Wolf in Ohio?

T

task force k

Joined
Feb 10, 2007
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Okay, I'm just reporting what has happened.

Two neighbors have reported seeing a wolf here, in SW Ohio. At first, I was skeptical...maybe it was a coyote or dog...but their descriptions are very wolf-like.

According to DNR, the last wild wolf killed in Ohio was back in 1842. But there have been several reports of wolves that were being raised as exotic pets, escaping and causing all kinds of chaos. Another thought is that it may be a wolf-hybrid gone feral.

My son and I, during our little woodswalks, have recently found a lot of scat with fur and small bones in it. Previously, we've seen fox in our woods but this scat seemed a little large for all but the most constipated fox so we assumed that it was coyote scat.

I went down to the area where the sightings have occurred to look for sign and scared something up, sounded like deer the way it went crashing higgledy-piggledy through the woods. I also found a recently dead squirrel that had a puncture wound in the neck. It's not like a wolf to kill without eating, is it? I've heard that coyote will do this while training their young to hunt. I did not find any tracks but the falling leaves could be to blame there

Any thoughts from you wild and wooly trackers out there? I have a feeling that at least one of you was raised by wolves...any insight?
 
While there is some possibility of a wolf pet it's most likely a coyote. Coyotes in the NE, including Ohio, can get to impressive size ,70 lbs not exceptional. I was told of one killed in SE OH that weighed 90 lbs !! Coyotes hunt alone for small game like squirrel and hunt in packs for things like deer. According to NY officials, coyote/dog mix is extremely rare and there have been very rare coyote/wolf crosses along the NY/Canada border.
 
You could chain a trail camera in the area you feel it's at and get a good look.

Helle
 
There have been mountain lion sightings recently in SE Ohio. We have them here in NW Ohio and SW Michigan. They have been verified by pictures. They are attributed to being released drug dealers "pets". The scat can be analyzed by the ODNR for wolf DNA. It comes from the animals intestinal tract.
 
mete said:
While there is some possibility of a wolf pet it's most likely a coyote. Coyotes in the NE, including Ohio, can get to impressive size ,70 lbs not exceptional. I was told of one killed in SE OH that weighed 90 lbs !! Coyotes hunt alone for small game like squirrel and hunt in packs for things like deer. According to NY officials, coyote/dog mix is extremely rare and there have been very rare coyote/wolf crosses along the NY/Canada border.
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I was actually thinking a wolf/dog hybrid...unlike many states, Ohio doesn't regulate these as exotics, from what little research I've done, and they are considered dogs. For a while it was very trendy to have these as pets (or at least claim the wolf heritage).

It's raining now, so I'm hoping there might be tracks along the low banks of the stream that runs through the property. Any other thoughts on a likely location for tracks?

Kind of funny, the neighborhood moms were mobilizing about this last night, deciding whether they should let the kids go to the bus stop or set up a mini-van brigade to ferry them all to school. My wife chimed in and volunteered to shepherd the bus stop. One of the other moms asked if she wasn't nervous about being out there alone. My wife said she wouldn't be alone...she'd have her .45 with her. All of the other moms stopped and gawked at her. I was upstairs hearing this through an open window and just howled with laughter.
 
zman308 said:
There have been mountain lion sightings recently in SE Ohio. We have them here in NW Ohio and SW Michigan. They have been verified by pictures. They are attributed to being released drug dealers "pets". The scat can be analyzed by the ODNR for wolf DNA. It comes from the animals intestinal tract.
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Both good thoughts.
 
Most likely a Coyote, but you never know.

When I lived in NE Ohio, there was someone down the street that raised wolves. So escaped wolves isn't entirely impossible.

I know that when I left they were trying to get black bears to make a comeback, and one was spotted just down the street from our house when I was still there.

My mom and siblings live on 100 acres, that has a lot of woods in the back, and is bordered by other properties with woods as well. The dogs always go back there and bring back stuff like deer sheds, turkey legs, etc.

Well, one day, two of the dogs took off into the woods, but only one came back, and he was pretty beat up. We have no idea what happened to the bitch, we never came across her body when hiking/hunting in the woods. Could have been a black bear, but most likely it was a pack of Coyotes.

