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lynnenychemung

wolves in ny state ???

lynnenychemung
18 years ago

Was wondering about the sightings of wolves in New York State. Just recently two of my friends have spotted what they say was a wolf.

(We live in a very rural area.....forested and with a huge

deer population in Chemung County which sits on top of the

PA border.)

FRIEND # 1...last year.... She lives on an 125 acre farm surrounded by forests on a dirt road ...not many houses on her road and not many cars go by all day long. That type of thing....REMOTE.

She insists she saw a large, gray wolf cross her treeline

while looking out her big kitchen window one morning last year. Almost noontime...clear day. She has seen all kinds of wildlife having lived on her land for almost 45 years.

She has seen several coyotes and bobcats ....but insists this was a WOLF and not a dog. She did not get a photo.

FRIEND # 2....lives about 25 miles north of Friend # 1....

on a high hill...her home has about 20 acres and is surrounded by state forest land.

She just emailed me last month about this large gray wolf that was visible on their property . She said it was definetly a wolf....not a coyote..and stayed on her land for almost an hour. Her husband took video of it.

I am in Florida now...so have not seen the video...but she

was quite excited about the whole thing !!

HAS anyone else heard of wolves in New York ?

Comments (85)

  • ellyn4_hotmail_com
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    dear mntracy what an -ss YOU are! your snarky sarcastic know it all response was totally uncalled for. What are you waiting for for us all to say OOOOH! what a smart guy? I live not too far from the woman who said she saw what she thought was a wolf. Now it may have been an eastern coyote BUT it could have indeed been a wolf.When I was in college for my conservation degree we visited a rehab in western NY that did have wolves not too far from where she said she saw them. As escapes are not unheard of and people own all manner of wildlife as pets, someone's (pet) may have escaped.If you can't be civil don't blog as you just showed us all what an ignorant piece of work you are.

  • aecharlebois_yahoo_com
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Located in Clayton, New York. About fifteen minutes from Watertown, New York. Not too from Cananda either. Couple of days ago, I saw a wolf walking through my backyard. Live in an area where it's pretty secluded. There are bobcats, coyotes, deer, turkey-- you name it, I've probably seen it in my backyard. I've seen wolves up in the Tug Hill area, years ago... but never have I seen a wolf in Clayton... specially during the day. There's no doubt in my mind that it was a wolf. Been around enough wildlife to know what it was. I'm thinking there's more than one because I have heard a different kind of howling (not coyote or regular dog; which I do hear every night) that was coming from a few animals. Heard them chasing something the other night. This kind of disturbs me as I have a golden retriever that is absolutely clueless and thinks all our wildlife want to play with him.

  • Hank1120
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    My wife drives to a road in our area that she walks every day for the past 6 years. She usually takes our 2 boxers which are around 90 lbs. each. As she was returning to her car, she was startled by a dozen deer that were running right past her at full speed. A minute later she saw a large animal standing at the tree line within 50 feet of her. We have large dogs and this animal was larger than them. It was large, bushy tailed, long legs, multiple shades of gray and she is convinced it was a wolf. We have coyotes in the woods behind our house and are well aware of their size, color and features. She is also sure this was not a Husky or German Shepard. Unless someone in WNY has a pet wolf they let run lose in our area, she saw a wolf. I've contacted the DEC and hope to hear from them soon. I'm sure they'll say it was a dog or coyote.

  • penny1947
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    It doesn't really matter if you see or have seen a wolf, coyote or hybrid. What matters is that people post politely. This is a public, CONGENIAL forum to exchange and share ideas and information so If you want to blast someone do it privately. Don't be offensive to everyone else.

    Penny

  • Hank1120
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    As I thought. The DEC assured me it is a coyote because all wolves are extinct in NYS. Unless of course a pet wolf has gotten loose. Who has pet wolves in WNY??
    I'll do my best to get a picture. The area in question is well secluded and POSTED. Best part, it's state land. Will the DEC eat crow if I get a picture of an extinct Wolf on State Land.

