Synopses & Reviews
BOOK SENSE NOTABLE BOOK
"By piquing our imaginations, by sparking in us a sense of wonder, Yellowstone's wolves have done much to invigorate our sense of place, even our sense of generosity, rekindling relationships that allow us to again feel at home in the world."
-- Douglas Smith, Wolf Project Leader
For millions of people around the world, the image of wolves running free through Yellowstone National Park has become the ultimate symbol of the American wilderness. The release of thirty-one Canadian gray wolves in 1995 and 1996-arguably the most controversial feat of conservation in our nation's history-sparked a new-found passion for these remarkable animals and the unbound lands that sustain them.
Few were prepared for the outpouring of emotion sparked by the reintroduction of these wolves, and for the changes that came, both in the land and in the minds of men, with that experiment. For the first time, Douglas Smith and Gary Ferguson recount the first ten years of this historic endeavor. The journey of the wolves themselves and the people who faithfully followed them through the wilds of Yellowstone make for unforgettable reading.
Here are intimate details about the lives of these animals, including wonderful stories about survival and family dynamics. Smith and award-winning nature writer Gary Ferguson weave together never-before-published scientific discoveries with spell-binding tales of the wolves' behaviors. The wolves have not only survived, but completely changed the ecosystem, spilling a fresh measure of wild across the world's first national park. . DECADE OF THE WOLF serves to mark the end of the opening act of this inspired, often tumultuous tale of preservation.
DOUGLAS SMITH, PHD, Wolf Project leader, has studied wolves for twenty-four years and has worked on the reintroduction in Yellowstone since its inception. He lives in Gardiner, Montana.
GARY FERGUSON is an award-winning nature writer whose books include The Great 0 Divide: The Rocky Mountains in the American Mind, Hawks Rest: A Season in the Remote Heart of Yellowstone, and The Yellowstone Wolves. He has written for numerous publications including Vanity Fair, Outside, the Los Angeles Times, and Men's Journal. He lives in Red Lodge, Montana.
Review
In The Yellowstone Wolves, the story of the wolves comes to light: adventure, tragedy, survival, and hope, all told in the clear voice of a person who knows the wolves new home as well as few others.”
--Pete Fromm
Gary Ferguson tells [his] story with a naturalists rigor, a locals compassion, a writers heart, and an outdoorsmans soul.”
--Pam Houston "...provides a detailed and fascinating look...anyone who is excited, or concerned about the eventual arrival of wolves in Utah should read this book."--Salk Lake Tribune
Review
andldquo;Very detailed. Never before has the predatory behavior of any carnivore been presented in such depth. Wolves on the Hunt is a contribution not just to our knowledge of the wolf but to our understanding of predation in general. The authors, experts in wolf predatory behavior who are in the best position to interpret these data from a scientific perspective, review a great amount of information and add an impressive number of accounts of hunting events observed by very few people. Their interpretations of the appropriate literature are clear and elegant. Very well written, easy to read both for specialists and for the general public interested in wolves and wildlife, Wolves on the Hunt is unique.andrdquo;
Review
andldquo;This exhaustive account of wolves hunting and killing wild prey could only be compiled by the foremost wolf biologists of our dayandmdash;Drs. Mech, Smith, and MacNulty. and#160;The easy-to-read book cites all the primary and secondary literature as well as many previously unpublished observations.and#160;Wolves on the Hunt will not only fascinate biologists and those teaching wildlife management but also the general public, including outdoor, environmental, and hunting groups. These detailed observations of predation let us imagine the struggles that our ancestors must have encountered as we competed with wolves to become the earthandrsquo;s supreme hunters of ungulates.andrdquo;
Review
andldquo;In reading Wolves on the Hunt you will learn that death has shaped life for millions of years. Youandrsquo;ll learn that no activity is more important to the wolf than predation; and although itandrsquo;s a tough and frustrating habit that often fails, wolves survive only because they refuse to give up. By shedding light on these and other important findings, Wolves on the Hunt will be incredibly valuable to conservation scientists and citizens alike who appreciate wild places and wild things. Itandrsquo;s a great illustration of the constant battle between predator and prey and of dogged determination.andrdquo;