I have seen Coyotes on many occasions in NE Ohio, and have seen them on the property that my mom lives on.

I would collect suspect scat and turn it in for analysis, and/or set up a game camera.
 
I once heard from a biologist that a wolf is more likely to kill a dog than mate with it. This was specifically in relation to the "wolf/husky" crosses. Anyone know for sure ?
 
Although it's possible that a wolf has migrated or been turned loose in Ohio, I'd be skeptical unless someone actually photographed it or confirmed it somehow with DNA. Not to be rude, but I doubt many of your neighbors are wildlife experts when it comes to visually identifying wolves. I'm sure that I could not tell the difference between a wolf, dog-wolf mix, coyote, or feral dog. Especially if seen at a distance or only briefly.
 
I have lived in OH most of my life.

I second the strong possibility of an escaped pet. There are many people who keep various wildlife here.
 
I live in the suburbs of Pittsburgh and we have coyotes running around, look to be about 70 pounds. From what I understand most coyotes around here are a cross of coyote and wolf that migrated down from Canada.
 
I'm not scared, I'm not afraid. Why should I be afraid, only babies are afraid.I'm not a baby.-------Curly Howard
 
Those wolf/dog hybrids are beautiful creatures, and could very easily be mistaken for a pure wolf.

Isn't a wolf traveling alone unusual?


P.S. Anybody who quotes Curly Howard is okay by me.
 
Wolves alone is a very, very rare occurance. Rogues don't usually last very long, and thus only the biggest, meanest ones survive. Wolf/dog hybrids are known for bonding to one human, and one human only. All others are seen as hostile, and they also do better in packs than on one's own. These traits make them unpleasant family pets, but also make them bad-ass guard dogs, if you can manage to train one.

Here in Jersey, we get the occasional mountain lion, coyote, and once in a great, great while a wolf or two will come down from NY. However since they aren't supposed to be here, Fish and Game will not acknowledge that they even show up.
 
DeadeyeLefty said:
I once heard from a biologist that a wolf is more likely to kill a dog than mate with it. This was specifically in relation to the "wolf/husky" crosses. Anyone know for sure ?
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Pretty much. Despite the fact that there are dogs througout most, if not all, of the wolf's range and they are able to interbreed there is basically no exchange of genes between the two. If a lone male wolf came across a female dog in heat he might try to mate with her (then again, he might not), but I doubt he'd tolerate her company at any other time. Females tend to be more selective so I doubt the reverse is likely.

In wolf packs there is usually an alpha couple that pretty much monopolize reproduction. Some packs have more than one breeding couple but resources have to be very plentiful for this to occur. The social behaviour of dogs is much changed from that of wolves, so much so that they are completely incompatible under normal circumstances. The occasional hybrid that does occur will likely behave in such a way that makes it impossible for the hybrid to get along normally with both wolves and dogs, so without human intervention they are a dead-end.
 
TIZWIN said:
Those wolf/dog hybrids are beautiful creatures, and could very easily be mistaken for a pure wolf.

Isn't a wolf traveling alone unusual?


P.S. Anybody who quotes Curly Howard is okay by me.
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Thanks, anyone who likes the Stooges is ok in my book too. With all the serious discussions going on, its kind of neat to have a little humor once in a while. These forums are supposed to be fun and enjoyable, or so I thought.
 
Hazel's roommate: Wolf! Wolf! Ahhhhhh!
Curly: Who, me? I resemble that remark.
Moe: I told you your face scares people. Why don't you throw it away?
[looks behind him and sees Lupe the Wolf Man]
Moe: Yaaaa... aaaa... aaaa!
[runs off]
Curly: [mockingly] Yaaaaaa... Hey lady. I ain't that ugly. Or am I?
[Curly goes to the mirror and sees Lupe in broken mirror frame]
Curly: Naaaaaaaa! Oh no! I think you got something there, I just scared myself!
Curly: [looks again, feels his chin and Lupe does the same thing] I need a shave but I don't feel any whiskers.
[...]

Maybe its Lupe the Wolf Man they are seeing running around Qhio.
 
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