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Voyageurs Wolf Project

@VoyaWolfProject • 53,529 subscribers

The official Twitter account of the Voyageurs Wolf Project, which studies wolves in the Greater Voyageurs Ecosystem, MN.

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Great shot of a resident male cougar (likely the father of the kittens) at the end of July! We set this camera on a small wildlife trail along a beaver pond this spring, hoping to capture observations of cougars. And seems we picked the perfect spot. The male gives himself a quick scratch and then scent marks at the end of the video, a way to mark his territory. You can tell it is a male because it has a black spot of fur on its rear end (females don’t have that).

Great shot of a resident male cougar (likely the father of the kittens) at the end of July! We set this camera on a small wildlife trail along a beaver pond this spring, hoping to capture observations of cougars. And seems we picked the perfect spot. The male gives himself a quick scratch and then scent marks at the end of the video, a way to mark his territory. You can tell it is a male because it has a black spot of fur on its rear end (females don’t have that).

63,584 views

Anyone who has walked around the Northwoods a lot in winter knows the feeling...

Anyone who has walked around the Northwoods a lot in winter knows the feeling...

36,164 views

Though this video might not look like much, it shows something pretty remarkable. This footage, which we captured this past September on the Kabetogama Peninsula, is the first confirmed observation of lynx kittens in Voyageurs National Park (and one of only a few observations of known lynx reproduction in the Greater Voyageurs Ecosystem). Although lynx have been observed/documented in the park sporadically for several decades, there has never been evidence of kittens in the park (i.e., a breeding population of lynx). As a result, most lynx in and around Voyageurs are likely transitory individuals (predominantly males) roaming large area. From 2000 to 2004, biologists with the National Park Service made a concerted effort to study lynx in the park. They only documented the presence of one male and one female, and concluded “lynx were either transient or present at a low density”. Another study from 2007-2008 in and around Voyageurs National Park using trail cameras and snow tracking did not detect the presence of lynx. However, they noted that there were some sightings of lynx outside of the park with one unconfirmed report of a female lynx with a kitten observed to the west of the park. The researchers concluded that “even though patches of high-density snowshoe hare habitat exist in the Voyageurs National Park area, the low density of snowshoe hares at the landscape level would not support resident lynx”. Based on this research and some subsequent work, researchers with the park concluded in 2015 “it does not appear that there are currently resident lynx”. In fact, the researchers in 2012 concluded: ‘only three confirmed observations of adult lynx have occurred within the boundaries of VNP since 2001”. Obviously, studying these elusive animals in places like Voyageurs has historically been difficult because trail camera technology was not what it is today (or did not exist). However, trail cameras have provided a great tool to observe and understand lynx in places like Voyageurs. Skip forward to today: we now routinely get numerous observations of lynx each year in Voyageurs National Park as well as outside the park. Many observations are likely of the same few individuals wandering around, though, based on physical appearances, it seems we are capturing observations of more than 1 or 2 lynx. That said, in general, our trail camera data generally supports the conclusions of the Voyageurs National Park researchers. Most lynx likely are transient individuals, and certainly lynx are at low densities in and around Voyageurs. Nonetheless, this observation of a lynx with two kittens shows that lynx can reproduce in this area, though such occurrences are likely rare. One observation of reproduction is not evidence of a self-sustaining resident population but it suggests it might be possible. Anyway, this finding just highlights how our trail cameras, which are deployed to study wolves, simultaneously capture rare and valuable data on other wildlife species that have been traditionally difficult to study. Sources: Route et al. 2009. Status of Canada lynx in Voyageurs National Park, Minnesota, 2000-2004. National Park Service Report. Moen et al. 2010. Lynx habitat suitability in and near Voyageurs National Park. Natural Areas Journal. Moen and Windels. 2015. Lynx Habitat Suitability. Voyageurs National Park Website.

