The sky is clear again this morning, but it’s colder: only 19!

As I cruise through Lamar Canyon, I hear a report that wolves are being seen to the south from Slough. It’s the Mollies again!

I set up in my usual roadside spot and find them low on northern divide ridge, just beyond the line of trees at the river.

They begin to climb upslope. As they pause on skyline I count seven, including 1048M.

As small herd of elk bolts away from them, some to the east and others downhill to the river. Several wolves watch the elk, remaining on skyline for a short while (I guess they are not hungry?). Then they move further east and out of sight.

This day is starting out perfectly! (I had no idea of what was to come)

I turn my scope north and see 907 emerge from the sage den for her water break. The alpha male and a gray are bedded nearby. After 907 finishes her drink, she and the alpha male stroll to the western trees and bed there together there for a short while.

I pretend he is asking how she is, and she is telling him how cute the babies are.

My fantasy is interrupted by another radio report: people at Dorothy’s have spotted the Mollies on Jasper.

What to do?

I am reluctant to leave with 907 in view. She solves my problem by getting up and disappearing back inside the den.

So off I go for another look at the Mollies. I join Gary at Coyote. He has all 10 in view on the west end of Jasper Bench; 6 grays and 4 blacks.

There is a grizzly above them, walking away. Gary says, yes, they were harassing him just before I arrived. He shows me a video of the interaction which is really cool.

The Mollie’s are a very robust pack, well bonded, and the majority are male. But this bear gave as good as he got.

The wolves begin to move northwest, so we relocate to Fisherman’s. They roam the area, sniffing here and there, milling about. Then one by one they settle down to bed.

I go back to Slough. Just as I get set up, Laurie and Dan come by on their way to the airport. We say our farewells and I wish Laurie a quick recovery.

A little later, I see 907 emerge again from the sage den. The alpha male is right there and gives her a feeding. 1479 rises from her nearby bedding spot and comes to see if 907 needs any help eating her breakfast.

907 then travels upslope, all the way to the natal den. She sticks her head in, wagging her tail. I’m a little surprised, because I didn’t know any other wolf was in there.

A black wolf comes out. The black and 907 stand together on the den porch briefly, then both disappear inside. A few minutes later, 907 re-appears, and travels down the bracken hill.

But what’s that in her mouth?

As she moves past the triangle boulder I check again. It sure looks like she’s carrying a tiny black pup.

I check with Rick and Frank and Celia. They all think she’s carrying a pup. But why? And where? I note that 907 does not seem agitated, but calm. She moves straight and sure down to the sage den where she goes inside still carrying the pup.

A minute after she disappears, a black wolf comes quickly out of the natal den and rushes down the slope. This wolf IS agitated. She sniffs and searches the ground, scent trailing the exact route 907 took. About 5 feet above the sage den the black stops, then abruptly turns upslope and returns to the natal den.

This leaves us scratching our heads. Which Junction is this black? How long has she had pups in the natal den? Did she take one of 907’s and 907 fetched it back? Or did 907 just steal one of hers?

About 20 minutes later, 907 again comes out of the sage den, ambles over to the natal den and again stands a while with her head inside, wagging her tail. Again, she disappears inside, and comes out maybe 3-4 minutes later.

This time she has nothing in her mouth.

I wonder what kind of interaction she had with the black wolf inside the natal den?

907 comes down and goes back inside the sage den. Her demeanor remains calm throughout. The alpha male and 1479F stay out of it; they both remain bedded the whole time.

Now a black wolf emerges from natal den and sits on porch. Its too hard to tell if this is the same wolf each time or if there are two. But this animal seems to suggest that she will not let 907 inside again.

I stay another hour here, wondering if this activity will be repeated, but nothing else develops.

There are several black Junctions that are hard to tell apart. None of us is sure if this black had a collar or not. We can pretty much rule out 1477 since she has a GPS collar and those are easiest to see.

The most likely contenders are 1385 or 1386. The former is collared but it is hard to see. The latter USED to have a collar but it was chewed off a while back. From some angles you can see an indentation where her collar used to be. Both wolves have some mottling on them, but 1386 has a little more.

But at this distance, we just didn’t see either wolf long enough to be sure. In addition, we were all pretty sure 1386 denned elsewhere, and not here. But we could be mistaken about that.

It’s another wolf mystery that only time will solve.

