Wolves often test bison to see if one might be weak or injured. The wolf in the first clip, perhaps a two-year-old, from the Junction Butte pack, paws the ground and does a “play bow” appearing to taunt the bison to chase it, effectively luring it away from several young pups and a female pack-mate, probably a yearling, who has an injured left foot. Wolves know how close a bison can be to them before it becomes a danger. Once this bull crossed into the danger radius, the older wolf took action. A big bull like this doesn’t have anything to fear from a single wolf but sometimes a bison will appear to be annoyed by a wolf’s presence and will give chase. It’s amazing how fast a big bull can run but the wolf is also fast and much more agile in avoiding being caught.
In the second clip, a big bull bison appears to startle some of the wolves who, initially, seem unaware of its presence suddenly coming up the trail behind them.