Though this video might not look like much, it shows something pretty remarkable. This footage, which we captured this past September on the Kabetogama Peninsula, is the first confirmed observation of lynx kittens in Voyageurs National Park (and one of only a few observations of known lynx reproduction in the Greater Voyageurs Ecosystem). Although lynx have been observed/documented in the park sporadically for several decades, there has never been evidence of kittens in the park (i.e., a breeding population of lynx). As a result, most lynx in and around Voyageurs are likely transitory individuals (predominantly males) roaming large area. From 2000 to 2004, biologists with the National Park Service made a concerted effort to study lynx in the park. They only documented the presence of one male and one female, and concluded “lynx were either transient or present at a low density”. Another study from 2007-2008 in and around Voyageurs National Park using trail cameras and snow tracking did not detect the presence of lynx. However, they noted that there were some sightings of lynx outside of the park with one unconfirmed report of a female lynx with a kitten observed to the west of the park. The researchers concluded that “even though patches of high-density snowshoe hare habitat exist in the Voyageurs National Park area, the low density of snowshoe hares at the landscape level would not support resident lynx”. Based on this research and some subsequent work, researchers with the park concluded in 2015 “it does not appear that there are currently resident lynx”. In fact, the researchers in 2012 concluded: ‘only three confirmed observations of adult lynx have occurred within the boundaries of VNP since 2001”. Obviously, studying these elusive animals in places like Voyageurs has historically been difficult because trail camera technology was not what it is today (or did not exist). However, trail cameras have provided a great tool to observe and understand lynx in places like Voyageurs. Skip forward to today: we now routinely get numerous observations of lynx each year in Voyageurs National Park as well as outside the park. Many observations are likely of the same few individuals wandering around, though, based on physical appearances, it seems we are capturing observations of more than 1 or 2 lynx. That said, in general, our trail camera data generally supports the conclusions of the Voyageurs National Park researchers. Most lynx likely are transient individuals, and certainly lynx are at low densities in and around Voyageurs. Nonetheless, this observation of a lynx with two kittens shows that lynx can reproduce in this area, though such occurrences are likely rare. One observation of reproduction is not evidence of a self-sustaining resident population but it suggests it might be possible. Anyway, this finding just highlights how our trail cameras, which are deployed to study wolves, simultaneously capture rare and valuable data on other wildlife species that have been traditionally difficult to study. Sources: Route et al. 2009. Status of Canada lynx in Voyageurs National Park, Minnesota, 2000-2004. National Park Service Report. Moen et al. 2010. Lynx habitat suitability in and near Voyageurs National Park. Natural Areas Journal. Moen and Windels. 2015. Lynx Habitat Suitability. Voyageurs National Park Website.

24,233 views

Really neat footage of a black wolf in fall—black wolves are quite rare in our area! If you enjoy our trail cam vids, please help us out and make a small donation. We are only 17% from our goal! A $25 donation covers a set of lithium batteries for a camera, and a $100 donation covers the cost of keeping a trail camera operational all year long! We only need 874 folks—0.1% of the folks who follow our project—to donate $25 or 218 to donate $100 and we reach our goal! You can support the project here:

Really neat footage of a black wolf in fall—black wolves are quite rare in our area! If you enjoy our trail cam vids, please help us out and make a small donation. We are only 17% from our goal! A $25 donation covers a set of lithium batteries for a camera, and a $100 donation covers the cost of keeping a trail camera operational all year long! We only need 874 folks—0.1% of the folks who follow our project—to donate $25 or 218 to donate $100 and we reach our goal! You can support the project here:

25,853 views

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Our best footage of lynx over the past year. Hard to decide which clip is our favorite but the one of the lynx jumping over the creek is pretty cool!

Our best footage of lynx over the past year. Hard to decide which clip is our favorite but the one of the lynx jumping over the creek is pretty cool!

Voyageurs Wolf Project

79,046 views • 1 day ago

It's great to know our camera straps serve two purposes: securing cameras to trees and providing entertainment for the local delinquents…

It's great to know our camera straps serve two purposes: securing cameras to trees and providing entertainment for the local delinquents…

Voyageurs Wolf Project

37,866 views • 4 days ago

Without a doubt, our best trail camera capture yet: the first documented observation of a cougar with kittens in Minnesota in modern history. Turn up the volume to hear all the vocalizations. The footage, which was captured on March 25, shows a cougar with 3 large kittens while they feed on a deer they killed just south of Voyageurs National Park. We captured this surreal footage because we started a study to understand the survival and mortality patterns of deer in our area this winter. As part of that work, we GPS-collared several deer in the area in January. In late March, we received a mortality signal from a GPS-collared deer and found the carcass buried under a pile of leaves on a hillside—a tell tale sign of feline predation. We suspected it was likely a bobcat but thought, just possibly, it could be a cougar. So we put up two trail cameras on the cached deer carcass and 4 hours later, two cougar kittens returned to the kill. The entire family showed up that evening and spent hours in front of our cameras. In total, we captured 7.3 hr (435 minutes) of video footage of these animals. We will share more footage soon! Huge thanks to the Minnesota Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund for supporting the Voyageurs Wolf Project and the recent effort to understand deer survival in the area. Their support was critical to this observation—without it, we would never have captured this footage. And huge thanks to the >10,600 donors who have supported our project and enabled us to purchase trail cameras supplies. The cameras (and batteries, SD cards, mounts) we set at this kill were purchased with funds from donations.

