Lloyd Speck of Grand Marais was headed up the Gunflint Trail to his cabin on Greenwood Lake on Wednesday morning, January 19, when he got a call from his mother, Anna Speck, age 84, that a black animal was lying on her doorstep.
“She didn’t know what it was. Only that it was big and she thought it might be dead,” Speck said.
“I wasn’t too far up the Trail, and it was still early, about 8:30 a.m., so I turned around and headed for her house. When I got there, Julie Collman
Cook County Sheriff Deputy] pulled in right behind me. I got out of my vehicle and Julie got out of her car and we started to walk toward the house when this black wolf stood up. It had been sleeping, pressed against my mom’s door. It just looked at us and sauntered over to the edge of the deck. I told Julie to shoot it, but she said she couldn’t. She called the game warden, Darin Fagerman, and told him about the wolf.”
According to Collman, “Anna called the Law Enforcement Center regarding an animal on her deck. She stated the animal had knocked down her bird feeders and had bedded down on her deck and was shivering. I asked Anna if she knew what kind of animal it was, and she said she was afraid to look.
“I drove to the Speck’s residence on County Road 7. Lloyd pulled in the driveway just ahead of me. I pulled up to the deck and observed a black animal lying near the front door on a doormat. I got out of my squad car, and the animal stood up. It was a fully-grown, black timber wolf.
“The wolf stood up and walked to the front of the deck, turned away from us and jumped off the deck into the snow and retreated into the woods. The wolf appeared to be old and malnourished. It did not appear to have mange, unless in the early stages as it had most of its coat intact.
“Lloyd asked me if I was going to shoot the wolf. I told him no, and that I would be calling a conservation officer to make that decision. I told him that if the wolf had acted aggressively towards a human or domestic animal, then I might have shot it. This particular wolf showed no aggression and retreated into the woods when I arrived. When I went to the deck, I noticed there were some pieces of suet and frozen food on the deck. I told Anna the wolf apparently smelled the food left out and came in for an easy meal,” said Collman.
Speck wondered if this animal is the same one that scared a teenage girl on Pincushion Mountain Trails in August. A young woman reported to police that large black dog had attacked her while she was hiking in the Pincushion area. No one else reported seeing a wild dog and there wasn’t a report of any lost dogs in the area at the time. Pincushion Trails are not far from Anna Speck’s house.
This black wolf, said Speck, could be mistaken for a large dog,
Conservation Officer Fagerman arrived on the scene within one hour of Collman’s call, strapped on his snowshoes and began tracking the wolf. He had several good looks at the animal, but decided it wasn’t a threat, and decided that the animal, while old, appeared to be strong enough to let nature take its course.
“Here in Cook County, the reality is that some of our neighbors are wild animals. Until very recently, the entire county was prime wolf habitat. Now there are many people living in so many places that there are bound to be some human/ wolf encounters. Although people have little reason to fear for their own safety, it makes sense to take extra precautions to safeguard dogs and other domestic animals, and to consider our own actions,” said Deputy Collman, adding,” The joy of feeding birds, for instance, carries some risk. We may be inviting wildlife that isn’t as welcome as chickadee and grosbeaks. It’s smart to make sure food and garbage is not accessible to wildlife. Pick up apples off the ground in the fall. All these things will increase your chances of avoiding an unwelcome human/wildlife encounter.”
According to Collman, “Anna Speck’s encounter was very unusual but other Cook County residents have had somewhat similar experiences.
“What some people may perceive to be threatening, others might see as a rare and very special experience.” Rule of thumb
“Here is a rule of thumb to keep in mind if unusual circumstances or the temperament of an individual animal puts you in close contact with a wolf (or other wild animal): these animals may act in ways we don’t expect. Respect them by keeping your distance. If they are uncomfortably close, shouting and otherwise acting assertive should cause them to retreat. Feeding them isn’t a good idea.
“Wolves are currently under federal protection because they have been displaced from most of their original habitat, and what they have left continues to shrink. What we try for in Cook County, one of the last places with a healthy wolf population, is a peaceful coexistence. By law, wolves cannot be shot unless they pose a clear and immediate threat to humans,” said Collman.
Any threatening behavior by a wild animal should be reported to the Cook County Sheriff ’s Office (218) 387-3030 or to a local conservation officer.
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