The day has warmed considerably to 50 degrees. We are finally getting the kind of May weather we’ve all been hoping for. After yesterday’s brutal wind, I feel we deserve this!

Around 11:30 I go back east for my break. But I stop at Fisherman’s to check on the Mollies. They are still bedded in the same place I saw them last.

I leave Silver Gate around 5, finding the day has turned bright and gorgeous. It’s up to 68 degrees! There are few cars in the valley and I am able to fully enjoy this amazing place.

But when I pull in to Fisherman’s I find the Mollies are no longer where I left them. Someone relates that they moved mid-afternoon to the back of Jasper Bench.

I continue to Slough where I am delighted to find Rick. He rarely comes out in the evenings anymore, but the pup drama this morning has intrigued him. Celia joins us, too, along with her husband, Tom.

We see a black wolf bedded on the porch of the natal den. We all agree this wolf has a collar, but we can’t see it well enough to determine who it is. After a while, this wolf goes inside.

I spot 1478 in the area, wandering up towards 890’s tree. When she gets there we suddenly see more wolves. They are getting up from their naps. I see the alpha male, 1479F and an uncollared black. They gather for a howl and a rally, wagging their tails and nuzzling each other.

907 comes out of the sage den and joins the rally. When it ends, she heads down to the spring for a drink, then returns to the den.

Around 6:30 a black emerges from the natal den. This one looks like the same collared wolf we first saw there. She comes down the bracken hill and gets to within about 5 feet of the sage den, then quickly turns around, heading back uphill.

Suddenly 907 is out of the sage den, chasing the collared black. 907 pounces on the black and pins her forcefully, standing over the black for several long minutes. Every time the black wolf tries to squirm away, 907 re-pins her.

When I describe this later to Laurie, she feels the pinned wolf is likely 1385F. Neither of us knows whether this behavior is related to 907’s moving the pup from the natal den to the sage den or not.

After a long few minutes, 907 finally steps away and the collared black rushes upslope. As she passes 890’s tree, she is greeted far more kindly by the rest of the pack who are still in that spot.

My total count tonight is seven, the highest number of Junctions I’ve seen here in several days. There are five blacks; 1477F, 1479F and presumably 1385F (pinned by 907) plus the alpha male and an uncollared black; two grays; 907F and 1478F.

Once 907 goes back underground, the rest of them settle down.

I am happy to have seen this activity tonight, even though I don’t fully understand it. Celia’s husband Tom has headed back east (they each have their own cars) but I am not ready to call it a night yet.

Celia and I feel that the Mollies are still around, and we also know Krisztina will be coming to the Lamar when she gets off work, around 7:30. So we decide to leave Slough now to give us time to check on the Mollies.

I get to Dorothy’s and first scan the rendezvous. Nothing moving there, so I start to pan Amethyst bench. I find a small herd of bison with their tails up. Wait, there are wolves behind them.

I’ve just found the Mollies.

I radio the others, who are already on their way.

The Mollies soon give up on this herd and pass them by, travelling east at a pretty good clip. We see them frequently lift their heads to sniff the wind.

Rick suggests we move to the Ranch. We pick them up soon in the flats below the bench. One reason it’s so fun to watch Mollies is because the youngsters among them can’t help engaging in play as they go.

Fairly soon we move again to Exclosure Hill.

The wolves have stopped directly south of us and are looking intently east. I scan to the left and see a cow bison slightly apart from her small herd, near the double foothill.

Rick says the cow has just given birth to calf; we can clearly see the afterbirth still dangling from her rear end. The cow happens to be wearing a collar.

The Mollies use the tall sage as cover. They are sharply focused on the cow, dropping into s talking stance. They close in and then suddenly rush forward.

In a split second they grab the calf. A large gray turns and carries it back west while mom bolts east, towards her herd. She is chased for a few steps by several Mollies, but they quickly turn and go back to the big gray with the calf. I can just see their backs and tails above the deep sage.

But then we see the cow bison come charging back!

Eight of the ten Mollies immediately switch their attention to her. They surround her, tearing out chunks of fur and hide. I have never seen a pack of wolves behave this way with a perfectly healthy adult bison. I am shocked at the ferocity of their attack.

I’ve seen Junctions attack weak bison, but they have never seemed as coordinated as these wolves. Soon, the two that initially stayed with the calf now abandon it, fully joining in the attack.

The cow fights back of course, bucking and kicking and wheeling about, trying to butt them with her head. It’s very hard to watch. I can’t help but wanting to rush in to somehow save the cow.

