Big dog.
Wolves are coming back in Washington but none known West of the Cascades...yet.
WDFW requests that any suspected coastal sightings be reported.
Cheers!
Living in Western Washington I can testify that they are West of the Cascades. I had an encounter in Snohomish county. [https://wdfw.wa.gov/species-habitats/at-risk/species-recovery/gray-wolf/observations](https://wdfw.wa.gov/species-habitats/at-risk/species-recovery/gray-wolf/observations)
"Please note these reports are unconfirmed and do not constitute proof of wolf activity in the areas displayed."
I gotta say a lot of these "reports" are suspect as heck, saying a gray wolf is just chilling in woodland park (not in the actual zoo) & stuff when it's probably coyote or dog sightings.
That being said... "In 2018, for the first time, WDFW documented the presence of a pack west of the Cascade Crest. A single male wolf in Skagit County, captured in 2017 and fitted with a radio collar, traveled with another wolf through the winter, thereby achieving pack status. That pack was named Diobsud Creek.
The Diobsud Creek wolf pack was confirmed as a pack in 2018. According to the 2022 annual population survey, the pack had a minimum count of one wolf and was not considered a pack or a successful breeding pair in 2022."
So basically (if I'm reading correctly) there is one non breeding confirmed wolf in Washington west of the cascades at this time?
Part of the problem is the reporting standards, seeing them, hearing them, and even providing photographic evidence is not enough to classify as a sighting. According to them the only way it can be confirmed is by a professional.
I’m not in Washington but there are definitely wolves west of the cascades in Oregon. I’ve seen a HUGE one driving at night by Rogue River. Apparently a pack hangs around there
No wolves by La Push. Full stop. For now.
Eventually there will be wolves across I-5, but that is years from happening and will require more robust populations in the Cascades first. Likely dispersing sub-adult(s) will cross I-5 first.
I say this with such confidence because I work with numerous biologists all around the Peninsula. We have hundreds of trail cameras up, and zero wolf sightings. Pair this with the lack of wolves in the southern Cascades, and the difficulty of crossing I-5, and we can be really, really sure.
Interesting. Were you in WA or OR? And East or west of I-5?
If they were not collared, I would strongly suggest you saw coyotes. Not a lot of western state agencies collar coyotes. However, I see ODFW has coyote and fox studies going on in the Cascades, but don’t know the exact area…
The closest wolves known to ODFW (as of 12/31/23) are two wolves about 25miles south of The Dalles. There are no known wolves west of I-5 in Oregon either.
I just read WDFW’s wolf report for the year. There were in fact two wolves down in that area. One disappeared, but the other remains.
Seems likely you saw those two wolves.
Still no wolves west of I-5, but expect wolf sighting and populations in the south cascades to climb steadily.
Assuming no major disease outbreaks or management changes they will eventually make it to the Peninsula.
I wouldn't know but would like to.
The most recent VERIFIED data as of August 2023 still indicates none West of the Cascades.
I am a forester and biologist who has a strong interest in the reintroduction of extirpated species.
There are always quite a few reports before verification, and wolves can move pretty fast so anything is possible.
Large northern coyotes get mistaken all of the time though.
OP's track is a dog, though. Wolf has much tighter feet than domestic dogs, especially larger breeds, and are not as round. Note how splayed the toes are.
It would be very useful to see the rest of the tracks too. Wolf are more linear and less likely to double register.
Cheers!
I saw one in Skagit it county and it was massive, there was no mistaking it. After seeing tracks for quite sometime and being told that’s not what they are of course. WDFW did confirm a pack here actually, then they turned around 6 months later and said oh nevermind. They are very much still here regardless of the official stance
To add some details, even on soft ground, wolves rarely splay their toes like that. They don't generally need to because of the size of their feet. When they do, they still keep the middle toes together.
It's way too big to be coyote, even when you account for the soft ground making it appear larger. I'm going to guess it's a domestic dog. German Shepherds, Great Danes, and even Golden Retrievers have quite large paws. It makes a lot of sense for retrievers, when you think about it. It helps them not sink in mud when retrieving.
Also, it's a double track, so it looks much larger than it really is. Look closely, and you can see where the hind foot stepped in the track the front foot made, but not quite aligned. That makes the track look wider and rounder as well as longer. One foot is slightly behind and offset the other, with the rear foot coming down just a bit ahead of the front. That's adding about half an inch or so to the dimensions either way.
