of year. MPK happened to be home from work & so was I. At the time we had a black Lab. about a year old by the name of Uno. It was a beautiful, rare, sunshiny day with the temp. around the mid 30's.
I was in the house & MPK was outside splitting wood. He had Uno out with him. He opened the door & hollered at me to grab the camera & hurry outside. When I got out there - he showed me where a wolf was traveling across the ice & was almost to Squirrel Island. I took some pictures - but wouldn’t you know that I had my old 35 mm camera & didn’t have my zoom lens on & he turned out looking like a tiny speck!? But - in the meantime, Uno had found the wolve’s tracks going across the yard & down the hill to the river. And the wolf must have stopped & “marked his territory” on one of the pilings of the boat dock - because when Uno got to that spot - he went ballistic!!!
MPK & I were at the top of the hill watching the wolf & when the wolf heard Uno barking……. I had the most EERIE feeling that I have had in my entire life! (You know - like when the hair stands up on the back of your neck?!) I had also grabbed the binoculars & was looking through them & I could tell when that wolf heard Uno bark - he was about 2/3 of the way across the ice & stopped & turned around & just stood there & watched. Since Uno was still just a pup & was still in the “I love everybody & especially doggies & I want to play” stage….. we knew that if he found the wolf’s tracks & started to follow them or even saw the wolf - he would have headed across that ice on a dead run & he would have been that night’s dinner for that wolf! But - MPK managed to get Uno back up & had to put him in the house. And in the meantime, I was watching the wolf through the binoculars. He had decided to lay down on the ice to watch what was happening with the noisy appetizer on the US side of the river!
Oh, yeah! That wolf stayed right there for about a good hour AFTER we went back in the house! We could still see him from the front window.
I wouldn’t have then, & still won’t to this day - trade that experience “for all the money in the world”!!!!!
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