Review
andldquo;For all wildlife lovers, this is a must read.andrdquo;
Review
andldquo;Across decades of writing about wolves and the science associated with their study, Iandrsquo;ve seldom encountered a more gripping opening to a natural history book. . . . Wolves on the Hunt is an in-depth analysis of how wolves kill prey to survive. This new book could not come at a better time. Even though the year is 2015 there remains in the American West some pretty puritanical notions about alleged wolf behavior that have little basis in reality. . . . Mech, considered the worldandrsquo;s foremost wolf authority, and his colleagues deliver a hair-raising and at times grim narrative about how lobos stalk. . . .andnbsp; No matter what lobo camp youandrsquo;re in, youandrsquo;ll find Wolves on the Hunt to be endlessly fascinating reading.andrdquo;
Review
andldquo;A gorgeous new book . . . , which represents in one slightly oversized popular volume some of the most comprehensive research to date on the way wolves hunt their prey. . . . Itandrsquo;s written artlessly but directly, with the aim of updating and broadening some popular misconceptions about the way wolves operate in the wild. As a work of natural history, neither it nor anything else can match the lyricism of Barry Lopezandrsquo;s Of Wolves and Men, but as a general-audience monograph, itandrsquo;s one of the most valuable works of science-writing to appear this year. Kudos to the folks at the University of Chicago Press for giving it such a handsome volume.andrdquo;
Review
andldquo;Fascinating. . . . Loaded with first-hand accounts of the various stages of gray wolf (Canis lupus) hunting, chronicled throughout mostly North America, the book is illustrated with a captivating collection of photographs and informative comparison data charts. . . . A celebration of . . . the emerging knowledge base about wolves.andrdquo;
Review
andldquo;Three experienced wolfy folk, scientists to the bone, with such amazing and lengthy exposure to wild lupines, were always going to produce something fascinating and valuable. I was not disappointed. . . . It reminds us . . . that science, rightfully, replaces assumptions and theories with fact. . . . An important reminder that to love the wolf, it is best to appreciate the whole animalandmdash;whether that be fairytale forest shadow, hunter or socially competent family-orientated creature. This impressive book is one for academics, scientists but also for the curious. . . . A andnbsp;book to admire and one that should make us appreciate that the wolf does not have an easy life, even if it is an apex predator.andrdquo;
Synopsis
For millions of people around the world, the image of wolves running free through Yellowstone National Park has become the ultimate symbol of the American wilderness. The release of thirty-one Canadian gray wolves in 1995 and 1996--arguably, the most controversial feat of conservation in our nation's history--sparked a new-found passion for these remarkable animals and the unbound lands that sustain them.
Decade of the Wolf is an unforgettable account of the wolves themselves, as well as of the scientists who are faithfully following them through the wilds of Yellowstone. Published on the tenth anniversary of this historic endeavor, here are never-before-published discoveries about wolf behavior, as well as the remarkable effects these animals are having on their environment.
Here are intimate details of one of the world's great predators-complete with more than 50 full-color photographs-gathered in a work that serves to mark the end of the opening act of this inspired, often tumultuous tale of preservation.
Synopsis
Ten years ago, wolves were set free again in Yellowstone. Now, for the first time, the project's leader and an award-winning nature writer recount the intimate details of this historic endeavor.
For millions of people around the world, the image of wolves running free through Yellowstone National Park has become the ultimate symbol of the American wilderness. The release of thirty-one Canadian gray wolves in 1995 and 1996 - arguably the most controversial feat of conservation in our nation's history - sparked a new-found passion for these remarkable animals and the unbound lands that sustain them.
