Often called the timber wolf, the gray wolf is native to Minnesota and is the state's most controversial animal. That's because it sometimes kills livestock and pets, often eats deer, and is valued by many people as a symbol of wilderness. The gray wolf can be found throughout northern Minnesota, where it runs in packs. These animals are extremely wary and are seldom seen up close in the wild

The gray wolf has a sense of smell 100 times stronger than humans. Gray wolves run in packs of six to 12 animals, which make it much easier to kill deer or moose. They can run up to 40 miles without resting.

A couple of winters ago I was looking out the window and witnessed an amazing nature scene.   A wolf was chasing a deer across the lake, when the ice gave way and the back legs of the deer fell in. The deer was struggling to get out of the water and the wolf just laid on the ice and watched.  Every time the deer seemed to relax for a second the wolf would walk over as if to taunt it , or if the deer seemed to be making some headway the wolf would walk near it so that it had to stay halfway in the water.  As the evening came I continued to watch this amazing scene.  Eventually, the deer died and the wolf drug him out on the lake, he had his share of the meat and was gone.  Later that evening I looked out and saw more wolves around the deer body and by morning there was no sign of the kill at all.  It was amazing to see how smart this wolf was in just waiting for his pray to die.  An easy meal for the pack that day.

To see more pictures of wolves in the winter go to the web cam at the International Wolf Center.  http://www.wolf.org/wolves/experience/webcam.asp

Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW).  

Quetico Park

Permits are issued on a first come first served basis exactly 5 months to the day before your desired start day.  This year the park will open May 20th, 2011.