Without a doubt, our best trail camera capture yet: the first documented observation of a cougar with kittens in Minnesota in modern history. Turn up the volume to hear all the vocalizations. The footage, which was captured on March 25, shows a cougar with 3 large kittens while they feed on a deer they killed just south of Voyageurs National Park. We captured this surreal footage because we started a study to understand the survival and mortality patterns of deer in our area this winter. As part of that work, we GPS-collared several deer in the area in January. In late March, we received a mortality signal from a GPS-collared deer and found the carcass buried under a pile of leaves on a hillside—a tell tale sign of feline predation. We suspected it was likely a bobcat but thought, just possibly, it could be a cougar. So we put up two trail cameras on the cached deer carcass and 4 hours later, two cougar kittens returned to the kill. The entire family showed up that evening and spent hours in front of our cameras. In total, we captured 7.3 hr (435 minutes) of video footage of these animals. We will share more footage soon! Huge thanks to the Minnesota Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund for supporting the Voyageurs Wolf Project and the recent effort to understand deer survival in the area. Their support was critical to this observation—without it, we would never have captured this footage. And huge thanks to the >10,600 donors who have supported our project and enabled us to purchase trail cameras supplies. The cameras (and batteries, SD cards, mounts) we set at this kill were purchased with funds from donations.

Voyageurs Wolf Project

1,094,694 views • 6 months ago

The summer side of life: 400 cameras, one wild place, lots of cool moments.

The summer side of life: 400 cameras, one wild place, lots of cool moments.

Voyageurs Wolf Project

101,477 views • 22 days ago

In all our years of research, there was one behavior we could never observe, one event we just couldn’t capture on camera, our 'white whale' you might say. But after years of meticulous preparation and planning. studying footage, reading animal tracks and sign, and becoming one with the forest, we have finally captured that which we sought: raccoons doing it. And we did not just get a glimpse—we captured a whopping 101 minutes of unfettered copulation spread across 3 days. Well, take that back, there was, what appeared to be, a 3rd wheel that interrupted some lovemaking on a beautiful sunny March day. But now that we think about it, it is more likely a youngster that walked in on its parents and is now scarred for life by what it saw. But this pair did not let that interruption deter them, they just did it for 66 minutes straight a few days later. The life of a raccoon...

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In all our years of research, there was one behavior we could never observe, one event we just couldn’t capture on camera, our 'white whale' you might say. But after years of meticulous preparation and planning. studying footage, reading animal tracks and sign, and becoming one with the forest, we have finally captured that which we sought: raccoons doing it. And we did not just get a glimpse—we captured a whopping 101 minutes of unfettered copulation spread across 3 days. Well, take that back, there was, what appeared to be, a 3rd wheel that interrupted some lovemaking on a beautiful sunny March day. But now that we think about it, it is more likely a youngster that walked in on its parents and is now scarred for life by what it saw. But this pair did not let that interruption deter them, they just did it for 66 minutes straight a few days later. The life of a raccoon...

Voyageurs Wolf Project

937,696 views • 10 months ago

Last fall, we documented the first lynx kittens (a mom and two kittens) ever observed in Voyageurs National Park. And our footage from last winter indicates the two kittens likely survived to their first birthday! The footage here shows three observations of the trio in November 2025, February 2026, and the last day of March 2026. So turns out, based on this, that lynx can successfully rear kittens in the park after all…something biologists weren’t certain about for many years. Although lynx have been observed/documented in the park sporadically for several decades, there has never been evidence of kittens in the park (i.e., a breeding population of lynx). As a result, most lynx in and around Voyageurs are likely transitory individuals roaming large area. From 2000 to 2004, biologists with the National Park Service made a concerted effort to study lynx in the park. They only documented the presence of one male and one female, and concluded “lynx were either transient or present at a low density”. Another study from 2007-2008 in and around Voyageurs National Park using trail cameras and snow tracking did not detect the presence of lynx. However, they noted that there were some sightings of lynx outside of the park with one unconfirmed report of a female lynx with a kitten observed to the west of the park. The researchers concluded that “even though patches of high-density snowshoe hare habitat exist in the Voyageurs National Park area, the low density of snowshoe hares at the landscape level would not support resident lynx”. Based on this research and some subsequent work, researchers with the park concluded in 2015 “it does not appear that there are currently resident lynx”. In fact, the researchers in 2012 concluded: ‘only three confirmed observations of adult lynx have occurred within the boundaries of VNP since 2001”. Obviously, studying these elusive animals in places like Voyageurs has historically been difficult because trail camera technology was not what it is today (or did not exist). Skip forward to today: we now routinely get numerous observations of lynx each year in Voyageurs National Park as well as outside the park. Many observations are likely of the same few individuals wandering around, though, based on physical appearances, it seems we are capturing observations of more than 1 or 2 lynx. Nonetheless, this observation of a lynx with two kittens shows that lynx can reproduce in this area, though such occurrences are likely rare. One observation of reproduction is not evidence of a self-sustaining resident population but it suggests it might be possible.

