Photos: Whitetail Goes Head-to-Head with Wolf in River
It's easy to think of wolves as killing machines and whitetails as their defenseless prey. But in this photo series, a young buck shows us that's not always the case.
John Way from Cornell, Michigan was on his way to cut some firewood last month when he spotted an 8-point whitetail buck standing in the Escanaba River. Living within view of the river, he and his wife, Jodi, routinely see deer crossing the water, but this buck was acting differently than those they normally see. All Photos By: Jodi Way AdvertisementRelated PhotosSUBMIT YOUR PHOTOSADVERTISEMENTAdvertisement |
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Comments (22)
What a set of photos great show of nature at its best. The beast is not always as it seems glad to see we are not the only preditors that find a whitetail a challenge...
The buck appears much faster than the wolf when wading in shallow water. I bet this wolf will learn from this experience and only hunt deer on dry land.
Not ALL hunters are against wolves! This video is awesome...nature in it's finest.
One small wolf...deer wins...two small wolves or one adult wolf...deer loses. The only reason the wolves are making a comeback is because the insurance companies and DNR want them to. Funny that no hunter wants them and license fees largely fund the DNR.
Cool Pics, would have been neat to see in person.
Great photos! Last summer, a doe chased my chocolate lab around our woods a few times. She must have had a fawn nearby. It was so funny to watch!!
Photos are great, but I can't help but wish you could of recorded this. Would of been fun to watch.
You guys are amazing! It would be enough to see it but how you captured the pics. If this is a contest you'd have my vote. Good job. Corinne
That deer did the right thing--hold its ground. Wolves hunt by forcing their prey to run, which the dogs use to force them to the ground using their own momentum. This wolf didn't have much of a chance in the first place, all alone and without backup. Had it been a pack, and this deer would have been toast.
B and Jodi..yous guys are nuts..lol..great pictures and thanks for sharing!
Looks like a younger wolf learning that hunting alone isn't that easy and that wolves hunt in packs for a reason.
www.michiganwolfsightings.info
its not the big bucks you need to worry about being predated by wolves, it's the fawns, which are the futurity of the herd.
Great photos, and what a neat encounter!
The river confutation reminds me of that old video when the sow grizzly took down that large wounded bull caribou, also in a river.
The caribou attacked the sow, when she got close but the Griz was to strong and killed the bull, in the river.
The meateaters win some and they lose some.
Some days you are the coat rack, other days you are the coat. That day the wolf was the coat.
I have seen bucks fight for dominance before, and they are fearless at times. I once watched two bucks spar, then a third larger buck came in and literally threw the other two bucks around like rag dolls. A large buck is fearsome in rut with a large set of antlers. Very capable of protecting himself from some of the predators. I think this buck did well considering it's size and a lone wolf. A wolf pack would have tired it out with a chase, and ate it.
First: Nice photos Jodi & John, thanks for sharing!
Second: OL nice hype but hardly a buck standing off an attack: Wolf never lowered it's ears or raised it's fur ..... appeared more to be playing than hunting. Had a second wolf arrived .... game over for the buck. Could have watched a deer disembowelled and eaten while still alive. Also, odd to find a buck in the middle of the river at mid day? Was he chased there by the wolf and resting up for the next round? Seems the normal reaction would be to leave as soon as the wolf showed, not just stand there.
Again, nice photos and thanks for sharing!
Wolf , Coyote or spray-painted shepherd the Deer stood his ground....great pictures.
Great use of your new 70-300 mm lens, Jodi. Congrats!
Just one wolf, that's why.
Looks more like a coyote.
Looks like a very small wolf.
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Looks more like a coyote.
Looks like a very small wolf.
Just one wolf, that's why.
Some days you are the coat rack, other days you are the coat. That day the wolf was the coat.
The river confutation reminds me of that old video when the sow grizzly took down that large wounded bull caribou, also in a river.
The caribou attacked the sow, when she got close but the Griz was to strong and killed the bull, in the river.
The meateaters win some and they lose some.
Looks like a younger wolf learning that hunting alone isn't that easy and that wolves hunt in packs for a reason.
www.michiganwolfsightings.info
Not ALL hunters are against wolves! This video is awesome...nature in it's finest.
Great photos, and what a neat encounter!
its not the big bucks you need to worry about being predated by wolves, it's the fawns, which are the futurity of the herd.
You guys are amazing! It would be enough to see it but how you captured the pics. If this is a contest you'd have my vote. Good job. Corinne
Photos are great, but I can't help but wish you could of recorded this. Would of been fun to watch.
Cool Pics, would have been neat to see in person.
Great use of your new 70-300 mm lens, Jodi. Congrats!
Wolf , Coyote or spray-painted shepherd the Deer stood his ground....great pictures.
First: Nice photos Jodi & John, thanks for sharing!
Second: OL nice hype but hardly a buck standing off an attack: Wolf never lowered it's ears or raised it's fur ..... appeared more to be playing than hunting. Had a second wolf arrived .... game over for the buck. Could have watched a deer disembowelled and eaten while still alive. Also, odd to find a buck in the middle of the river at mid day? Was he chased there by the wolf and resting up for the next round? Seems the normal reaction would be to leave as soon as the wolf showed, not just stand there.
Again, nice photos and thanks for sharing!
I have seen bucks fight for dominance before, and they are fearless at times. I once watched two bucks spar, then a third larger buck came in and literally threw the other two bucks around like rag dolls. A large buck is fearsome in rut with a large set of antlers. Very capable of protecting himself from some of the predators. I think this buck did well considering it's size and a lone wolf. A wolf pack would have tired it out with a chase, and ate it.
B and Jodi..yous guys are nuts..lol..great pictures and thanks for sharing!
That deer did the right thing--hold its ground. Wolves hunt by forcing their prey to run, which the dogs use to force them to the ground using their own momentum. This wolf didn't have much of a chance in the first place, all alone and without backup. Had it been a pack, and this deer would have been toast.
One small wolf...deer wins...two small wolves or one adult wolf...deer loses. The only reason the wolves are making a comeback is because the insurance companies and DNR want them to. Funny that no hunter wants them and license fees largely fund the DNR.
The buck appears much faster than the wolf when wading in shallow water. I bet this wolf will learn from this experience and only hunt deer on dry land.
What a set of photos great show of nature at its best. The beast is not always as it seems glad to see we are not the only preditors that find a whitetail a challenge...
Great photos! Last summer, a doe chased my chocolate lab around our woods a few times. She must have had a fawn nearby. It was so funny to watch!!
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