Seeing and photographing wild wolves is always a thrill, even more so this year since finding any has been a lot more challenging. On the few occasions when I have been lucky the glimpses were always fleeting or with lots of trees and bushes obstructing my view.
On one day late in August I got my best glimpse this year. Some of the pack was resting deep in the forest near a kill site and the only way I knew they were there was from the periodic howling. After awhile I noticed some movement between the trees and it soon became clear they were on the move. I had a pretty good idea of the path they would take and where they would come out of the forest for a few seconds so I drove ahead a few minutes, parked my car and set up my camera. With the settings dialed in, I didn’t have long to wait. The two year old female emerged from the trees and came trotting along the clearing. She stopped not too far from where I was parked, turned and looked behind her as if waiting for something.
It didn’t take long to see who it was. One grey and one black pup soon appeared and followed in her footsteps through the clearing.
With the pups close behind I only had a few seconds to get some photos before the adult lead the pups back into the forest and out of sight.
Owen Slater Photography 
Absolutely beautiful! I’m headed to Banff in 2 weeks! Can’t wait.
The picture of the 2 year old female is just breath taking 🙂
Absolutely wonderful photo’s Owen. How many wolves in the Banff Pack. I used to study them when Storm was the black alpha male. He was killed in a hunters trap just outside of Banff Park boundaries after living safely in the Banff corridor all his life. That left just the alpha female and their black pup. The pup was killed by a vehicle on the Johnson Canyon parkway. After that the alpha female left Banff and joined the Fairholme Pack. Very sad time for Banff no Wolf Pack left so it is good to hear they are returning.
Take care Owen,
Kathleen Hewitt
Thanks Kathleen! Nice to hear from you and thanks for the info on the old wolf pack! It’s always neat to see one in the wild. Hope you are doing well!
Well that would definitely make a great day! Wonderful shots – those pups are pretty special especially since they are different colours. With the occasional wolf death reported, it’s nice to see evidence of young ones. Do you know how many wolves there are in the area?
Thanks Lyle,
It’s believe that there are at least 5 packs and a total of just over 50 wolves in BNP.
That’s more than I expected. Maybe I’ll get to see one in a couple of weeks.
I hope you do as well!
Worth the wait.