Last fall, we documented the first lynx kittens (a mom and two kittens) ever observed in Voyageurs National Park. And our footage from last winter indicates the two kittens likely survived to their first birthday! The footage here shows three observations of the trio in November 2025, February 2026, and the last day of March 2026. So turns out, based on this, that lynx can successfully rear kittens in the park after all…something biologists weren’t certain about for many years. Although lynx have been observed/documented in the park sporadically for several decades, there has never been evidence of kittens in the park (i.e., a breeding population of lynx). As a result, most lynx in and around Voyageurs are likely transitory individuals roaming large area. From 2000 to 2004, biologists with the National Park Service made a concerted effort to study lynx in the park. They only documented the presence of one male and one female, and concluded “lynx were either transient or present at a low density”. Another study from 2007-2008 in and around Voyageurs National Park using trail cameras and snow tracking did not detect the presence of lynx. However, they noted that there were some sightings of lynx outside of the park with one unconfirmed report of a female lynx with a kitten observed to the west of the park. The researchers concluded that “even though patches of high-density snowshoe hare habitat exist in the Voyageurs National Park area, the low density of snowshoe hares at the landscape level would not support resident lynx”. Based on this research and some subsequent work, researchers with the park concluded in 2015 “it does not appear that there are currently resident lynx”. In fact, the researchers in 2012 concluded: ‘only three confirmed observations of adult lynx have occurred within the boundaries of VNP since 2001”. Obviously, studying these elusive animals in places like Voyageurs has historically been difficult because trail camera technology was not what it is today (or did not exist). Skip forward to today: we now routinely get numerous observations of lynx each year in Voyageurs National Park as well as outside the park. Many observations are likely of the same few individuals wandering around, though, based on physical appearances, it seems we are capturing observations of more than 1 or 2 lynx. Nonetheless, this observation of a lynx with two kittens shows that lynx can reproduce in this area, though such occurrences are likely rare. One observation of reproduction is not evidence of a self-sustaining resident population but it suggests it might be possible.

Voyageurs Wolf Project

37,714 views • 15 days ago

From early May: cougar grooming himself after feeding on a GPS-collared deer he killed. We have routinely captured this male on camera over the past 3 months now suggesting he has taken up residency in the area and is occupying a territory (i.e., not wandering like dispersing males typically do). Note: we have had folks ask to see more of the footage we have captured of cougars over the past few months so we will try to share more footage in the coming weeks. We captured many hours of footage at the kill where we documented the female with 3 kittens as well as at the kill in early May by this male. In addition, we have captured many videos of this male over the past few months just walking down roads and trails. All this to say, more footage to come! Huge thanks to the Minnesota Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund for supporting the Voyageurs Wolf Project and the recent effort to understand deer survival in the area. Their support was critical to this observation—without it, we would never have captured this footage. And huge thanks to the >10,600 donors who have supported our project and enabled us to purchase trail cameras supplies. The cameras (and batteries, SD cards, mounts) we set at this kill were purchased with funds from donations.

From early May: cougar grooming himself after feeding on a GPS-collared deer he killed. We have routinely captured this male on camera over the past 3 months now suggesting he has taken up residency in the area and is occupying a territory (i.e., not wandering like dispersing males typically do). Note: we have had folks ask to see more of the footage we have captured of cougars over the past few months so we will try to share more footage in the coming weeks. We captured many hours of footage at the kill where we documented the female with 3 kittens as well as at the kill in early May by this male. In addition, we have captured many videos of this male over the past few months just walking down roads and trails. All this to say, more footage to come! Huge thanks to the Minnesota Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund for supporting the Voyageurs Wolf Project and the recent effort to understand deer survival in the area. Their support was critical to this observation—without it, we would never have captured this footage. And huge thanks to the >10,600 donors who have supported our project and enabled us to purchase trail cameras supplies. The cameras (and batteries, SD cards, mounts) we set at this kill were purchased with funds from donations.