I’ve often seen a bison herd come to the aid of a solo animal under attack, but this cow’s herd stays apart, watching. They seem clearly distressed and frightened for their own lives.

I notice this particular herd seems comprised of mostly young cows and yearlings. I don’t see any older cows among them. Their tails are up but they hesitate to come to her aid.

Finally, they move towards her but are uncoordinated. Several animals find their courage to rush the wolves, and twice I think the cow will manage to escape, but not enough individuals join the courageous ones. They lose their nerve and move off, leaving her vulnerable.

The wolves are relentless, and as awful as it is, it’s also fascinating to see how well they work as a team, each one seemingly unafraid to risk injury, trading off, everyone taking a turn. If one hangs back, it’s only for a moment, to try a new angle.

I am struck by how confident they are as a pack.

The cow goes down and a single wolf moves in, tearing and tugging at her shoulder, but she gets back up. When she turns around, I gasp to see white/pink polka dots of missing hide all over her rear flanks and legs.

The herd is at a loss. They move towards her, then run away again, never giving her cover long enough to escape. Finally, they make what appears to be a smart decision: they edge close to the riverbank, giving the cow one side of “protection” from the wolves.

However the spot on the bank at which they arrive happens to offer a steep, 30-40 foot drop to the water. Still, for a moment, the precipitous edge prevents the wolves from totally surrounding her, offering a measure of protection.

But it’s too little, too late. The wolves remain highly excited, finding new angles to bite and tear at her. The herd spooks once more bolts east, abandoning her.

The cow wants to follow them but when she moves away from the bank, she is suddenly face to face with 1048M. He grabs her by the nose – and literally pulls her down.

The wolves surround her once more.

She manages, somehow, to find her feet once again. She moves back to the edge of the steep bank and stands motionless for a moment. The wolves stop, too.

She steps off and slides down the steep bank all the way to the water.

Several wolves seem to consider sliding down after her. But they quickly think better of it and scramble back up.

1048 stands right at the edge, looking down at her.

The cow enters the rushing water and makes it about half-way across. It’s hard to tell if she wants to cross the river or just wants the relief offered by the numbing cold.

She has trouble trying to stand in the current. After a point she makes no attempt to cross to the other side. It occurs to me that she is probably bleeding quite badly.

I have crossed the Lamar River twice during low water. The bottom is nearly impossible to walk on, with so many different sized and shaped rocks, some slick with moss, and the current is very cold and strong. I was in good health, with a sturdy stick and strong hikers on both sides of me.

This cow is in deep water, above her belly, bleeding, tired and likely in shock. It looks like she is still struggling to stand.

Two or three Mollies, including 1048M sit on their haunches on the bank, watching. The others have turned away and are heading back to the dead calf.

Soon 1048 is alone and finally he goes, too.

The wounded cow stands alone still in water up to her belly. I look at Celia. It’s just heartbreaking. She falters and slips onto her side. Her head dips underwater a moment. She rallies and lifts her head. She regains her feet for a moment, trying to find a place where she can remain standing.

Then, almost peacefully, she rolls on her side and the current takes her. Her head dips under again. This time she gives up and drowns.

Quite poignantly, her now pain-free body floats slowly downstream. Eventually it stops where some larger rocks jut out from the bank. Her body rests there as the water flows on.

I turn my attention back to the Mollies. I can see just enough of their backs and tails to know they are together, feeding on the calf in the deep sage. It’s now 8:30. I’m left with a new appreciation for both bison and Mollies.

As I drive back to Silver Gate, I think how hard the wolves fought for their meal and they don’t even know that she died. For all they know, she may have swum the river and climbed out the other side. Perhaps they’ll search the bank and find her body.

But for now, despite all their coordination and skill, they have only the tiny calf for their efforts.

I think of my task ahead: to send a report to Laurie recounting what we saw this evening. It was hard to watch, but it was truly life in the wild, and I know I am lucky to have seen it.

What an amazing day.

Today I saw: 1 black bear, 1 grizzly bear, bison, coyotes, elk, pronghorn, 17 wolves: 7 Junctions (including 5 black and 2 gray; AM, 907, 1385F, 1477F, 1478F, 1479F, and one uncollared black) plus 10 Mollies (including 1048M, 1090F, 1339M, 1411F, 1483M, 1485M and four others) and the spirits of Allison, Richard, Jeff and Chloe.