Wolf Or Yote Or Mix?
Contributors to this thread:General Topic
From: JL
26-Jul-22
For you northern trappers out there. A buddy who is a trapper and taxi sent this to me. He lives in way north Wisconsin and this is in his back 20. He say the body is very big for a yote and there are instances of a yote/wolf mix in Northern WI. He is not sure. Any guesses?? Maybe a young wolf??
From: Grey Ghost
26-Jul-22
Looks 100% coyote to me.
Matt
From: DanaC
26-Jul-22
DanaC's Link
From: scentman
26-Jul-22
"My what big paws you have"! Wolf, male 3.5 yrs old.
From: elkmtngear
26-Jul-22
Yeah, I'm with DanaC on this one...long legs, wolfy-looking head...CoyWolf .
From: Altitude Sickness
26-Jul-22
Wolf
From: wyobullshooter
26-Jul-22
Wolf.
From: Glunt@work
26-Jul-22
Looks like a big summer eastern coyote to me but without something relative for size it's hard to say.
From: Norseman
26-Jul-22
Coyote
From: Mad Trapper
27-Jul-22
Eastern coyote
From: Dale06
27-Jul-22
Coyote
From: JL
27-Jul-22
The tally so far. I sent the vid to a local DNR bio and waiting for him to weigh in too.
Yote - 5
Wolf - 3
Coywolf - 2
From: goelk
27-Jul-22
wolf
From: deerhunter72
27-Jul-22
The perspective makes it tough to judge. If it's a yote it's much bigger than the typical S. Illinois ones I see. I'm voting wolf.
From: greg simon
27-Jul-22
Yes
From: Will
27-Jul-22
I thought all eastern coyotes contained a solid portion of wolf and thus were really "coy wolves". Not sure, going on memory. If you showed me that in New England, I'd say normal Coyote for here. But knowing the location and that there are wolves in Wisconsin... coupled to the high cam angle making size estimation hard... I'm going with wolf. Just feels like that makes sense in that area of the country.
Could definitely be wrong.
From: x-man
27-Jul-22
Coywolf. A true Timber Wolf is scary big in the muzzle.
From: M.Pauls
27-Jul-22
Looks all coyote to me
From: Norseman
27-Jul-22
Me thinks coyote size due to quick steps and sneaky movements. Wolf usually walk like they are wearing clown shoes and flick their feet forward.
From: EmptyFreezer
27-Jul-22
Coyote that identifies as a wolf.. he's not sure if he is boy or girl.. :)
From: badbull
27-Jul-22
Coyshep
From: Thornton
27-Jul-22
I can't tell. I swore I saw a wolf in NW Colorado last year, but when I put my scope on it, it was hunting like a coyote.
From: wild1
27-Jul-22
Healthy coyote
From: WV Mountaineer
27-Jul-22
Yote. Kill it.
From: MQQSE
28-Jul-22
I have a place in Bayfield County WI and live near the MO/IA border. Last winter I saw and took poor video of one like this. I thought it had to be a wolf as it was so much different than any of the dogs back in MO and IA. Who knows though.
From: LBshooter
28-Jul-22
I'm going with yote too.
From: No Mercy
28-Jul-22
tail is too long for a yote-young wolf is my vote
From: APauls
28-Jul-22
I'd go with coyote. With wolves you'll typically be able to notice the large feet. And in July they'll often look like heads are large with thinner fur.
From: Treeline
28-Jul-22
Bang!
From: Mule Power
28-Jul-22
People underestimate the size potential of coyotes. There are some bigguns out there!
From: Wildan2
28-Jul-22
Coyote;ours get a lot bigger than out west;up to 60lbs and look like a German Shepards!
From: JL
28-Jul-22
It depends on what time of the year you're seeing a yote....summer coat or winter coat.
From: Kodiak
28-Jul-22
I'd say it's a young wolf. It's face doesn't say coyote at all.
From: TRnCO
28-Jul-22
looks coyote to me...