Voyageurs Wolf Project

164,558 views • 4 months ago

Don’t be deceived! This wolf used its good looks and cute behavior to move in close, and then just when its victim had let down its guard, the wolf launched a vicious and merciless attack. Luckily, this victim is a survivor and only sustained some flesh wounds...nothing a little bit of plastic surgery can’t fix.

Don’t be deceived! This wolf used its good looks and cute behavior to move in close, and then just when its victim had let down its guard, the wolf launched a vicious and merciless attack. Luckily, this victim is a survivor and only sustained some flesh wounds...nothing a little bit of plastic surgery can’t fix.

Voyageurs Wolf Project

235,019 views • 8 months ago

Highlights from a year at the intersection of a remote hiking trail and a deer trail.

Highlights from a year at the intersection of a remote hiking trail and a deer trail.

Voyageurs Wolf Project

199,182 views • 7 months ago

Montage from an old logging road last summer that was used by many animals, including one fox who seemed fairly adept at catching snowshoe hares!

Montage from an old logging road last summer that was used by many animals, including one fox who seemed fairly adept at catching snowshoe hares!

Voyageurs Wolf Project

107,824 views • 3 months ago

Probably one of the coolest moments we have had in the field…stumbling upon wolf pups sleeping at the entrance of their den which was a huge old beaver lodge. On this particular day in early May, we were searching clusters of GPS-locations from a collared wolf in this pack to find where it had killed prey. The wolf was a subordinate male wolf and had only spent a few hours on the edge of this beaver meadow so we assumed he was just resting here. I.e., there were no indications, based on the wolf’s movements, that this was a den. We hiked along the meadow edge for a bit and as we got close to where the GPS-locations from the wolf were, an uncollared wolf popped up out of the grass by the lodge about 50 meters away and ran into the forest. That seemed far too coincidental…what are the odds that the GPS-collared wolf had been in this spot a few days ago and now, when we arrive there was a different wolf here. As a result, we immediately started to think the lodge could be a den. We approached the lodge and pulled out our phone to record what we observed. We rounded a side of the lodge, approached the entrance, and we found these 4 pups sounds asleep. What a wild few moments. Of course, we thought this was especially interesting, in part, because the wolves were using a massive beaver lodge—i.e.., the home of one of their primary summer prey—as a den to raise their pups, which then would go onto to hunt and kill beavers as adults.

Probably one of the coolest moments we have had in the field…stumbling upon wolf pups sleeping at the entrance of their den which was a huge old beaver lodge. On this particular day in early May, we were searching clusters of GPS-locations from a collared wolf in this pack to find where it had killed prey. The wolf was a subordinate male wolf and had only spent a few hours on the edge of this beaver meadow so we assumed he was just resting here. I.e., there were no indications, based on the wolf’s movements, that this was a den. We hiked along the meadow edge for a bit and as we got close to where the GPS-locations from the wolf were, an uncollared wolf popped up out of the grass by the lodge about 50 meters away and ran into the forest. That seemed far too coincidental…what are the odds that the GPS-collared wolf had been in this spot a few days ago and now, when we arrive there was a different wolf here. As a result, we immediately started to think the lodge could be a den. We approached the lodge and pulled out our phone to record what we observed. We rounded a side of the lodge, approached the entrance, and we found these 4 pups sounds asleep. What a wild few moments. Of course, we thought this was especially interesting, in part, because the wolves were using a massive beaver lodge—i.e.., the home of one of their primary summer prey—as a den to raise their pups, which then would go onto to hunt and kill beavers as adults.

Voyageurs Wolf Project

237,280 views • 9 months ago

Neat footage of a black wolf, a fairly rare observation in our area where 98-99% of wolves are gray. We actually collared this wolf (now dubbed Wolf G11E) later in the summer, the first black wolf we ever collared on our project. As we knew when we collared him, G11E was not part of a pack but rather a lone wolf wandering around, which is pretty common for 1-2 year old males like G11E.

Neat footage of a black wolf, a fairly rare observation in our area where 98-99% of wolves are gray. We actually collared this wolf (now dubbed Wolf G11E) later in the summer, the first black wolf we ever collared on our project. As we knew when we collared him, G11E was not part of a pack but rather a lone wolf wandering around, which is pretty common for 1-2 year old males like G11E.