  • quiltstarter_yahoo_com
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    On four different occasions in the past 30 years I have seen wolves crossing the road: once near Boonville, NY, once closer to Watertown, NY and twice in the heart of the Adirondack Mountains. I've also seen coyotes near Fort Drum/Watertown, NY; there is a noticeable difference in size and appearance between wolves and coyotes. The wolves I saw were 1+1/2 to 2 times larger than a German Shepherd, had very long legs, were well built with thick dark to medium grey coats, and had long bushy tails. They ran effortlessly with a wild grace, a thrill to see.

  • urm_zeptometric_com
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    My wife and I have seen a wolf here in East Aurora NY, about 15 miles from Buffalo. We have spotted them 4x and I hope to get a picture soon. Maybe it is a hybrid, but seems to big for a coyote.

  • lives4music14_yahoo_com
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Okay, so I live in Franklin County, NY, and yes, in a sense, there are wolves. For years, there have been packs of wolf-like animals with reddish fur roaming the woods around my house. There are large packs of them. Years ago, many people called them coydogs. That was back when they thought the animals were created by coyotes breeding with dogs. This turned out to be untrue, though the term coydog is still used frequently.
    After that faze, many people believed that these animals were purebred coyotes, which is also untrue. They are, in fact, descendents of the eastern red wolf, and coyotes have bred themselves into the DNA chain through the years. So yes, they are wolves. Most of the ones in northern New York have a red tint to their fur, though recently, more and more have been seen bearing pure silver and dark grey fur.

  • craig76
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    This seems to be the latest study I've found on this. It's pretty much what I've read in the past . I hope it works

    Here is a link that might be useful: wolves in Ny

  • rlgturf_ail_com
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I have been taking care of the same property for ten years in orange county ny im at the base of storm king mountain in cornwall just a few miles from the bear mountain bridge last week on my property there was a pack of 4 all big i was up a hill 2 of them stoped and took a good look at me after about 15 seconds i jumped into my john deer gator and chased them off the property up into the mountain all 4 were consistant in color it was the biege in a german shepard or the color of mountan lion ther hind quarters were three in half feet tall while the tip of the ear being four feet

  • Otemity_yahoo_com
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I work in Ossining NY which is below the large wooded area of the croton watershed. The place where I work has large amounts of wild life on the wooded property. This afternoon at 5:15 I saw a sizable animal running across the field. It ran about a hundred feet away from me. I was shocked to see what appears to be a wolf. This evening I did Internet seaches and I am sure that the grey colored animal that looked like a canine was indeed a wolf in westchester county new york.

  • rmrcpa_optonline_com
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    On August 5, 2011 at about 4:30 pm I spotted a large gray animal that looked like a wolf on Stormytown Road just off route 9A.

    The animal ran across the road from north to the south into a wooded area.

  • adventuressaluck_gmail_com
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    On August 2, 2011 around 10:00PM I think I saw a grey wolf on 9J, between Rensselaer and Castleton. It was too large to be a coyote and it was definitely not a domestic dog.

  • woodmort
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I've lived and hunted in upstate NY for all of my 73 years (the last 50 in rural Chenango Co)--in that time I've seen turkeys, black bears, otters, falcons, moose and coyotes make a comeback due to either DEC releases or migration for other areas. Also I've heard a lot of reports by laymen of wolves and mountain lions. I'm of the opinion that (1) those people that have these sightings do not know what they are looking at(i.e have never seen the animal in the wild) or are confused by size/color (the animal is actually smaller than the sighter thinks it is). This is especially true of wolves--but could also hold true for mt. lions. There is no question that the Eastern coyote is a wolf/coyote cross and, through random breeding, some individuals closely resemble wolves. I suggest that most of those above who have seen a "wolf" have, in fact, seen a coyote--a large one perhaps but a coyote nonetheless. Having seen both large and small specimens of this species I can attest that they vary a great deal in both size and color. Seeing one in flight it is very easy to mistake the size with nothing to compare it to but it is also easy to miss the telltale distinction between canines that make a wolf a wolf and a coyote a coyote. That is not to say there may not be wolves in NY--I know people that have had them as pets (you can buy full or cross-bred ones--check the Internet)and these could well have escaped or been turned lose. Likewise there is always the chance that one could have wandered in from Ontario via the Adirondacks--see link below which offers the latest on this. But until there are DEC naturalists that can confirm breeding populations I remain skeptical of layman sightings. While we--and I'm including myself in this--would like to believe that the wild places in the NE are populated by returning predator species, the truth is that the area is just too small and the prey to sparse to support either wolves or mt. lions.

