Junction Butte

A yearling wolf pup bolts through an unkindness of startled ravens in Yellowstone National Park. I found the black wolf feeding on something small just off the road near Slough Creek.

I parked my truck and killed the engine at a pulloff looking down where the wolf was busying itself with its meal. I thought the sighting was going to be an all-timer. The wolf was reasonably close enough for my long lens to capture nice portraits and observe its behavior. But after swallowing the last morsel, the young wolf bolted straight away from me without glancing back once and didn't stop until it disappeared over the far ridge. I couldn't believe my bad luck!

The little wolf was one of six black puppies from last year's litter in the Junction Butte pack. One morning I got to watch the rambunctious siblings play around a distant (very distant) pond.