10/14/2026
It’s another Wildlife Wednesday and we’re gonna have a howling good time today! We really are! I’m not just crying wolf about this. Halloween is rapidly approaching so you’ll soon be seeing a spooky selection of vampires, ghosts, goblins, ghouls, and, of course, werewolves, knocking at your front door! The little werewolves that come to your door requesting candy are pretty darn cute. However, these days, if you’re exploring in some of California’s wild areas, you might encounter a REAL wolf, even if there’s no full moon! Although it might send shivers down your spine, don’t worry. Unlike Hollywood werewolves, California's wolves aren't interested in eating you. They're much more interested in eating deer. So, for today’s Wildlife Wednesday, let’s meet a true ghost of California’s past and let’s get to know the gray wolf!
Gray wolves, aka Canis lupus, roamed California for thousands of years before European settlement. The wolves historically inhabiting much of California are generally associated with the Rocky Mountain gray wolf, although the exact subspecies identities and historical boundaries remain uncertain. Sadly, these wolves were systematically exterminated through hunting, trapping, poisoning, and predator-control campaigns. The last documented wild wolf in California was killed in Lassen County in 1924. Wolves were gone in the Golden State.
In December 2011, a radio-collared male wolf named OR-7 wandered south from Oregon into Siskiyou County, becoming California's first confirmed wild wolf in nearly 90 years! Nicknamed "Journey," this adventurous canine eventually returned to Oregon, found a mate, and established the Rogue Pack. Then, in 2015, California's first confirmed modern wolf pack, the Shasta Pack, appeared in Siskiyou County. That pack disappeared, but other wolves continued arriving and establishing territories. California's wolf comeback was officially underway!
Wolf packs are defined as two or more wolves traveling together and using the same area within a given period of time. If monitoring detects wolf reproduction and the use of the same general location within a six-month period, they are defined as a pack. As these packs become established and generate new wolf pups, many of those young wolves need to disperse and establish their own territories. Don’t be concerned if you happen to see some of these young, rebellious wolves visiting a smoke shop. They’re just looking for a pack.
As wolves become more numerous in the state, your chances of seeing one increase. However, if you’ve never seen a wolf before, it might be challenging to know for sure if you’re seeing a wolf or a big coyote. Here are some identification tips that might be helpful.
California's coyotes are small, weighing between 20 and 40 pounds. An adult gray wolf will tip the scales between 60 and 140 pounds, with males being larger than the females. Wolves have longer legs, giving them a disproportionately taller, lankier appearance. Wolves also have massive paws, blockier muzzles, and relatively short, rounded ears. Coyotes are slimmer, with narrow snouts and proportionately larger, pointed ears. Despite their name, gray wolves can be gray, brown, black, cream, or combinations of these colors. Coyotes generally wear grayish-tan coats. So, using fur color alone isn't a reliable way to distinguish between these cunning canids!
If you’re lucky enough to hear the critter you see, that will help with the ID. Wolves produce deep, sustained, resonant howls, while coyotes deliver higher-pitched yips, barks, and wavering howls. Both species have varied vocal repertoires. Now that YOU know how to tell if what you’re seeing is a wolf, do you know what you call a wolf that knows it’s a wolf? Aware-wolf!
According to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW), the state currently has 12 confirmed wolf packs, whose territories occur across Siskiyou, Modoc, Shasta, Tehama, Lassen, Plumas, Sierra, and Tulare counties. For Sacramento-area residents, the closest established pack territories are in Plumas County and the northern Sierra Nevada, including the Grizzly and Diamond packs. In February 2026, a lone, GPS-collared male gray wolf visited the Truckee and Donner Lake areas. Individual dispersing wolves can travel extraordinary distances, with one female traveling over 500 miles from Plumas County to Los Angeles County!
Wolves inhabit forests, mountains, meadows, and open country where prey is plentiful. Deer and elk are important food sources, along with smaller mammals and carrion. Do you know how wolves eat their food? They “wolf it down!” But seriously folks, unfortunately, wolves don't distinguish between wild prey and someone's valuable cattle or sheep. CDFW documented 198 confirmed or probable wolf-caused livestock losses in 2025 alone, following 267 investigations. Ninety losses were attributed to a single pack, the Beyem Seyo Pack!
That's a serious problem for ranchers! Gray wolves are endangered under both California and federal law, making killing one to protect livestock illegal without specific authorization. Ranchers, wildlife officials, and wolf conservation advocates are consequently locked in a contentious debate over protecting wildlife versus protecting livelihoods. Compensation programs and nonlethal deterrents help, but don't eliminate the conflict.
Should hikers be afraid of the Big Bad Wolf? Generally, no! Wild wolves usually avoid humans and there have been no confirmed or reported attacks by wild gray wolves on humans in California since wolves naturally returned to the state. Nevertheless, if you encounter one, don't run! Stand tall, face the animal, make yourself appear large, and slowly back away. If it approaches, shout, wave your arms, and throw objects to scare it away. If you carry bear spray with you when hiking, that would be an effective deterrent if the wolf approaches too closely. Just be sure the wind isn’t blowing back towards you! Be sure to keep your dogs leashed, children close, and never feed wolves or approach pups.
So, next time you're hiking or camping in California's remote mountains, listen carefully. That haunting howl echoing through the forest might not be a Halloween sound effect. It could be a gray wolf, a ghost from California's distant past, returned to reclaim its place in the wilderness!