    Here is a link that might be useful: wolves in NY

  • Dick33
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    We live just North of Cobleskill, NY on Settles Mtn. My wife was cutting an open field on large riding mower when a huge wolf or coy-wolf actually ran beside the mower before running into the woods. I saw him one morning on berm behind our house, the sun was shining on him and he was very beautiful with large grey head/main. He was gone before I could get my camera. My wife has seen him several times and I saw him last night in the headlights of my car as I was coming in my long driveway, running across the driveway with his tail down. About a month ago the noon whistle from Cobleskill (3 miles away) sounded and behind the house in the woods, we could hear a couple young howling. We have seen coyotes but they are thin and mostly cinnamon in color and look like medium-sized dogs. A few years ago I found a huge animal track near my barn. The farm next door has lots of sheep and the sheep & sheep dogs go crazy every once in a while at night. DEC will deny that there are any wolves in our area, but we talked with an older woman in Schoharie and she said they are coy-wolves as she had seen them numerous times in the Schoharie Valley.

  • alex2012
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Saw what looked like a white wolf walking along side the Palisades Parkway while driving home at night. It looked big and the white seemed to stand out on.

  • NYMountainboy18
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I'm from the Orange County NY area and I have heard the countless stories from the "Ol' Timers". I spoke to this one man from my hunting club who spoke of wolves roaming this area when he was young boy and he still feels that they are around here. He says that they are very sneaky and can hide very well from human contact. I didn't believe this man until now! I have many coyotes around me, I grew up watching these beautiful animals and listening to them all night some nights. I used to watch them walk around all the time. I once had left my window open one night to take in the sounds of wildlife and I got more than I bargained for. I heard what sounded like a pure wolf howl no yipping or yelping a pure deep howl it made my hair stand up and I shot out of bed to see if I could get a good look, all I heard was some branches and twigs and leafs rustling in the woods and it sounded bigger than when the coyotes run around but, it was pitch black outside and I couldn't see anything. I barely have any neighbors I am straight in the middle of the woods. I did my research before this experience and this was not a coyote. After the experience I told that same ol' man about my experience and he didn't say anything he just smiled it was like something out of a book or movie. I know what I heard I believe it was a wolf. It has been a year-and-a-half now, but I still hope to run into this wolf again and prove they are here they may not be a lot of them, but they are here. There has been plenty of reports of wolves here and farther upstate as well. Thank You for your time.

  • Deb.12345
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I was driving slowly on a slippery NY rt 22 between Berlin and Cherry Plain last night about 10PM. When I came up on a large wolf walking along the road. It ran off from my headlights. I hear this is unusual behavior for a wolf, however I know it was a wolf from friends who had them for pets in New Mexico. I have a 120 lb German Shepherd, and this animal was close to that size, but the standard Gray Wolf coloring.
    I live in east Rensselaer County. We have coyotes and fox, but this was not them.
    It was beautiful and surreal. I would love to know anyone else in my area who has sited the Gray Wolf.

  • Andrew67
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I reside in New Rochelle (Westchester County. Spotted three wolves, reddish in color, running through residential neighborhood this afternoon. WILD

  • Ginop524
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    schoharie county here just got this picture and a video of this guy on one of my trail cameras.. this is a coyote correct? not 100% sure just becasue of the size..
    http://thumb11.webshots.net/t/52/752/5/69/50/2060569500107428211JejpjY_th.jpg

    also got this bobcat have a video as well
    http://thumb11.webshots.net/t/81/81/6/41/11/2105641110107428211dlByPM_th.jpg

  • darko714
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    On three occasions I've seen a wolf or wolves here in Western New York. The first was on Lake Erie during January of 2007, I spotted one trotting about 200 yards off the Hamburg coast. The owner of the house had a pair of high powered binoculars with a bench mounted tripod, and we were able to observe the animal for several minutes under clear daylight conditions. It was grey, with thick fur, and was trotting unconcernedly towards the south.

    My host called DEC and they assured him that what we saw must have been a dog or a coyote, since there are no wolves in New York State.

