Watch a Yellowstone Hiker Smartly Let a Wolf Have the Trail
In Wyoming, it's the wildlife's world and the rest of us just live in it. That was definitely true in Yellowstone National Park recently as a hiker saw that a wolf was coming down the trail he was on and he respected the right-of-way of the wildlife.
This is another great video share by BE Judson on YouTube who frequently captures neat moments in Yellowstone. Here's how the moment was described:
After chasing an elusive deer a Yellowstone wolf detoured up the valley of the Petrified Tree in Yellowstone National Park. The wolf eventually turns onto a trail where a hiker was approaching. Wisely, I could see the hiker was calmy giving the wolf the trail, and he moved off into the adjacent meadow with his right hand on his bear spray cannister. Unnecessarily, thank goodness:)
Some quick thinking by the hiker helped avoid a potentially not great confrontation.
The part that struck me was the fact that the wolf had just broken off of a potential food source. The one thing you never want to see is a human being between a wild animal and potential prey. Well done to the hiker to just quickly get out of the wolf's way without running and appearing like prey. Very smart.
While the National Park Service recommends keeping a distance of 100 yards between you and wolves, bears and other wildlife, that's not always possible when you get surprised on a trail. This guy did the best he could do in a tight situation.