GRAY WOLF

Wolves are voracious carnivores and in some cases, have shown to drastically reduce ungulate populations.

The gray wolf (Canis lupus), also known as the timber wolf, prefers the open tundra and forests of British Columbia. Although they once inhabited most of North America, distribution now occurs in only Alaska, Canada, and parts of the U.S.A.

In general appearance, the species resembles a large domestic dog, but has longer legs, larger feet, a narrower chest, and a straight tail. The fur is thick, with an outer layer composed of coarse guard hairs, below which a soft undercoat is present. The coat undergoes an annual moult in late spring, with a short summer coat growing simultaneously, which continues to develop into a winter coat in the autumn and winter. The most common coat colour is gray flecked with black, with lighter underparts, but individuals and populations also occur that are red, brown, black, or almost pure white. The gray wolf’s sensitive ears and nose help it to track down prey, while the long legs enable it to make high-speed, lengthy pursuits.

Wolves are voracious carnivores and in some cases, have shown to drastically reduce ungulate populations. Wolves prey on moose, caribou, sheep, deer, beaver, goat, and elk. Some studies have estimated that each wolf will kill nine moose per year.

Gray wolves are social animals, living and hunting in packs of 2-12. A typical pack is composed of an alpha male and an alpha female (the pack leaders), their pups, and several subordinate or juvenile wolves. The pack members exhibit close relationships and communicate with each other with a range of sounds including barks, whines, growls, and howls.

Gray wolves are the largest of all canines. At 60-90 cm (2-3 ft.) at the shoulder and 1.5 m (4.5-6.5 ft.) in length, gray wolves vary in weight from 25-60 kg (55-130 lb.) In general, gray wolves’ size and weight increase the further north they reside.

Gray Wolf

Species to Hunt in BC

ROCKY MOUNTAIN BIGHORN SHEEP

In late summer and autumn, bighorn sheep have a brown coat with a contrasting ivory-white rump patch, a white muzzle and white trim on the

MOUNTAIN GOAT

Mountain goats have the thickest and longest pelage of any North American ungulate aside from the muskox. Despite its name a mountain goat (Oreamnos americanus)

Moose

CANADA MOOSE

Moose are herbivores that need to eat up to 20 kg of vegetation a day to fuel their nearly 10,000 calorie diets. In North America,

Whitetail Deer

WHITE-TAILED DEER

White-tailed deer are tan or reddish-brown in the summer, and grayish-brown in the winter. The white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virignianus) is the most widely distributed of

North American Bison

NORTH AMERICAN BISON

Bison can weigh more than a ton and stand up to 2 meters tall. Bison (Bison bison), also known as buffalo, are very large animals

Cougar or Mountain Lion

COUGAR (MOUNTAIN LION)

The cougar mainly preys on deer, but may also prey on bighorn sheep, mountain goats, elk, moose, beaver, porcupine, mice, rabbits and birds. Cougars (Felis

Caribou in BC

MOUNTAIN CARIBOU

Mountain caribou live in areas where the snow is too deep to dig through and eat the tree lichen of old forest growth for eight

California Bighorn Sheep

CALIFORNIA BIGHORN SHEEP

The horns of a California bighorn have more of an outward flare than those of the Rocky Mountain bighorn. California bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis sierrae)

Dall's Sheep

DALL’S SHEEP

Dall’s sheep live in parts of the Yukon, Northwest Territories and the extreme northwestern corner of BC. Clinging to sheer rock faces or sedately grazing

Stone Sheep

STONE SHEEP

The Stone sheep is somewhat larger and chunkier than the Dall’s sheep, with a larger and relatively wider skull, and heavier, darker-colored horns. A mature

Shiras Moose

SHIRAS MOOSE

This huge animal has very long legs, a large hump on its shoulders, and massive palmate antlers. The Shiras moose (Alces alces shirasi) has the

Mule Deer

MULE DEER

Mule deer are brownish-gray in color, have a white rump patch, and a small white tail with a black tip. Mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) are

Black Bear

BLACK BEAR

Black bears can be distinguished from grizzlies by their facial profiles, shoulders, smaller size and shorter claws. Black bears (Ursus americanus) are the most widely

Roosevelt Elk

ROOSEVELT ELK

Roosevelt elk meat is leaner and higher in protein than both chicken and beef. Of the four subspecies of elk found in North America, two

Black Tailed Deer

BLACK-TAILED DEER

Black-tailed deer occur along the entire coast of British Columbia Black-tailed deer are a smaller subspecies of mule deer. Their coat is slightly darker in

Alaska Yukon Moose

ALASKA YUKON MOOSE

The largest sized antlers are usually produced when bulls are 10 – 12 years old, but bulls can reach trophy size as young as 6

Other Species to Hunt in BC

Wolverine

WOLVERINE

Wolverines are fierce animals. They have strong, sharp teeth and semi-retractable claws that they use for digging, climbing and scaring away predators. The wolverine (Gulo

Gray Wolf

GRAY WOLF

Wolves are voracious carnivores and in some cases, have shown to drastically reduce ungulate populations. The gray wolf (Canis lupus), also known as the timber

Canada Lynx

CANADA LYNX

A lynx’s diet is primarily made up of snowshoe hare, but it will also consume squirrels, grouse and other rodents. The range of Canada lynx

Bobcat

BOBCAT

Bobcats will hunt squirrels, rats, mice, voles, beavers and nesting birds, but they prefer rabbit. The bobcat (Felis rufus) occupies open coniferous and deciduous forests,