    The second time I was driving up Yanke Road in the Town of Ischua, Allegany County, just after dusk, in January of 2009, when I spotted three in my headlights near the road. They were big, 50-70 lb. each, and quickly vanished into the brush as I approached.

    The third time was later that same evening, near Cuba Lake, while heading into the village with a friend and his son, I saw a very large one in an open field. They saw a second one which I didn't see. Since this was only about three miles from the first sighting, they might have been part of the same group. We all agreed that they were wolves.

    These are not coyotes as I have lived out west and seen coyotes many times. Coyotes are much smaller (about 35 lb.) and have darker, scruffier coats.

    If you are skeptical, you can look at this video that my friend took when he encountered one when he was out hunting. He calls it a coyote but I would call it a wolf. Judge for yourself.

    http://www.youtube.com/all_comments?v=NT6sePYyeL0&page=3

  • coventrygal48
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    We live in Coventryville between State Rtes 206 & 41 and have seen what we believe is a RED wolf twice this past weekend. 1st time was driving on rte 206 (approx 3 miles before our road) @ 9:50pm when I pointed out what I thought was a dog crossing in front of us. Then I saw the tail & said "oh, it's a red fox". Well, let me tell you, we have never seen a red fox that big OR one that could clear a guardrail! The next day around 3pm, (7 degees & windy but sunny) I let my 23LB Shiba Inu dog out our french doors & she immediately went to the top step of deck & assumed her "attack pose." I did not see anything for a full 2 min. My dog then went into her "high alert" pose and the wolf(? ) emerged from woods. It had a stare down w my dog till she went running at top speed towards it. The thing never moved...just stood there glaring & waiting for my dog to reach it. It only moved when I opened the storm door & yelled. It was much leaner than coyotes we've seen in the hip/stomach area, both longer & taller & was mostly dark red w/ areas of black fur on face, neck, back and tail. Spoke to a friend who lives 5 miles away & he has been seeing deer really chewed up like he hasn't seen before in his woods. He is an avid nature-lover/ hunter who owns a heavily wooded property also on a quiet rural rd. Is it possible it has come here due to our increased coyote population and our ample deer???

  • coyotestink
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    The presence of Gray Wolves has been confirmed in Western Mass. Why do some of you insist it's not possible in NY? I live in Rensselaer County, NY, which by the way is a mere 30 minute drive to The Berkshires, which just happens to be Western Massachusetts. If you don't agree, do so without insulting other members.

  • christine1950
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    What an incredible video of a beautiful wolf, I have seen a coyote once and it wasnt as big or as handsome as wolfs are, YES wolfs are definitely here in NY
    Christine

  • limontee
    9 years ago

    Coyotestink, of course there cannot be wolves in New York even if they are in Western Massachusetts! I mean, state lines are clearly printed on the soil and a wolf would NEVER cross a state line without getting proper authorization first!

  • Oedhel Setren
    9 years ago

    FYI for all the people who are certain there are no wolves in NYS, there have been a number of relocation efforts to bring wolves back into the state. There are a number of start up populations that are PROTECTED. Not only have we found that they are essential to keeping prey populations down, but they keep lesser predators like coyotes at bay.

  • PRO
    The Brooklyn Garden Club Inc.
    8 years ago

    Just spotted a grey wolf off in Scarsdale NY. Wow! I've lived in NE most my life, have a place upstate, I'm 52. I've seen several coyotes, and many fox...definitely a wolf and easy to identify as such. Came out of the woods at night near Bronx River Turnpike. Made my month!

  • PRO
    Evolution Renovation and Design
    8 years ago

    they aren't wolves. They are coywolves. They are a hybrid.

  • daileym16
    8 years ago

    While fishing yesterday in the Salmon River in Pulaski NY, I saw what thought was a black wolf. It came out of woods on the other side of the river, stalked the riverbank for just about a minute and took off. Looked like a wolf to me, no tags, bigger than a normal dog with a stance like a wolf.