Voyageurs Wolf Project

148,549 views • 6 months ago

We put a camera here over a year ago, unsure if it would be a good spot. Always lots of trial and error with cameras when trying to find good spots where wolves like to travel. But, it was a beautiful setting in some conifers along a small creek and we figured wolves would likely would travel through this more open terrain along the creek. Turns out, this was a pretty good spot. And it wasn’t just wolves that used this scenic stretch of forest as you can see. In total, we have captured more than 1,500 videos of wildlife on this camera in the past year or so (8.3 hours of footage). Most videos are of snowshoe hares and deer but wolves (the Half-Moon Pack) cruise through the area periodically as do most of the other forest predators. This 3 minute video is just a highlight reel of some of the most interesting footage. Big thanks to the Minnesota Environment and Natural Resource Trust Fund for their continued support of our work. That support allows us to share this footage and our findings with millions of people each year!

We put a camera here over a year ago, unsure if it would be a good spot. Always lots of trial and error with cameras when trying to find good spots where wolves like to travel. But, it was a beautiful setting in some conifers along a small creek and we figured wolves would likely would travel through this more open terrain along the creek. Turns out, this was a pretty good spot. And it wasn’t just wolves that used this scenic stretch of forest as you can see. In total, we have captured more than 1,500 videos of wildlife on this camera in the past year or so (8.3 hours of footage). Most videos are of snowshoe hares and deer but wolves (the Half-Moon Pack) cruise through the area periodically as do most of the other forest predators. This 3 minute video is just a highlight reel of some of the most interesting footage. Big thanks to the Minnesota Environment and Natural Resource Trust Fund for their continued support of our work. That support allows us to share this footage and our findings with millions of people each year!

Voyageurs Wolf Project

238,512 views • 11 months ago

The Blackstone Pack really liked our cameras this winter…

The Blackstone Pack really liked our cameras this winter…

Voyageurs Wolf Project

68,737 views • 2 months ago

Some ethereal footage from this summer. This wolf is a lone wolf passing through the area as there are no black wolves in the 19 packs in the Greater Voyageurs Ecosystem, which is not atypical. There have not been any black wolves in any packs in the area for over a decade. Although resident black wolves in our area are rare, we do generally document 1 or 2 transient lone black wolves passing through every year.

Some ethereal footage from this summer. This wolf is a lone wolf passing through the area as there are no black wolves in the 19 packs in the Greater Voyageurs Ecosystem, which is not atypical. There have not been any black wolves in any packs in the area for over a decade. Although resident black wolves in our area are rare, we do generally document 1 or 2 transient lone black wolves passing through every year.

Voyageurs Wolf Project

55,398 views • 2 months ago

Some incredible footage of two wolves killing a beaver this April in Estonia. Now, you might be wondering: why on earth are we sharing a video captured more than 4,000 miles away on a different continent? The reason is to illustrate that beavers are important prey for wolves in a variety of ecosystems across the Northern Hemisphere. When we share our research on wolf-beaver interactions, folks sometimes think wolves hunting beavers is a unique quirk of the wolves in our area, not something that happens in many other areas. But the reality is, across large expanses of North America and Europe, beavers are important prey. For instance, studies have found that beavers constituted a substantial portion of the diets of wolves in many areas including Poland, Latvia, Lithuania, Belarus, Northwest Territories, Alberta, Manitoba, British Columbia, Quebec, Ontario, and Alaska. Obviously, the extent to which wolves rely on hunting and killing beavers likely depends on many factors such as the size of beaver populations and other prey populations. However, the lack of research on the topic leaves the question unanswered. Indeed, the relationship between wolves and beavers has received very little attention because it is a difficult relationship to study, and because most wolf-prey studies focus on how wolves hunt, kill, and impact socially-important ungulate species like moose, deer, elk, and caribou. For more than a decade, a large focus of our research has been to understand the complex and fascinating relationship between wolves and beavers. Such work is without a doubt the most intensive research ever undertaken on this predator-prey relationship. Although our work has provided many insights, we have many questions to answer still, some that will take many more years to answer. The answers to these questions are not just relevant to our small little corner of Minnesota, but to a large swath of the northern hemisphere where wolves hunt and kill beavers routinely. To continue this research, we need donor support because donors are one of our biggest sources of funding. If you value this kind of research and want it to continue, please make a donation here: Lastly, huge thanks to Janek Joab who captured this incredible footage and allowed us to share it on our social media. Absolutely incredible stuff!

