Wolf Killed with Pellet Rifle in Minnesota, 2014

Pack of wolves in Wisconsin game camera

In the winter of 2014, an adult female wolf was found, dead, in northern Minnesota, on the Grand Portage Indian Reservation. When the necropsy was performed, the cause of death was determined to be from a single wound from an ordinary pellet gun. Described as "low powered", the pellet was almost certainly either .177 or .22 caliber.  While this incident occurred in 2014, this correspondent only learned of it this year. Ordinary pellet guns have been powerful enough to kill humans and even a black bear.

The wolf was a lone female which had been driven out of the pack on Isle Royale. It had a radio collar as part of the Isle Royale study. Researchers said the wolf had almost been killed, twice, in fights with another female wolf, presumably, to keep her out of the pack. During the winter, ice had allowed the wolf to reach the mainland, 18 miles from Isle Royale.

It was suspected the wolf was shot not far from where it was found on the Indian Reservation. Investigators speculated the shot was intended to drive the wolf away, rather than to kill it. The pellet entered between two ribs and punctured an artery, leading to death. The Isle Royal pack was on the edge of extinction, with only 8 members left in 2014. It was reduced to one animal by 2019. The moose population was also down, as it had nearly eliminated aspen on the island, subsisting on the far less nutritious balsam pine.

The wolf probably weighed about 70 lbs. Wolves are not particularly hard to kill. A .22 rimfire in the same area would have easily penetrated wolf ribs if the bullet encountered them, causing serious bleeding in the thoracic cavity. Death usually occurs within minutes. A penetration of the abdominal cavity usually leads to death withing days from sepsis.

Wolf skulls are easily penetrated by a typical .22 long rifle bullet at ordinary velocities. Wolves are not hard to kill if a hunter can put a bullet into them. Wolves learn rapidly, and become very difficult to see when they are hunted. They learn what people are dangerous, and who is not. They learn men are much more dangerous than women and children.

This excellent video of an interview with Greg Jones, who became a professional wolf hunter in Idaho, is a treasure of information about wolf behavior and the results of the introduction of grey wolves into Idaho.  When wolves are hunted and/or trapped, they quickly learn techniques to avoid hunters and to avoid traps. They remember the scent of individual hunters and associate it with their techniques.

For defense against wolves who do not fear humans, almost any firearm will work. A pistol is easiest to carry. Wolves seldom press the attack against humans if members of the pack are wounded or killed. If the wolves have been hunted, a gunshot will likely scare them off. The key to defense is the willingness to shoot the wolf. Any wolf which is not afraid of people should be killed. This is how the wolves learn to respect people, and to avoid them. When a member of a pack is killed, the rest of the pack learns from the event. Even if none are near the event, they will find the remains and associate the scent of humans with the death of the wolf.

Wolves will almost always become known before they attack in earnest. They are testing the new human prey to determine if it is dangerous. This is the best time to shoot wolves to drive them off. The prominent wildlife biologist Valerius Geist described the process in detail.

In the case of the female wolf killed with a pellet gun in northern Minnesota, the wolf came from Isle Royal, with little human habitation in winter. Fixed human houses were likely a new phenomena to the wolf.

Wolves multiply to fill up available habitat. The female wolf was driven from shrinking habitat on Isle Royal. Wolves in the lower 48 are rapidly filling up available habitat and destroying game populations in the process. People who have to live with wolves soon realize they are bad neighbors. The re-introduction of wolves in the lower 48 will be recorded as one of the worst game management debacles in the history of game management.

©2025 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included.

Gun Watch 

 

PA: Washington - Armed Robbery Gunfight, Victim Shot, Wounded

  

It is unclear if the victim fired her defensive handgun.  

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Through the investigation, police said they learned that a woman had been playing the "game-of-chance" machines inside when three armed suspects entered the store and tried to rob it.

According to investigators, the woman was shot after she tried to defend herself by drawing a legally concealed firearm. 

When officers arrived at the scene, they found the woman with multiple gunshot wounds. Officers gave her first aid until EMS arrived and took her to a Pittsburgh-area hospital. She is in stable condition, police said.

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TX: San Antonio - Car Theif Suspect Shot, Wounded

San Antonio Police said Eric Juarez was shot in the chest after he was caught in the act of breaking into a vehicle. He then jumped into the stolen vehicle and drove off before officers located him shortly after.

Juarez was taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. The investigation is ongoing.

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SC: Columbia - Armed Robbery becomes Gunfight, Victim and two Suspects Wounded

At the scene, deputies interviewed a homeowner who had called 911 earlier to report an unknown male was walking with a rifle in their backyard. One of the suspects in the shooting allegedly was carrying a rifle at the time of the shooting.

Deputies were then notified that two other men with gunshot wounds had arrived at local hospitals. The two men, identified as Daquan Lewis Benjamin, 20, and Devin Moultrie, 19, were confirmed to be suspects in the shooting. 

Benjamin and Moultrie allegedly led the victim to believe they were making an online purchase. Instead of a transaction of goods, the suspects attempted to rob the victim at gunpoint and then shot at the victim. Although hit by gunfire, the victim returned gunfire in defense, striking both Benjamin and Moultrie.

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MI: Kalamazoo - Attacker who Used Snow Shovel Shot by Victim

A 60-year-old man returning a borrowed ladder to a residence near Douglas Avenue and Paterson Street said a 49-year-old man approached him, told him to leave then hit him with a snow shovel, according to Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety (KDPS) officers.

The 60-year-old used his legally owned and registered handgun to fire two rounds, hitting the 49-year-old once. He then called 911 and waited for officers to arrive.

Both men had minor injuries from the altercation and the 49-year-old is in the hospital in stable condition.

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IN: Marion - Juvenile Shot, Gunfire Exchanged

The Marion Police Department said a juvenile male arrived at an area hospital around 5:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 29 with a single gunshot wound to the back of his head, with the bullet lodged just under the skin. 

Police said the juvenile told them that he was in a car at the intersection of 2nd and Hill streets when he heard gunshots, saw the glass window in the car shatter and felt something hit his head. 

The juvenile told police he told the driver of the car that he was shot, and the driver tried to drive away but wasn't able to due to the road conditions. 

The juvenile told police the driver then got out of the car and started to shoot in the direction where the shots were coming from, and then drove the juvenile to the hospital. 

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TX: Dallas - Gunfight in 4000 Block of Urban Aveneue, Motives Unknown

Officers responded to the 4000 block of Urban Avenue around 9:15 p.m. on November 29. The preliminary investigation revealed two people fired at each other across multiple nearby locations.

One man was struck several times by gunfire. Officers found him at the scene and placed him under arrest.

Dallas Fire-Rescue transported the wounded man to a local hospital. He was listed in stable condition.

Police have not released the identities of those involved in the shootout. The motive behind the exchange of gunfire remains unclear.

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TN: Chattanooga - Domestic Defense, Gunfight, No one Hit

A woman being questioned told officers the person who initiated the shooting from the sidewalk was her boyfriend, Keontay Miller. She told them that she and Miller had an argument, and Miller had slapped her. Others tried to get Miller to leave, and he threw one of them down a flight of stairs.

The woman told officers that Miller left, then came back yelling that he was going to shoot her. Another person present said Miller was standing on the southwest corner sidewalk when he pulled a gun and opened fire at the apartment's balcony, with no care for the adults or children that were inside.

The affidavit says another person told officers they fired shots back at Miller in self defense, and that Miller kept shooting as he made his way to the car he was seen leaving in. That person then told officers where they would find their gun in a backpack. Officers took the gun and the casings they found.

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