  • cacolido
    8 years ago

    I am a mail carrier in Union Springs NY. I was going down a road today that is half seasonal huge fields with a gully near by. Often see deer, turkey and geese on this road. Today as I was going down this road I saw a very large dark colored wolf. (Not a coyote) He stood still and watched me watch him. I continued down to last house turned around and came back up the road. I stopped to look at him again only this time there were two more with him. ( tan colored) They quickly ran off into the woods the darker one stood for a couple seconds more and watched me and then followed them into the woods.

  • Kodi Sayers
    7 years ago
    last modified: 7 years ago

    in 2012 my boyfriend, his mother, and i were on our way home from the town of Whitehall NY (washington county) tward Fairhaven VT on a back road when a VERY large wolf ran across the road infront of us into a cornfield. it was over 100 lbs easily, mostly black and very tall with a thick tail that stuck out straight behind it as it ran. size wise this guy was like a fluffy full grown great dane.. at least thats what the long legs reminded me of. it was close enough that we all knew exactly what it was when we had seen it. theres no mistaking something this size with a shepard or coyote also im not sure what these smaller "eastern wolves" are, but this wasnt it.

  • Jessica Morris-Klossner
    7 years ago

    I live in Tioga Center NY only around a thirty minute distance to Chemung. We have what I believe to be a wolf by our house that is part of a pack of Coyotes. We are surrounded by farms, lots of land and very few houses. The very distinct howl we and some neighbors hear at night is very different from the Coyotes. It raises the hairs on the back of your neck.... A few years back my Uncle was on his way to work and saw it in a field by itself. He also believes it is a wolf it was bigger than a coyote with gray coloring.

  • Grace Amazing
    6 years ago

    Last spring we saw two beautiful canids in back of our home in the woods in Ulster county. They were about 65 lbs. each, taller and huskier than coyotes with more rust color They were investigating under a fallen tree, but there wasn't much brush and they were very visible, only about 30 feet, and a bit below, as we watched from inside the window. We do have a lot of coyotes, but these didn't have the pointy snout and bigger ears. They were very inquisitive and quick moving, and quite sociable with each other. Unusual and wild. I immediately thought they might be red wolves, but we haven't heard any low pitched howls at night, just the coyote and some dog noises too.

  • Grace Amazing
    6 years ago

    The above sighting was in the lower Catskills in New York, where there is an abundance of healthy coyotes and lots of food for any predator to easily find. I will add that 40 (or so) years ago we were about an hour north when one of the neighbor farm guys showed us a mountain lion he had just shot. It was perfect and beautiful, filling the large trunk of his car. It was still soft, it's tan fur so lovely. Also saw a lynx alongside the road one night in Green county, not long ago. As one of your contributors said 'They can't be here because the borders are clearly marked and they wouldn't cross state lines!!!!' How dumb would we be !!! hmmm against state laws ......... hey, a moose was killed on the ny thruway near kingston, ny ! Hey, dec, ... we are awake & aware ! R U ?

  • christine 5b
    6 years ago

    What a shame he had to kill it

  • nyboy
    5 years ago

    He was a farmer if Mt. Lion was going after livestock he had no choice.

  • shaun newton
    4 years ago

    Just saw a wolf today on 87 near warrensburg.

  • Debbie Harris
    3 years ago

    I lived in Whitehall, NY for 12yrs., bordering Granville in the hills. Very few homes around me. I was bringing my 2 dogs out to leash them and was bringing the 2nd one off the leash as I spotted unusual black color in the straw across the road. When I went into the house I grabbed my binaculars and went back out. No doubt I was starring into the eyes of a wolf. Black trim around the ears, greyish black across the back and a black tail and large. I went back to the house for a camera and he had left. Definately not a coyote. That was not my only sighting as I had one nearby by home run across the road in front of my car. Another time I waa heading to town and one was on the side of the road. Couldn't get my phone quick enough and another time 3 of them were lined up on a tree line and ducked down below the hill behind them. This sighting was within 300 yrds away from the last one. There were times that the howling would shake the entire hillside. I also saw in Nov of 2006 the mountain lion on Rt 22A in Granville, NY. There is plenty of wildlife up in those hills and my location was also very close the the Fair Haven and Poultney VT borders.. Wish I had pics of them.

  • christine 5b
    3 years ago

    Debbie, I've read of so many sightings of wolfs & mountain lions, It's a shame and I don't understand why the DEC denies we have them here in NY.

