Another wolf attack in NW Montana (pics)

[bluetickgrit]

This happened to us last week, the story is told by my good freind Mike, Who almost lost his Penney dog.

Scott, who has a lion tag gave me a call on Tuesday night and wanted to see if I wanted to go hunting. Tatum called and his buddy Bill wanted to go so we all made a plan. I picked Scott up in the morning and we headed out. We had 4 inches of good snow where we found a lion track with about 2 inches of snow in the track. So I went up the road looking to make sure the wolves werent around. I had found a good bobcat track just up the road that I thought might be a problem if we turned out. I went back and turned out Penny and Shelby out on the lion track. They took it good and went up about 100 yards and side hilled right into the bobcat and started running it backwards. I caught Shelby on the road and Penny slipped by us. I took Scott back to the lion track, gave him a lead, and Shelby and Scott went up in there on the lion track while I went to get Penny. I caught Penny and went and checked the upper road for the lion track thinking we might have scared it out of there and I finally turned around and then Scott told me he found the lion track going straight up the hill and he turned Shelby loose. I went back down where the track was and started up in there behind Scott. Shelby had found a good bobcat track with no snow in so she went that way leaving the lion track. I got Penny up on the lion track and going before the snow started to melt out of the trees. So thinking where this cat was going the best option was to follow Penny. She went out of hearing in about 30 seconds. No GPS signal and she went over the mountain. Tatum finally calls and he has killed a female lion on the other side of the creek and he was heading over to us. His gps gets a signal on Penny and she is treed. So we head to the road and they pick us up and we drive around the mountain. When we get there within 100 yards from Penny and got out of the truck it is dead silent. I was thinking she might just be over the hill a little bit and we started walking and still no barking. When Tatum and I finally get up there she was laying under a tree. She stood up and walked over to me and the whole side of her hide had been ripped off with several rips and tears from here neck to inside her legs to here back leg. So I started to investigate what had happened I found where the lion track had left out of the area. I then go to where I see the scuffel right on the lion track. It was apparent what had happened when there was 3 of 4 wolf tracks coming into the her from the side. You could see where they attacked her and dragged her down the hill about 20 feet. I then picked Penney up and carried her to the truck. We got back to my truck and I headed for town. Meanwhile Tatum, Scott, and Bill went to find Shelby hoping the wolves hadn't reached her yet. The vet couldn't do anything with her in Libby do to the lack of skin that had been ripped off of here. Phil and I jumped in my pickup and headed to Pullman to the WSU veternarian hospital. On our way out of town Scott called telling me they recovered Shelby. As of right now the cost of this ordeal is $6,022. And most likley there will be a few more thousand involved. There still is a chance of infection. There is a possibility she will need some skin grafts and a couple of surgerys. Something needs to be done about these wolves there is getting to be way to many. Well I thought I would let you know. One thing I keep hearing about wolves is not will they get your hounds it is when they get your hounds. I dont know why they didn't kill her but I am glad they didn't, she had been laying under the tree for quite a little while. She hadn't moved from under the tree from the time Tatum received her GPS signal till we found her. That was probably 20 plus minutes. Take care Mike

[bluetickgrit]

a few more

[inchtowntracking]

I am suprised she is still alive after that. I hope she makes it out of it.

[TUCO]

. I think id get real seriouse about killin some wolves

[BlacktailStalker]

That is one lucky dog.
I hope her luck holds.

[B-N-Trees]

So sorry man. I hope you can get that dog well.

[Brian Chorney]

Thats really tough deal Tatum. Give my regards to Mike. Thats aweful.
Brian

[tsprink]

I am not much on breaking the law... but I would take the summer and get even!!!

[switzie]

I feel for you and your dog pard them damm wolves got my charlie dog a few years back it hurts. thay didn't rip the hide but there wasn't a bone that wasn't broke in is body, it was like packing a gunny sack full of jello home to put him to rest. A friend and I put charlie to rest at the spot that he started a track where we ended up treeing a white lion he will never be forgotting. Hope your dog lives to hunt agian.

[white]

WOW so sorry man my 338 is loaded and e call charged good luck with Penny what a story your the man! Dont know what I would do.

[dhostetler]

Would you mind saying exactly where this happened. First part of January I got a dog badly mauled by wolves off Boulder Road in North Lincoln County in Unit 100 (NW MT). After numerous trips to the vet and various changes made in medication to combat the multiple infections that kept cropping up she finally died about 2 weeks ago.

I hate to sound negative but I think you will be extremely lucky if you save your hound. Mine appeared twice to be almost 100% recovered and then would take a rapid nose dive downward in health with a different kind of infection showing up. About a week before my dog died I thought she had pretty much recovered.

Any houndsman that doesn't shoot a wolf on sight doesn't deserve to own hounds.

[bullriver]

dhostetler,
I hate to hear that about your dog..I lost a dog on the Yaak River below the area you got hit in (Spread Creek). I hope you reported the incident. We need the for the fish cops to be aware of every occurance. I hadn't heard a thing about your deal..that is terrible, and I sure know how it feels.


Mike , I hope your Penny dog makes it...a terrible thing for sure... no dog deserves to go out like that.
Jay

[Big Horn Posse]

Wow!! It is a miracle she lived. That is terrible and horrifying. I would have been out guns a blazing if I saw a wolf did that to my hound. Lock me up if they have to, but that is just not right. I have seen too many photos of dogs killed by wolves and experienced it first hand when my friend lost his best dog and the one hound I loved more than anything that I didn't own. It really is hearbreaking and makes me sick to know there is nothing leagally we can do about it. I just hope when we get our lame duck Wyoming governer out of office we can get someone in that will actually do something about the wolf issue.

So sorry to hear about this and hope she pulls through. I know that is going to be a very slow and long recovery.

[Yaak attack]

This happened in Bear creek just a few miles S.E. of Libby. We have had one close call after another. They were circling and howling a couple of weeks ago while the dogs were trailing right behind my house. (Parmenter creek) My wife could hear them from the deck.
Switz, I often think about what happened to you at Sunlight and wonder how long it would take for me to get back into it after being "wiped out". We hunt the Yaak a lot, but there are too many places where your dogs can get away from you. You do not have to be out overnight for this to happen.

[twist]

Sorry to hear this the wolves are sure a bad deal no doubt. Hope she has a full recovery. The sad thing is alot of hound hunters wouldnt have the cash to put thier dog back together so they are just out. later, Andy