Some incredible footage of two wolves killing a beaver this April in Estonia. Now, you might be wondering: why on earth are we sharing a video captured more than 4,000 miles away on a different continent? The reason is to illustrate that beavers are important prey for wolves in a variety of ecosystems across the Northern Hemisphere. When we share our research on wolf-beaver interactions, folks sometimes think wolves hunting beavers is a unique quirk of the wolves in our area, not something that happens in many other areas. But the reality is, across large expanses of North America and Europe, beavers are important prey. For instance, studies have found that beavers constituted a substantial portion of the diets of wolves in many areas including Poland, Latvia, Lithuania, Belarus, Northwest Territories, Alberta, Manitoba, British Columbia, Quebec, Ontario, and Alaska. Obviously, the extent to which wolves rely on hunting and killing beavers likely depends on many factors such as the size of beaver populations and other prey populations. However, the lack of research on the topic leaves the question unanswered. Indeed, the relationship between wolves and beavers has received very little attention because it is a difficult relationship to study, and because most wolf-prey studies focus on how wolves hunt, kill, and impact socially-important ungulate species like moose, deer, elk, and caribou. For more than a decade, a large focus of our research has been to understand the complex and fascinating relationship between wolves and beavers. Such work is without a doubt the most intensive research ever undertaken on this predator-prey relationship. Although our work has provided many insights, we have many questions to answer still, some that will take many more years to answer. The answers to these questions are not just relevant to our small little corner of Minnesota, but to a large swath of the northern hemisphere where wolves hunt and kill beavers routinely. To continue this research, we need donor support because donors are one of our biggest sources of funding. If you value this kind of research and want it to continue, please make a donation here: Lastly, huge thanks to Janek Joab who captured this incredible footage and allowed us to share it on our social media. Absolutely incredible stuff!

Voyageurs Wolf Project

96,002 views • 4 months ago

Absolutely incredible trail camera capture of a coyote attacking a beaver in Connecticut. You might be wondering: “You study wolves in Minnesota, why are you posting this video from Connecticut?” The reason is because this footage illustrates why beavers are important prey for wolves in many forested areas but not coyotes…even though coyotes inhabit many areas with quite a few beavers. Why is that? The coyote tries for several minutes to kill this beaver but the beaver ultimately escapes. Unfortunately, the video was not captured on video but the beaver with his bloodied tail is on the trail only an hour after being attacked. Ultimately, this beaver is almost as large as the coyote and the coyote struggles to really move the beaver at will because of the beaver's size and strength. The coyote bites the beaver's tail repeatedly but virtually never lands a blow to the beaver's muscular body. Coyotes, unlike wolves, simply do not have the strength and size to routinely kill beavers, especially large adult beavers. Wolves, on the other hand, not only have the strength to yank beavers around but they also have the bite strength to grab the beavers body and deliver crushing blows. Killing beavers is harder than it seems because beavers have no obvious neck or easy place for a predator to latch one. They are just one large furry football-shaped hunk of muscle, which complicate the logistics of killing them with one’s mouth, especially for smaller predators like coyotes. Of course, coyotes and other small predators do occasionally kill beavers, especially smaller beavers, but it is not a common occurrence, and there is little evidence that beavers constitute a large portion of coyote diets. We want to extend our sincere thanks to the Traprock Ridge Land Conservancy in Connecticut for reaching out to us and sharing this incredible footage they captured. And big thanks to them for letting us share the footage with everyone here. Capturing an encounter like this on video is one in a million!

Absolutely incredible trail camera capture of a coyote attacking a beaver in Connecticut. You might be wondering: “You study wolves in Minnesota, why are you posting this video from Connecticut?” The reason is because this footage illustrates why beavers are important prey for wolves in many forested areas but not coyotes…even though coyotes inhabit many areas with quite a few beavers. Why is that? The coyote tries for several minutes to kill this beaver but the beaver ultimately escapes. Unfortunately, the video was not captured on video but the beaver with his bloodied tail is on the trail only an hour after being attacked. Ultimately, this beaver is almost as large as the coyote and the coyote struggles to really move the beaver at will because of the beaver's size and strength. The coyote bites the beaver's tail repeatedly but virtually never lands a blow to the beaver's muscular body. Coyotes, unlike wolves, simply do not have the strength and size to routinely kill beavers, especially large adult beavers. Wolves, on the other hand, not only have the strength to yank beavers around but they also have the bite strength to grab the beavers body and deliver crushing blows. Killing beavers is harder than it seems because beavers have no obvious neck or easy place for a predator to latch one. They are just one large furry football-shaped hunk of muscle, which complicate the logistics of killing them with one’s mouth, especially for smaller predators like coyotes. Of course, coyotes and other small predators do occasionally kill beavers, especially smaller beavers, but it is not a common occurrence, and there is little evidence that beavers constitute a large portion of coyote diets. We want to extend our sincere thanks to the Traprock Ridge Land Conservancy in Connecticut for reaching out to us and sharing this incredible footage they captured. And big thanks to them for letting us share the footage with everyone here. Capturing an encounter like this on video is one in a million!