  • HU-956409880
    3 years ago

    Please google ". Maine wolf coalition facebook". Our organization just documented an eastern wolf in Maine through DNA analysis of its scat. Believe nothing NYDEC or USFWS tells you about wolves in the northeast. They are here. Documented wolf populations are as close as 60 miles from NY and 75 miles from Maine. The northeast has abundant prey and habitat for wolves. jglowa@roadrunner.com


  • HU-956409880
    2 years ago

    The Maine Wolf Coalition documented this animal this summer in northern Maine.


  • HU-956409880
    2 years ago



  • HU-945814173
    2 years ago

    The answer to “Are there wolves in New York?” is both yes and no, and more complicated than either answer alone could explain. There are no known established packs of wolves, be it Eastern/Timber wolves, grey wolves or red wolves, in any portion of the northeastern US south of the Canadian border. However, there are most certainly wolves that have crossed into the US over the last 30-130 years, with documented instances. How established they really are is what remains to be seen.

    The last known “established” northeastern wolf pack was completely killed off in 1890. This pack has all places of the hierarchy filled. But the area they spanned covers tens if not hundred of millions of acres of dense forests here and in neighboring states (Adirondack Park alone is 6MM acres, over 9,000 square miles), with ample room for them to go undetected. And to be honest, they aren’t even undetected. While some of the stories mentioned above may sound unlikely, there have been 3 confirmed kills of wolves in New York and Vermont from 1998-2006. These are only the cases where the bodies were definitively tested (they were a 100% match as wild-raised, non-captive wolves, not coyotes, coy dogs or coyote-wolf cross breeds either, though their exact lineage and origin remains unclear). Again, these are just cases where someone bothered to have the body tested afterward, and it does not include sightings alone or kills which were unconfirmed. In 2 out of 3 of these instances, the wolves that were killed were spotted with other wolves and indicate the potential for the existence of presently establishing packs.

    Interior Alaskan “Yukon” wolves are not the same. The behavior of wolves in Alaska is very different from the documented behaviors of the wolves that have largely inhabited Canada and the lower 48. Stating that a wolf in Alaska is inquisitive and unafraid of humans is true but irrelevant in the present conversation. It’s a known behavior of that subspecies, but not necessarily of any of the subspecies of wolf that would potentially be spotted in the wild in the northeastern US. Alaskan wolves have come to live in significantly greater harmony with Alaskan hunters, as it’s a much smaller population of people trying to kill them, which has allowed the population of Yukon wolves to avoid decimation, unlike northeastern populations. Any wolves found in New York or similar locations would be more closely related to the Eastern Timber wolves and/or grey wolves found in southeastern Canada. When considering the known interaction levels of those wolves, we see that they commonly adopt an approach not dissimilar to coyotes; they do not consider humans to be prey, but do recognize their potential as a predator. They remain curious but cautious. They will not attack unless provoked, and will often remain just at tree lines, showing themselves while maintaining the opportunity to slip back into the forest. And when food is scarce, especially in times of drought or deep winter, they will approach areas with humans in search of food. With that said, their history with humans has understandably left them more skittish and less interested in our company than their Alaskan relatives.

    Are they here? Yes, we already know this. Are they thriving? Probably not. The 3 mentioned above were all killed by hunters aiming to find coyotes, which are legally hunted in the areas where these wolves would be attempting to reestablish populations. This is one of the same reasons the DEC hasn’t bothered to try relocating any individuals or even entire packs from the Canadian populations. Not only is there evidence that they are naturally relocating on their own, but additionally, no one knows how to create the right kind of laws and hunting regulations necessary to ensure coyote traps and hunters don’t once again decimate any new populations of wolves. And in New York in particular, we have hunted the large prey these animals require to get through long winters to near extinction, much like the wolves themselves. In those months, kills are scarce, even smaller prey such as beavers and hare are hard to come by. These predators used to rely on the occasional large game to sustain long periods without food. But these days, spotting a wolf in New York is more likely than spotting the elk, moose or caribou they would need to survive a long winter, all of which thrive north of the Canadian border. Caribou haven’t been here for hundreds of years, back when wolves heavily roamed the NY landscape. Elk are thought to be extinct here, rarely seen outside of Pennsylvania, which has successfully reintroduced them. A tiny population of moose exists in the Adirondacks, as do white-tailed deer, but both are susceptible to deer-borne illnesses, wasting disease and ticks, in addition to over-hunting, all of which have left them few and far between. The irony here is that the wolves helped keep these same diseases in check, which now instead spread freely amongst the remaining populations. For these reasons, it becomes MORE likely that any wolves spotted in New York State would NOT be in their usual large packs, instead struggling to regain a territory that no longer resembles the home their ancestors once knew. Litters would be smaller than average, with pups significantly less likely to survive their first winter than packs north of the border.

