My day starts with a crystal clear sky and stars overhead. There is another inch of powdery snow on the car and it’s a bit colder, 19 degrees.

I stop at my usual spots but neither hear nor see any wolves. At Slough, various people are looking with no results.

The few of us here spread out; I end up at Lower Hellroaring, where I find a herd of more than 50 elk. The only other critters I see, though, are bison.

I hear a call from Doug MacCartney, who is west of me. He reports an injured wolf walking on the road itself, traveling west. I relay this info to Fay and Dale who are still east of me.

I find Doug near the entrance to the 6-Mile Blacktail Road, up on a low hill to the north. When I join him he reveals he also heard howling to the northwest and that the injured wolf left the road heading in the direction of that howling.

We both suspect the injured wolf is our dear 1048M, who has been spotted a few times on the northern range in the last week. But what is he doing on the Blacktail?

Guide Quinn and his clients are on this same hill, a bit further west. Quinn spots two black wolves right at the tree-line.

The many birds flitting about tell us there is a carcass.

The first wolf I see has a graying head and face. I know that face! It’s 1048M.

His muzzle is reddened by the blood of fresh meat. I two other wolves on either side of 1048, both black, also feeding on the same carcass. One of them turns our way and I see his golden eyes.

Eventually I see a third black which has some silver gray in its coat. Fay and Dale arrive and join us. We all remain quiet because these wolves are quite close. Someone figures out they are just about a quarter mile away.

Fay and I whisper our happiness in seeing our dear 1048 getting a good meal. We agree that the other wolves are likely Rescue wolves, although we cannot really be sure.

1048M, as a former Junction, is related to the older male wolves in this pack, which may explain his being allowed to share this carcass. But it’s also true that there are many young wolves in the pack who do not know him.

I also suspect that as an experienced wolf, 1048 knows some tricks to gaining acceptance, at least enough to allow him to eat for a brief time.

After about a half hour, 1048 begins to move away from the carcass into the meadow. He walks slowly, which I read as “everything hurts”. His ears are somewhat flat (which Laurie calls “airplane ears’; an indication that a wolf is not relaxed).

As Fay says, he does move, though, and we see he is putting weight on all four legs. That’s good! And his belly is full! Also, I do not see any blood on him, other than some redness that remains on his muzzle from eating.

But he keeps his tail tucked. Just before he left the carcass, we could see him snarling at the wolf closest to him, a gorgeous young black.

As 1048M moves off, this black wolf begins to follow him slowly. It looks odd. Why is this black wolf tailing him?

I begin to see the injuries that were reported by others over the last week: missing fur along his withers and down his left shoulder, revealing a healed scar; more missing fur on his left hip revealing another healed scar.

The fur on his tail and both flanks looks oddly unkempt, with thin tufts sticking up in places. He does not look strong, and I doubt he can hunt for himself, which is why I am glad to see him getting a good meal.

The beautiful black continues to shadow him for several more yards. 1048 stops and turns broadside to us, with his head away from the black. The younger wolf briefly rises on its hind legs and lunges forward, giving 1048 a short, sharp bite on his rear end, as they do to bears.

1048 has little reaction to the bite, which makes me think it’s not the first he has endured such an insult this morning. In fact, the tufts of hair sticking out now make sense, because the main result of the bite by the black is a new one.

1048 simply turns around and beds down.

The beautiful black now returns to the carcass, having accomplished its task.

1048 gets some rest to digest his meal. The other three wolves feed for about 15 more minutes, then melt away into the woods.

After a few more minutes, a pair of coyotes show up on the periphery. They trot back and forth, not yet ready to risk getting any closer to the carcass just yet.

1048 lowers his head for a well-earned nap.

Dale suggests we relocate to try a different angle. I follow them to the Geode/North Butte lot, but continue uphill to a flat off-road spot, where I park.

Instead of climbing North Butte, Dale finds a perfect vantage point on a slightly smaller and closer sage hill I end up calling “mini-North Butte”. At the top of this hill is a flat spot with a jumble of low boulders, perfect for sitting on.

He finds 1048 still bedded in the meadow. I find the two coyotes still wandering tentatively near the tree-line while Fay finds the carcass. This is a much clearer angle on the area, although at bit further away.

From the horn and hide color, we can tell the carcass is a bison.

We let other watchers know of this spot and settle down to watch. Soon a black wolf comes into view. At first, it beds in the meadow, then goes to the carcass. A second black is found bedded in a gap between trees left of the carcass.

I stay another hour, watching the two wolves feed. Both leave again, disappearing into the trees. The coyotes are very anxious, trying to work up the nerve to take a turn. One finally gets close to the carcass and grabs a bite.

But then 1048 gets up.

The coyote dashes off. I find it interesting that 1048 waited until those two blacks left. He has a second breakfast, so I stay and watch on my boulder-chair until he finishes.

When he’s had enough, he walks off to the east. Instead of re-bedding, he continues east until he’s out of sight.

Both coyotes watch him leave. Finally, it’s their turn!

The day has turned sunny, warming up to 40. I’ve been told the Park is closing the southern roads tonight at midnight, so I decide to spend the afternoon taking a farewell tour.

I bid adieu to Fay and Dale with many thanks.

I find a much cloudier sky to the south and chillier temps, too. I go to Lake and explore that area, then out past Fishing Bridge as far as Mary Bay, finding late fall beauty everywhere.

The snow level here is similar to what remains in Northeast, but the distant mountain tops here are a lot whiter.

The drive is really nice, although the only critters I see are bison, geese and a few swans.

The crowds have left the Park, although there are a few folks enjoying the relative solitude. Hayden Valley looks beautiful and serene to me, and everywhere I feel whispers of “Winter is coming”.

When I arrive back on the Blacktail the day has turned cold and windy. I see no one up on mini-North Butte so I continue to Hellroaring.

I scope here for Junction wolves but find none.

When I reach Canyon west I check the Marge rendezvous. Instead of wolves, I find a bison herd.

On I go through Lamar Canyon. I end up having the beautiful Lamar Vally entirely to myself.

Sweet!

Today I saw: bison, coyotes, elk, a bald eagle, geese, 4 swans, 4 wolves (including 3 Rescue Creek and one current lone wolf 1048M) and the spirits of Allison, Richard, Jeff and Chloe.