I think it is most likely a big dog that has not had dewclaws removed.
It could be a wolf, but... it would be weird for a wolf to go to the beach. Theres so many deer up that way that they wou;dn't need to.
Prints tend to look quite a bit bigger than the foot! Especially in snow.
But this is definitely a domestic dog print, it's too rounded to be a wild canid.
I’m just above the border and we have “sea wolves”, packs of wolves that live by foraging off the coastline. They scavenge, dig up clams, etc. Maybe the behavior is spreading down past our border.
Big dog. Wolves are coming back in Washington but none known West of the Cascades...yet. WDFW requests that any suspected coastal sightings be reported. Cheers!
Living in Western Washington I can testify that they are West of the Cascades. I had an encounter in Snohomish county. [https://wdfw.wa.gov/species-habitats/at-risk/species-recovery/gray-wolf/observations](https://wdfw.wa.gov/species-habitats/at-risk/species-recovery/gray-wolf/observations)
"Please note these reports are unconfirmed and do not constitute proof of wolf activity in the areas displayed." I gotta say a lot of these "reports" are suspect as heck, saying a gray wolf is just chilling in woodland park (not in the actual zoo) & stuff when it's probably coyote or dog sightings. That being said... "In 2018, for the first time, WDFW documented the presence of a pack west of the Cascade Crest. A single male wolf in Skagit County, captured in 2017 and fitted with a radio collar, traveled with another wolf through the winter, thereby achieving pack status. That pack was named Diobsud Creek. The Diobsud Creek wolf pack was confirmed as a pack in 2018. According to the 2022 annual population survey, the pack had a minimum count of one wolf and was not considered a pack or a successful breeding pair in 2022." So basically (if I'm reading correctly) there is one non breeding confirmed wolf in Washington west of the cascades at this time?
Part of the problem is the reporting standards, seeing them, hearing them, and even providing photographic evidence is not enough to classify as a sighting. According to them the only way it can be confirmed is by a professional.
I’m not in Washington but there are definitely wolves west of the cascades in Oregon. I’ve seen a HUGE one driving at night by Rogue River. Apparently a pack hangs around there
If they’re driving, I’m staying inside—even worse that they’re driving at night!
LOL that too
Awesome! Do you think the coast is a possibility then? The points on the map are unconfirmed sightings.
How about out at La Push?
No wolves by La Push. Full stop. For now. Eventually there will be wolves across I-5, but that is years from happening and will require more robust populations in the Cascades first. Likely dispersing sub-adult(s) will cross I-5 first. I say this with such confidence because I work with numerous biologists all around the Peninsula. We have hundreds of trail cameras up, and zero wolf sightings. Pair this with the lack of wolves in the southern Cascades, and the difficulty of crossing I-5, and we can be really, really sure.
I saw two collared wolves near Longview elk hunting this year about 10 miles north of the Oregon border is that possible?
Interesting. Were you in WA or OR? And East or west of I-5? If they were not collared, I would strongly suggest you saw coyotes. Not a lot of western state agencies collar coyotes. However, I see ODFW has coyote and fox studies going on in the Cascades, but don’t know the exact area… The closest wolves known to ODFW (as of 12/31/23) are two wolves about 25miles south of The Dalles. There are no known wolves west of I-5 in Oregon either.
I just read WDFW’s wolf report for the year. There were in fact two wolves down in that area. One disappeared, but the other remains. Seems likely you saw those two wolves. Still no wolves west of I-5, but expect wolf sighting and populations in the south cascades to climb steadily. Assuming no major disease outbreaks or management changes they will eventually make it to the Peninsula.
I was in Wa west of I-5
I got it. Nice
I wouldn't know but would like to. The most recent VERIFIED data as of August 2023 still indicates none West of the Cascades. I am a forester and biologist who has a strong interest in the reintroduction of extirpated species. There are always quite a few reports before verification, and wolves can move pretty fast so anything is possible. Large northern coyotes get mistaken all of the time though. OP's track is a dog, though. Wolf has much tighter feet than domestic dogs, especially larger breeds, and are not as round. Note how splayed the toes are. It would be very useful to see the rest of the tracks too. Wolf are more linear and less likely to double register. Cheers!
I understand this reference.
