Seen as a circle of snarling, long-fanged killers closing in on the prey; or as a curious, dog-like face with fluffy white rimmed fur -- either way, wolves get our attention. Wolves are smart. They are persistent and fierce predators. They hunt in groups, as a pack. Pack hunting by wolves stimulates fear in the human imagination almost more than any other large predator, excepting the great cats (tigers, lions, cougars). Wherever wolves exist, they become the subject of mythology, and the present day is not excluded (think werewolf).  Wherever there are wolves, there are people who fear them, hate them, respect them, and venerate them. This is another way of expressing that wherever there are wolves and people, there is potential for conflict and controversy.

Two hundred years ago, around 1800, Yellowstone looked much like it does today; forest covered mountain areas and plateaus, large grassy valleys, and open sagebrush hills. There were numerous herds of elk, antelope, native alpine bison, deer, and mountain sheep. The apex predator (top of the food chain) was the wolf, as it had been for thousands of years. We don’t know exactly how many wolves were in the Yellowstone region at that time, but a good guess is between 300 and 400. They were gray wolves of the sub-species canis lupus irremotus, the Rocky Mountain gray wolf. Weighing in around 70-135 lbs (32-62 Kg), they are among the largest wolves and a successful predator of the bigger ungulates -- hoofed grass eaters such as elk and bison.

Also living in this territory were approximately 400-500 Native Americans, mostly of the Tukudika tribe. Perhaps as many as 2,000 people from other tribes crossed the area in summer going to and from hunting territories. Native Americans did not casually hunt or kill wolves, in fact, for most northern tribes the wolf was a sacred animal. They saw much of themselves in the wolf. They revered its hunting prowess, its devotion to the welfare of the pack, and its struggle to survive. Wolves and Native Americans hunted the same elk and bison herds, but the understanding was that each took its share. Usually there was enough to go around.