Largest Wolf Hunted

Thomas D'Arcy McGee

Thomas D'Arcy McGee

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Hi fellows,

Just for interest, the largest recorded wild wolf on record was shot in Alaska in 1939 and reportedly weighed 79.4 kilograms (175 pounds), but there is some controversy over the accuracy of this measurement. It was a member of one of the biggest wolf breeds in the world called a Mackenzie Valley wolf. This legendary wolf was trapped by hunter Frank Glaser along the Seventymile River and had a full stomach at the time, drawing controversy over whether this particular canine was actually the biggest wolf ever discovered. Very little is known about Glaser's wolf; however, there has never been a larger wolf recorded.

https://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=wildlifenews.view_article&articles_id=503#:~:text=That's%20where%20legendary%20Alaska%20wolf,the%20Seventymile%20River%20near%20Eagle.

While there was no mention of Glaser’s giant catch in a book chronicling his wilderness adventures titled “Alaska’s Wolf Man” by Jim Rearden, wolf researcher Stanley Young, who worked as a biologist for the U.S. Biological Survey, the predecessor to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, makes mention of it in the book he wrote in 1944, “The Wolves of North America.”

“A very large male collected by Frank S. Glaser, July 12, 1939, on 70-Mile River, approximately 50 miles from its mouth in extreme east central Alaska, weighed 175 pounds,” Young wrote. “It was the heaviest that has been taken by any of the personnel of the Fish and Wildlife Service.” The 140 pound wolf that Gardner weighed in 1997 came from the same area.

There also is mention of a 172-pound male with a stomach full of meat caught in the Northwest Territories in 1947 and a 157-pound wolf shot on the Savage River drainage in the Alaska Range in 1934.
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Those are huge wolves, but theres big ones around for sure, if a wolf can eat about 20lbs and those larger ones had full belly’s they aren’t that far of the one shot in ‘97. I think that perception comes from the writing focusing on time between 1915-1955
 
I see oft ridiculous weights reported for wolves in hunting forums. One was recent depicting a typical female 75lb wolf as significantly more. Trapped them, hunted them, and the very biggest (bison areas of BC and AB) are around 125lbs.

Wolves are one of those things that look bigger than they are, and photos and our own biases exaggerate.
 
From what I've seen, #####es are 60-80lbs and Dogs 80-100lbs.

Wolves are taller and leaner (under the fur) than the typical large domestic dog. The males of LGD's tend to be shorter and stockier than wolves so will likely outweigh them.
 
Myself I wouldn't bet on an arctic wolf being heavier than the MacKenzie wolf.
When I was in Inuvik looking at furs at the northern store, I asked if local trapper got them. The store clerk replied of course not. Came from a trapper in Grande Prairie because Alberta has a better mix of conditions, plenty of prey species, cold enuf weather (but not too cold) and still lots of forest cover.
 
Buddies got one hanging on his wall.
I'm duly impressed by the wall space it takes up.
Need to git me arse over there with a tape measure.

Trying to gitter frum'im.
Might arf tuh take the big boy feesh'in.
 
I shot an almost pure black male wolf on Babine Lake in the early 1960's that tipped the scale at 101 lbs [my biggest]

He was feeding on a moose that had fallen through the ice, and then frozen in. A fair bit of the carcass was sticking
up out of the ice, and the wolves took advantage of the free meal.

We shot a total of four at that location, but none as big as that black male. EE
 
It’s pretty crazy how much a wolf deflates after the fur is off, a winter fur can add some serious weight, to the eye. I never did weigh this one, I would guess in the 90 lb range, maybe.



 
Trapped one that weight was 115lbs on a scale. This one was very long in length. It was also skinny as a rail as it had not eating for a while since it had a chicken bone stuck in its mouth. Not sure what it would of weigh if completely healthy and full stomach at time.
 
Dire Wolves from the age of megafauna supposedly topped out at 175 pounds. I once heard a radio interview with an old guy who claimed the largest ones stood 9 feet tall at the shoulder but imagine my disappointment when I found out that wasn't accurate. Best wolves of all were the 'dire wolves' found on Game Of Thrones, but then like most things in that series, the wonderful wolves were just thrown away for the sake of a soap opera plot.

Would take a lot of Ken-l-ration to keep one of these going:


37960550-0-image-a-86_1610554176162.jpg
 
Big Bad said:
Dire Wolves from the age of megafauna supposedly topped out at 175 pounds. I once heard a radio interview with an old guy who claimed the largest ones stood 9 feet tall at the shoulder but imagine my disappointment when I found out that wasn't accurate. Best wolves of all were the 'dire wolves' found on Game Of Thrones, but then like most things in that series, the wonderful wolves were just thrown away for the sake of a soap opera plot.

Would take a lot of Ken-l-ration to keep one of these going:


37960550-0-image-a-86_1610554176162.jpg
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A few million years before our time but im sure glad this guy isn’t hanging around Canada these days! Largest is estimated to be 400lbs

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