Wolf Killed with Pellet Rifle in Minnesota

In the winter of 2014, an adult female wolf was found dead in northern Minnesota, on the Grand Portage Indian Reservation. When the necropsy was performed, the cause of death was determined to be from a single wound from an ordinary pellet gun. Described as “low powered”, the pellet was almost certainly either .177 or .22 caliber.  Although this incident occurred in 2014, I only learned of it this year. Ordinary pellet guns have been powerful enough to kill humans and even a black bear.

The wolf was a lone female who had been driven out of the pack on Isle Royale. It had a radio collar as part of the Isle Royale study. Researchers said the wolf had almost been killed twice, in fights with another female wolf, presumably, to keep her out of the pack. During the winter, ice had allowed the wolf to reach the mainland, 18 miles from Isle Royale.

It was suspected that the wolf was shot not far from where it was found on the Indian Reservation. Investigators speculated the shot was intended to drive the wolf away, rather than to kill it. The pellet entered between two ribs and punctured an artery, leading to death. The Isle Royal pack was on the edge of extinction, with only eight members left in 2014. It was reduced to one animal by 2019. The moose population was also down, as it had nearly eliminated aspen on the island, subsisting on the far less nutritious balsam pine.

The wolf probably weighed about 70 lbs. Wolves are not particularly hard to kill. A .22 rimfire in the same area would have easily penetrated wolf ribs if the bullet encountered them, causing serious bleeding in the thoracic cavity. Death usually occurs within minutes. A penetration of the abdominal cavity usually leads to death within days from sepsis.

Wolf skulls are easily penetrated by a typical .22 long rifle bullet at ordinary velocities. Wolves are not hard to kill if a hunter can put a bullet into them. Wolves learn rapidly and become very difficult to see when they are hunted. They learn who is dangerous and who is not. They learn men are much more dangerous than women and children.

This excellent video of an interview with Greg Jones, who became a professional wolf hunter in Idaho, is a treasure of information about wolf behavior and the results of the introduction of grey wolves into Idaho.  When wolves are hunted and/or trapped, they quickly learn techniques to avoid hunters and traps. They remember the scent of individual hunters and associate it with their techniques.

For defense against wolves that do not fear humans, almost any firearm will work. A pistol is easiest to carry.

Wolves seldom press the attack against humans if members of the pack are wounded or killed. If the wolves have been hunted, a gunshot will likely scare them off. The key to defense is the willingness to shoot the wolf. Any wolf that is not afraid of people should be killed. This is how the wolves learn to respect people, and to avoid them. When a member of a pack is killed, the rest of the pack learns from the event. Even if none are near the event, they will find the remains and associate the scent of humans with the death of the wolf.

Wolves will almost always become known before they attack in earnest. They are testing the new human prey to determine if it is dangerous. This is the best time to shoot wolves to drive them off. The prominent wildlife biologist Valerius Geist described the process in detail.

In the case of the female wolf killed with a pellet gun in northern Minnesota, the wolf came from Isle Royale, with little human habitation in winter. Fixed human houses were likely a new phenomenon to the wolf.

Wolves multiply to fill up the available habitat. The female wolf was driven from the shrinking habitat on Isle Royale. Wolves in the lower 48 are rapidly filling up available habitat and destroying game populations in the process. People who have to live with wolves soon realize they are bad neighbors. The reintroduction of wolves in the lower 48 will be recorded as one of the worst game management debacles in the history of game management.

About Dean Weingarten:

Dean Weingarten has been a peace officer, a military officer, was on the University of Wisconsin Pistol Team for four years, and was first certified to teach firearms safety in 1973. He taught the Arizona concealed carry course for fifteen years until the goal of Constitutional Carry was attained. He has degrees in meteorology and mining engineering, and retired from the Department of Defense after a 30 year career in Army Research, Development, Testing, and Evaluation.