Are there wolves in NH?

yotecaller

yotecaller

New member
I did some last minute calling last Friday so all I had with me was my Crit`R Call standard and my Verminater Tweety.So I started out with the Tweety and then after about 8 minutes I started on the Crit`R call.About 4 minutes later I saw a huge coyote comeing in.I started lip sqeeking and got him in around 50 yards or so and noticed that his tail hung differenty than what I was used to and his face was to fuzzy and large.So I didn`t take the shot because I didn`t know if it was leagle or not.So back to the question-Are there Wolves in NH?
 
Time to come out of the lurking mode for this one. I've been hanging around here for awhile now but this will be my first post. Maybe I can give you some info that will help.

Are there wolves in NH? Maybe is the answer you will get from some, no from others, and Yes if you ask anyone who spends any time in the mountians or the most northern parts of the state.

Here's the deal. The St Lawrence river up in Canada has been the traditional barier that has kept wolves out of New England. Or so they say.

There is some specualtion that wolves have been able to cross the St Lawrence in places where it freezes over, and as such, may have migrated to NH, Maine, NY and Vt. Given the wolfs range, they could be in a lot of places here in NH, but probably not in any great numbers.

There was a move to reintroduce them to NH about 5 or 6 years ago which prompted legislation banning that practice. Now, opperationg on pure speculation again, there are some who believe that there were some wolves released by activist illegally shortly after that time. Who knows? Maybe and maybe not.

The St Lawrence theory is the most prevalant one today. There is at least one group spending a lot of time in the Colebrook area trying to find evidence of wolves up that way.

There was a wolf like animal killed in Maine a few years ago, but I don't have a lot of info on that one.

Personal experiance, well, I have never seen a wolf in NH or Vt. I have seen plenty of tracks that lead me to belive that they are in both states, although I have seen more tracks in Vt than NH. NH just does not have the habitat to support them. The deer numbers are down and the moose numbers are not that great either, no great numbers of snow shoe hares in NH or other small game either. Vt is more likely to have wolves than NH because they have much better habitat for them, but that does not mean that wolves in Vt will not swing into NH, and if they cross the Con. River over ice may even get standed here for a year or so till they can get back across.

My best guess would be that there are wolves in NH, but I could not prove it if I had too. Now ask me about mountain lions. I can prove they are here. Theres a pair that live up in the Sandwich Mountains near the Hall ponds and at least one in the south central part of the state. Lots of them in Vt too.

So yeah, we have a few wolves in NH, and if you got to see one, you are a truely blessed individual.
 
The animal that was shot in Maine was thought to be a coyote. After it was shot, the hunter realized that it was different, and gave it to the state to be looked at. Biologists used microscopes, etc. to identify it as a wolf. The hunter was fined for taking a wolf/not knowing his target.
 
Are there Wolves in NH?

According to the NH Fish & Game a positive no.
So take the shot.

From personal observations and accounts you bet there is.

I've seen wolves in both NH. and Maine.

In NH if I wasn't such a poor pistol shot I'd of had him, or her.( about 125 yds with a colt sa)

In Maine we watched him,her watch us for about 1 min. As soon as I shut the chain saw down to get the rifle from the truck it dissipeared. poof!

There a beautiful aminal and theres no mistaking a coyote for a grown wolf.

But they don't exist here in NH.

JS
 


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