From: Michael
28-Jul-22
Coyote.
From: Bou'bound
28-Jul-22
when in doubt go with the most likely answer.
more likely a coyote.
From: MA-PAdeerslayer
28-Jul-22
Based on head size and paws like some others said I’m going yote. Big yote. I know people here in the Northeast who have shot some almost 50-60 pounds
From: Shawn
28-Jul-22
I say wolf, carries his tail like a wolf has that type of head. I have seen some huge coyotes, big males like 55#s in NY but that looks like all wolf to me. I also don't think all that young maybe 3.5 or so. Shawn
From: JL
28-Jul-22
The tally so far. Haven't heard back from the bio yet.
Yote - 19
Wolf - 10
Coywolf - 4
Can't Tell - 2
From: TGbow
28-Jul-22
Looks like a coyote to me
From: DanaC
29-Jul-22
DanaC's Link
DNA Test Confirms Wolf Was Killed in Upstate New York
The 85-pound wolf was taken by a hunter in December
From: JL
29-Jul-22
""“The term ‘coywolf’ is very misleading to the public,” Shevenell Webb, furbearer biologist with the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife told Outdoor Life last year. “Eastern coyotes are coyotes. We recognize that some hybridization occurred, but they are not wolves.”
Most samples from genetic studies in Maine were deemed to be of eastern coyote ancestry, but a small percentage had wolf ancestry.
“At some point, both species interbred and that signature is carried in genetics,” says Webb. She also noted one coyote had a wolf ancestry of 89 percent. Interestingly, it was one of the smaller animals in the study, a 27-pound female. Adult male Eastern coyotes typically weigh between 45 and 55 pounds."""
Any idea how this bio in Dana's link knows which is the primary trait.....the wolf or the yote? For example, she notes a yote was killed that had 89% wolf ancestry. Why couldn't it be a wolf that had 11% yote ancestry?
From: Will
29-Jul-22
Cool stuff there JL - thanks for that.
From: Pete In Fairbanks
29-Jul-22
I've probably trapped/killed a lot more wolves and coyotes than most Bowsiters.
That said, I would not even begin to think I could make an accurate ID from looking at that brief video!
Pete
From: JL
29-Jul-22
Pete...good point. Have you ever trapped a hybrid yote/wolf in your area?
From: Corax_latrans
29-Jul-22
I think Pete has the best, most qualified answer, but if I were in for a dollar, I’d say coyote. Too much belly on it to be a “young” anything!
From: scentman
29-Jul-22
The gate, long legs, slender rear end tapers to muscular frontal cavity... large head, pup looks at least 75 lbs. Pete, gut feeling... not 100% but gut?
From: Pyrannah
29-Jul-22
yote
From: JL
29-Jul-22
Me thinks if Pete isn't sure....that may say something. Does the black tipped tail offer a clue??
From: DanaC
29-Jul-22
JL, I'm inclined to agree. A 'wolf' may have up to 49% coyote mixed in, or vice versa, but 89% wolf is a wolf. Trying to ID an animal off a video? No way. Shoot it and do a DNA analysis, then you'll *know*.
From: JL
29-Jul-22
Me personally....if there was any question it was a wolf mix, I wouldn't shoot it. Reasoning being is if it had any wolf in it, would that open you up to shooting a protected species in Wisconsin (or Michigan)?
Recall a few years ago the light colored bear that was legally harvested and I believe it turned out to be part polar bear/black bear mix and the DNR or RCMP folks were considering charging the hunter with a crime. Not sure I want to tempt fate.
From: BULELK1
30-Jul-22
Possibly a neighbors Malamute dog?
Fun thread,
Robb
From: Pete In Fairbanks
30-Jul-22
Nope.... not going to take the bait and hazard a guess!
Pete
From: Zbone
30-Jul-22
Wolf.... Whatever it is it's lobo, only difference in name is their size...
From: fisherick
31-Jul-22
Being from New England, this is the size of our coyotes around here.
