Wolves in Saline County? /Deer hunter reports seeing 2 timber wolves several miles southeast of Marshall

Deer hunter John Daughtry points to a track he believes was made by a timber wolf he and his wife saw in Saline County southeast of Marshall recently not far from the intersection of county roads 206 and 215. (Eric Crump/Democrat-News) [Click to enlarge]

But he said he's never seen critters like the two that came loping up a fence row 30 to 40 yards from his deer stand about two weeks ago -- except in magazine articles and television shows about wolves.

Daughtry was bow hunting on land owned by Saline County farmer Velma Bacon near the intersection of county roads 206 and 215 when he saw the pair of animals trot past.

He quickly called his wife, who was in their pickup truck parked in a lane on the other side of a wooded area to make sure she was inside the truck.

"I said, 'There's some wolves coming toward you,' and she thought I was crazy," he said. "She said, 'There aren't wolves in Missouri.'

"A few minutes later she said, 'Those are timber wolves!'"

Daughtry said the animals' fur was greyish in color and guessed they were tall enough to reach nearly to his hip.

"I've seen coyotes. Those are no coyotes," he said.

He hasn't seen the animals since, but he thinks they may have a litter of young because he has heard yips and whining sounds that pups might make.

Saline County Conservation Agent Tom Davidson said he had received a report on the sighting but had not yet visited the site.

He noted that the presence of wolves in Missouri is exceedingly rare -- reports of wolf sightings are much less frequent even than reports of mountain lion sightings.

He said there was one report of a wolf sighting further west of Bacon's property late in the spring, but investigation of the sight did not yield conclusive evidence. Tracks there did not appear to be big enough to be made by wolves, he said.

The only definite case of a wolf in Missouri recently that Davidson could remember was from several years back when someone in Grundy County shot what they thought was a coyote and it turned out to be a radio-tagged wolf from a northern state that had wandered south.

Davidson said in most cases any wolves in this area are likely to keep moving if they've traveled this far. Wolves are wide-ranging animals in any case, he said.

"Odds of them staying put in this area is remote," he said.

For one thing, food sources in this area aren't what wolves tend to prefer, he said, noting that they are more likely to be where there are herding animals like elk or antelope.

Davidson urged anyone who sees what they believe might be a wolf to contact him as soon as possible. In dry conditions, especially, it's difficult to find good tracks, and the sooner he can visit a site the more likely it is he'll find evidence that will help answer questions about what kind of animal is in the area.

Daughtry pointed to several tracks along the edge of a field near a stand of woods, but because the ground is dry, the tracks were somewhat indistinct.

He noted, too, that the remains of a deer he'd cleaned on the edge of the woods had been disturbed, with part of the carcass moved several feet away, though no tracks could be seen there.

Davidson said even if there are wolves in the county it is not likely they will pose a threat to humans.

Even in areas where the animals are more common, wolf attacks are extremely rare, he said.

Daughtry said he's not taking any chances of a second encounter with the wolves and is using caution as he continues deer hunting.

"As long as they leave me alone, I'll leave them alone," Daughtry said.

Contact Eric Crump at marshalleditor@socket.net