Dances With Wolves

"Wolf, wolf!" I cried and it was NO "cry wolf". Big Bad and Mrs. Wolf waltzed past on the south side of the lake as they headed toward the meadow. Moments before I spotted the wolves, Little Red Annie Hood had just asked to go out in the woods for a walk today. Silly girl, does she not know this "is" Grandmother's house? How dangerous are the wolves? Especially when Mr.Big Bad appeared to be limping on a wounded right front leg.... a walk in the woods does not sound good to Granny.

FYI: Minnesota is home to about 2,922 Gray Wolves aka Timber Wolves and 2 of them visited us today. Currently it is our state's most controversial animal. To some folks it is a symbol of the wilderness while to others it kills livestock (livelihood), pets, moose, beavers and deer. Our visiting pair do not know what they missed. They could have walked a little beyond the meadow and had a tasty lunch. There was even a BIG RED X welcoming them to the diner. Plus, the Tuesday Blue Plate Special was a FREE Beaver Burgers. Darn. Maybe that sign needs a fresh coat of paint? Gray wolves are about 40 to 52 inches, with a 13 to 19 inch tail. Weighing Between 60 to 120 pounds compared to coyotes that weigh between 25 and 35 pounds, some folks liken them to a tall German Shepherd. Most Timber Wolves are gray, but some are black, brown, or reddish. Gray wolves run in familial packs of six to 12 animals, which makes it much easier to kill deer or moose. The pack leaders are a male and a female, usually the father and mother of the other pack members. They are likely to be the oldest, largest, strongest and most intelligent wolves in the pack. They are known as the alpha wolves and are usually the only members of the pack to produce pups. Gray wolves mate in January and February then 4 to 6 pups are born about two months later. The pups are nursed in dens for 6 to 8 weeks. Pups begin their hunting career when they reach 6 months of age. They are considered full grown at the age of 1 year. The gray wolf has a sense of smell 100 times stronger than humans. No half marathon for them, they can run up to 40 miles without resting.