Man Spots Packs Of Wolverines Chasing Grizzlies

Wolverine Yellowstone
Hans Veth

A pack of wolverines? Run the other way!

These are some of the, if not the most ferocious animals out there.

Wolverines are a medium-sized carnivore, with males weighing up to 45 pounds and females weighing around 26 pounds. They are solitary animals for most of the year, except during mating season, which usually takes place between May and August. During this time, they may form small packs to defend their territory and young.

Wolverines are opportunistic hunters, preying on a variety of animals such as rodents, birds, and even larger mammals like deer and caribou. Wolverines are known for their strength and fearlessness, as they will go after just about anything.

Wolverines are known to have confrontations with grizzly bears, which share their habitat. Grizzly bears are much larger than wolverines, with males weighing up to 600 pounds. However, wolverines are fierce predators and are not intimidated by bears.

Giving how solitary wolverines are along with being stealthy, seeing them isn’t always a normal occurrence. Doug MacCartney, a guide with Yellowstone Insight had an incredible encounter while in the backcountry.

He explains the whole situation in the post along with photos to prove the groups of wolverines.

 “While hiking in the Teton Wilderness, my two companions (Steve and Bill) and I planned to summit a particular peak of interest to us. We left our campsite for our four mile route to the summit.

As we approached I noticed a grizzly sow with two COY (Cubs Of the Year) leaving a spit of snow a few hundred yards east of our spot. We started climbing the snow field while keeping an eye on the bears. The bear family got spread out in a line and we noticed that she had not two, but three COY in tow.

Suddenly Bill noticed that the bears were running. I looked to see why and notice a wolverine leaving the top of a big rock going in the bear’s direction. I then spotted another wolverine running toward the bears and then another. Bill and Steve thought I was crazy till they saw them too.

Then I saw another group of wolverines, a mother and two kits. It looked like the wolverines were chasing the bears for quite a while. But when the bears took an easier route out of the bowl along a rocky ledge, the growing group of wolverines went up into a higher snowfield and it was there that half of the wolverines continued up in the vertical rock face on the right side of the snow field while the rest crossed left on the snowfield and went up the vertical rock face to the left side.

It was very hard for us to keep track of all of the wolverines and the bears as they fled the area. I counted, for sure, a total of TWELVE wolverine at one time! Steve said he counted THIRTEEN which I don’t doubt (especially after looking at the photos).”

THIRTEEN WOLVERINES.

This stuff just doesn’t happen.

That is a once-in-a-lifetime day if there ever was one.

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