The term “Wolfers” was originally applied to those who would kill wolves at any opportunity. There are plenty of people with an irrational hatred of wolves. In the Park the folks that come here to watch wolves have taken the term “wolfer” and used it for people who love wolves and go to great effort to see them.

The wolfers in the park just want to see wolves and if the subjects are two miles away that is ok. Wildlife photographers, on the other hand, are not so enthused about seeing wolves two miles away. With a typical 600mm lens and a 2x teleconverter, yielding 1200mm you might get a usable photo a few hundred yards away and the greater the magnification the worse the heat waves distort the image. So when you see spectacular wildlife photos by the big name and reputable wildlife photographers they have been very lucky to get an image of an animal that is very close. They, of course, must be prepared with good equipment ready to go and they have to be out there so when the moment arrives they are in the right spot. But they also have to be lucky.

I get a lucky opportunity about once a summer, going into the Park almost everyday.

I don’t own $15000 worth of lenses and bodies so I never get great images for wildlife photography. But it is satisfying just to be able to recognize the wolf. Let me introduce you to wolf 996 a male of the Junction Butte pack and then one of the three yearlings.