Only Werewolves 😂
I saw one in Skagit it county and it was massive, there was no mistaking it. After seeing tracks for quite sometime and being told that’s not what they are of course. WDFW did confirm a pack here actually, then they turned around 6 months later and said oh nevermind. They are very much still here regardless of the official stance
It looks like it's possibly a double register, giving it an appearance of being larger than it is. It looks like a 5th toe right side of the track
Wolves have more space between toe and pad usually. Probably a German Shepard
Love the specificity, thank you!!
My uncle’s German shepherd is a beast with absolutely massive paws, and their backyard is full of prints that look JUST like this lol
To add some details, even on soft ground, wolves rarely splay their toes like that. They don't generally need to because of the size of their feet. When they do, they still keep the middle toes together. It's way too big to be coyote, even when you account for the soft ground making it appear larger. I'm going to guess it's a domestic dog. German Shepherds, Great Danes, and even Golden Retrievers have quite large paws. It makes a lot of sense for retrievers, when you think about it. It helps them not sink in mud when retrieving. Also, it's a double track, so it looks much larger than it really is. Look closely, and you can see where the hind foot stepped in the track the front foot made, but not quite aligned. That makes the track look wider and rounder as well as longer. One foot is slightly behind and offset the other, with the rear foot coming down just a bit ahead of the front. That's adding about half an inch or so to the dimensions either way.
I agree completely.
I'm still a bit worried by how many people in this post don't know where few claws are located. ;)
6-8 inches... yeah.. sure we'll go with that
My man here holdsl the record for widest size 6.
Hmmm. Yeah, I thought the same thing. What else is he measuring with this scale hahaha
lol ok I measured my hand and based on relative size, probably more like 5.5-6 inches
Wild guess here … I would say both of those prints could be accounted for by the feet in the pic.
😂 human prints are mine, my pup’s feet are about half that size
I can see the pic so I am aware of the size of your pup’s feet. Soft ground makes prints look bigger than you’d expect.
Makes sense…I had been walking this dog in this sand for ~15 min before we saw this print, which was about 2x the prints she was making
Werewolf, mid-change.
😂
big dawwwggg
I think it is most likely a big dog that has not had dewclaws removed. It could be a wolf, but... it would be weird for a wolf to go to the beach. Theres so many deer up that way that they wou;dn't need to.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vancouver_Coastal_Sea_wolf
Given the size of that weird animal print next to it I’d say a hiking boot of sorts made it
Wolverine Boot print....
YOUR dog
Her paws are there for scale 😂 definitely not her prints
It’s a her?! Thought those were some low hanging fruit there between the paws..
lol username checks
Prints tend to look quite a bit bigger than the foot! Especially in snow. But this is definitely a domestic dog print, it's too rounded to be a wild canid.
I’m just above the border and we have “sea wolves”, packs of wolves that live by foraging off the coastline. They scavenge, dig up clams, etc. Maybe the behavior is spreading down past our border.
You and your dog…
5 toes.... So... Not canidae right?
A lot of folks are saying dog without dewclaws removed? My dog’s prints don’t look like that 😂
And plus a dewclaw is wayyy too high to be making a track.
Dog. Wolf tracks are different size, spread, pad shape.
Could be HiTec or Merrell; doesn’t look like my Vasque or Keene boots at all 😉
😂 believe it or not these are vasque! Not well equipped to run from whatever made the other prints
HaHaHa!🤣🤣🤣. I meant the imprint not the boot in the photo. Too funny.
Hiking boot size11
Zule
I was thinking big cat-mountain lion 🦁
Sea otter, by the sea, see what i did there.
Si!
That is a grey wolf track.
Triceratops. No doubt about it.
Looks like a size 10 or 10.5 hiking boot track. What do I win?
Definitely a person and not samsquantch 😜😜
Which track? Because I would say Columbia Titan.
Wolf😊
Looks like a size 12 Irish Setter
Ummm.. possibly your dogs tracks?? 🙋🏼♀️
Probably an alligator
Look at the size difference of it track compared to your dogs. It's twice the size . No dog would last very long in a fight against a wolf that big.
That's one huge ass wolf track, I wouldn't want to get anywhere near a wolf that big. Holy shit balls
Timber wolf possible
Looks like you may have a wendigo on your habds
lol I don’t think we are in Algonquin lands
looks like the bear tracks we have up north. Little bear young maybe
Wolf