Few were prepared for the outpouring of emotion inspired by the reintroduction of these wolves, or for the changes that came, both in the land and in the minds of men, with that experiment. In Decade of the Wolf, Douglas W. Smith and Gary Ferguson describe the journey of the wolves themselves and the people who faithfully followed them through the wilds of Yellowstone.
Here are intimate details about the lives of these animals, including wonderful stories about survival and family dynamics. The book weaves together never-before-published scientific discoveries with spellbinding tales of the wolves' behaviors. The wolves have not only survived, but completely changed the ecosystem, spilling a fresh measure of wildness across the world's first national park.
Decade of the Wolf serves to mark the end of the opening act of this inspired, often tumultuous tale of preservation.
Synopsis
The interactions between apex predators and their prey are some of the most awesome and meaningful in natureandmdash;displays of strength, endurance, and a deep coevolutionary history. And there is perhaps no apex predator more impressive and important in its huntingandmdash;or more infamous, more misjudgedandmdash;than the wolf. Because of wolvesandrsquo; habitat, speed, and general success at evading humans, researchers have faced great obstacles in studying their natural hunting behaviors. The first book to focus explicitly on wolf hunting of wild prey,
Wolves on the Hunt seeks to fill these gaps in our knowledge and understanding.
Combining behavioral data, thousands of hours of original field observations, research in the literature, a wealth of illustrations, andandmdash;in the e-book edition and onlineandmdash;video segments from cinematographer Robert K. Landis, the authors create a compelling and complex picture of these hunters. The wolf is indeed an adept killer, able to take down prey much larger than itself. While adapted to hunt primarily hoofed animals, a wolfandmdash;or especially a pack of wolvesandmdash;can kill individuals of just about any species. But even as wolves help drive the underlying rhythms of the ecosystems they inhabit, their evolutionary prowess comes at a cost: wolves spend one-third of their time huntingandmdash;the most time consuming of all wolf activitiesandmdash;and success at the hunt only comes through traveling long distances, persisting in the face of regular failure, detecting and taking advantage of deficiencies in the physical condition of individual prey, and through ceaseless trial and error, all while risking injury or death.and#160;and#160;
By describing and analyzing the behaviors wolves use to hunt and kill various wild preyandmdash;including deer, moose, caribou, elk, Dall sheep, mountain goats, bison, musk oxen, arctic hares, beavers, and othersandmdash;Wolves on the Hunt provides a revelatory portrait of one of natureandrsquo;s greatest hunters.
About the Author
L. David Mech is a senior research scientist with the US Geological Survey and an adjunct professor in the Department of Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology and Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior at the University of Minnesota. He is author of The Wolf: The Ecology and Behavior of an Endangered Species, The Way of the Wolf, and The Arctic Wolf, among other books, and is coauthor of The Wolves of Denali.Douglas W. Smith is a senior wildlife biologist and the Wolf Project Leader in Yellowstone National Park. He is coauthor most recently of Decade of the Wolf: Returning the Wild to Yellowstone.Daniel R. MacNulty is an assistant professor of wildlife ecology at Utah State University.
Table of Contents
Foreword
Preface
Acknowledgments
Introduction: The Wolf as a Killing Machine
Chapter 1and#8212;White-Tailed Deer
Chapter 2and#8212;Moose
Chapter 3and#8212;Caribou
Chapter 4and#8212;Elk
Chapter 5and#8212;Mountain Sheep and Goats
Chapter 6and#8212;Bison
Chapter 7and#8212;Musk Oxen
Chapter 8and#8212;Miscellaneous Prey
Conclusion
Appendix: List of Scientific Names of Birds and Mammals Mentioned
Literature Cited
Index
A Note on Accompanying Videos by Robert K. Landis
Videos of wolf-prey interactions, by Robert K. Landis, are available to readers of the print book at the following URL and with these password credentials:
URL:and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160; www.press.uchicago.edu/sites/wolves
User name:and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160; wolves
Password:and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160; hunt2015
Readers of the ebook will find the videos embedded in the text.