    If you see a wolf in New York, it’s entirely possible your eyes are not playing tricks on you. As anyone who frequently sees coyotes here can tell you, it’s quite easy to see the difference, even when they are dustier in coloring. Consider yourself lucky, snap a picture if you can, and hope that one day they return to the numbers they once were. Our state and its wildlife will be significantly healthier if they do.

  • HU-956409880
    2 years ago

    Our organization, The Maine Wolf Coalition, Inc. https://www.facebook.com/Maine-Wolf-Coalition-162171977132715/ documented a live eastern wolf in Maine in 2019 through collection of its scat. These are two of the photos we took in 2021 in the same area.



  • Maddy M
    2 years ago

    I truly believe there are wolves in New York, and I believe I saw one in the Northern Adirondacks in late 2019. I went to forestry school west of Tupper Lake and I was just taking a night stroll infront of the school. It was the beginning of the year, and I had already heard bobcats and coyotes in the weeks before. Being fresh out of highschool I was pretty scared of being outside at night by myself but I valued that time by myself in nature and wanted to over come my fears a bit. Well, I heard something that sounded like leaves rattling and I didn't look at first out of fear, but I did. I am not exaggerating when I say I saw a canine that was way bigger than a German Shepard. This thing was galloping down the road infront of the river and I heard it's nails on the pavement (~60-70 ft away from me, running left to right, not towards me, plus i was on a hill above the road). It was whitish/Grey, but no dark colors. I've seen coyotes in the adirondacks before and they've also been skinnier, have darker colors, and were smaller than this (although ADK coyotes are bigger than city ones). This thing was BEEFY AND HUGE. I ran inside to tell all my friends and they said it could've been a coywolf too. But I really believe it was a wolf. Later that year we took a trip to an Adirondack wildlife refuge and I got see a few wolves in person - looked exactly like what I saw. A beefy, huge, light colored canine. We have so many deer in NY that it's about time!!

  • HU-956409880
    2 years ago

    It is ridiculous to think that there are no wolves in New York. NYSDEC does not want wolves in NY so they simply say they aren't here. Here's a photo of a possible wolf killed by a hunter in NY a couple of weeks ago. The hunter said the animal weighed 85 pounds. We will be having tissue from the animal analyzed for its DNA.


  • PRO
    The Brooklyn Garden Club Inc.
    2 years ago

    Wait no!...Someone thinks they saw an extremely rare wolf so they SHOT it? A camera wouldn't work...they had to KILL it? Wait I gotta go puke I'll be right back.



  • HU-956409880
    2 years ago

    You need to contact NYSDEC. Actually, hundreds of people need to contact them. They adamantly deny the presence of wolves in New York. That means that if anybody shoots one-it has to be a coyote-EVEN IF IT IS A WOLF!!!!!! This is absolute political BS. Tell NYSDEC that wolves do live in New York. The shooter of this animal says he believed he killed a coyote-because NYSDEC claims there are no wolves in NY. Here in Maine, we have the same problem with the state and federal governments denying the presence of wolves. We went out looking for wolf scat and we documented the first known live Eastern wolf in the northeast U.S. https://www.mainepublic.org/environment-and-outdoors/2020-11-06/wolf-scat-discovered-in-maine-after-scientists-test-dna We encourage folks in New York to start their own wolf research study since the government refuses to look for wolves.

  • HU-956409880
    2 years ago

    For those who may not be aware, wolves in New York and the rest of the northeast are again protected under federal law. That means don't shoot any large coyote. It may be a wolf and you may go to jail.

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