Voyageurs Wolf Project

122,172 views • 6 months ago

This old, moss-covered log was a popular place in the fall! The allure of the log caused some bears to temporarily lose their minds and the log paid the price for it! The wolves and some other forest critters were not too far behind the bears! At one point, a bear thought about making a very naughty decision with our trail camera, but amazingly, the bear showed incredible restraint and maturity. In fact, it is plain to see that the bear, upon approaching our camera, entered a deep state of introspection, self-reflection, and clarity, during which the bear realized it needed to turn away from its former destructive habits and enter into a new life of peace and pacifism. Very rare behavior for its kind. The wolves in the video are the Whiskey Point Pack. The one missing part of its ear is the breeding female and the other one scent-rolling in the daylight is a subordinate wolf Anyway, we hope this video brightens your day just a smidge!

This old, moss-covered log was a popular place in the fall! The allure of the log caused some bears to temporarily lose their minds and the log paid the price for it! The wolves and some other forest critters were not too far behind the bears! At one point, a bear thought about making a very naughty decision with our trail camera, but amazingly, the bear showed incredible restraint and maturity. In fact, it is plain to see that the bear, upon approaching our camera, entered a deep state of introspection, self-reflection, and clarity, during which the bear realized it needed to turn away from its former destructive habits and enter into a new life of peace and pacifism. Very rare behavior for its kind. The wolves in the video are the Whiskey Point Pack. The one missing part of its ear is the breeding female and the other one scent-rolling in the daylight is a subordinate wolf Anyway, we hope this video brightens your day just a smidge!

Voyageurs Wolf Project

398,138 views • 2 years ago

Swapped an SD card on Saturday and realized we got some dynamite footage of the Nashata Pack! Here is a snippet for some Monday morning zen…enjoy a few moments of a couple wolves being wolves in a snowstorm!

Swapped an SD card on Saturday and realized we got some dynamite footage of the Nashata Pack! Here is a snippet for some Monday morning zen…enjoy a few moments of a couple wolves being wolves in a snowstorm!

Voyageurs Wolf Project

509,413 views • 3 years ago

Time has taken its toll on this old lone wolf who has wandered our area by himself for the past 3 years (footage from this past winter). He looks battered and weather from an intense and rugged lifestyle. Aside from just being old, the wolf has a significant limp because he is missing his two front right toes. You can see this in the first sequence well.We don’t know how that injury happened. How a wolf in this condition survives year after year is certainly intriguing. In particular, how he keeps himself fed is fascinating because it is hard to imagine him chasing down deer by himself but possible he is capable of it. We suspect he is likely an expert scavenger, finding morsels of food here and there, but can a wolf like this persist just by scavenging all year? More specifically, is there enough food lying around on the forest floor year round for a wolf to exist solely on scavenging? Seems hard to imagine but perhaps. Anyway, many years ago, we captured this wolf on camera once or twice when he was part of a pack that lived just outside of our study area. The pack made a few forays into our area which is when we observed him. At that time, the wolf was in his prime, though he still had the distinctive largely white face, and appeared to be the breeding male of that pack. But such times would not last for this fella. And now after many years on his own, it seems this wolf likely doesn’t have many years left. "Time the conqueror", as Jackson Browne put it, has taken its toll.

Time has taken its toll on this old lone wolf who has wandered our area by himself for the past 3 years (footage from this past winter). He looks battered and weather from an intense and rugged lifestyle. Aside from just being old, the wolf has a significant limp because he is missing his two front right toes. You can see this in the first sequence well.We don’t know how that injury happened. How a wolf in this condition survives year after year is certainly intriguing. In particular, how he keeps himself fed is fascinating because it is hard to imagine him chasing down deer by himself but possible he is capable of it. We suspect he is likely an expert scavenger, finding morsels of food here and there, but can a wolf like this persist just by scavenging all year? More specifically, is there enough food lying around on the forest floor year round for a wolf to exist solely on scavenging? Seems hard to imagine but perhaps. Anyway, many years ago, we captured this wolf on camera once or twice when he was part of a pack that lived just outside of our study area. The pack made a few forays into our area which is when we observed him. At that time, the wolf was in his prime, though he still had the distinctive largely white face, and appeared to be the breeding male of that pack. But such times would not last for this fella. And now after many years on his own, it seems this wolf likely doesn’t have many years left. "Time the conqueror", as Jackson Browne put it, has taken its toll.

Voyageurs Wolf Project

36,316 views • 2 months ago