Wolverines in the Sierra

[gdurkee]

Ha! He's back. Pretty good story, some short film and a map of his range so far:

http://www.sacbee.com/2011/02/20/341652 ... -roam.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Edit: This just in. A friend of mine sent a note that he saw a wolverine in Kings Canyon at the top of the Don Cecil trail on Lookout Peak in 2008. He was with another Sequoia park worker and both confirm it. They're both very good observers and I would absolutely trust this sighting. There have been sightings in that same area every few years for decades. The question is, where are they coming from? The sightings are frequent enough (though we're still only talking one every 3 to 5 years for all of Sequoia Kings) that there's a population somewhere.

g.

[rlown]

kinda sucks if it doesn't have a mate.

[Bad Man From Bodie]

Oh...where there is one, there is another. The critter just needs to figgue out how to get accross the highway!

[rlown]

funny how the cameras don't capture bigfoot.

[hikerduane]

I'd swear I saw a wolverine in a part of Yosemite in the last 15 years or less. Good to know I may not be crazy. More a coppery color than what was caught on film, but about that size.

[Troutdog 59]

Very cool indeed! I would figure there are more of them, just wary of humans. In fact, I thought I read that they had found more than 1 near Tahoe, but maybe I was mistaken. Similar to Georges observations, a friend of mine reported seeing one in the upper Hilton Creek Lakes in the early to mid 90's. He didn't see it for long and wasn't entirely certain of what it was, but his first thought was a wolverine. He's not a biologist (he's a geologist), but he reported his sighting to the FS office in Bishop and they took some notes on his sighting and his contact info. A few weeks later, a FS Biologist contacted him and told him he was not the first to report a sighting in that area. His sighting was listed as unsubstantiated, but seems plausible too me especially with the acknowledgment of previous sightings.

It makes one kind of wonder just how it is determined that something should be listed extinct/extirpated and how convinced we should be of the findings. I'm not trying to be overly critical, I just wonder how many hours are spent looking for a certain species prior to listing it as gone. Without the technology of remote cameras, how likely would it be for even a well trained biologist to spot something like this in an area as vast as the mountain ranges of our state? I would think the chances would be minuscule at best. I recall another thread recently on this board about a similar find concerning the Sierra Red Fox, a species I have to admit I didn't even know existed. Almost the same story. Thought to have been extirpated from CA in all areas but one near Lassen since the mid 20's, but now they are reporting several sightings using remote activated cameras. Just makes you wonder if we truly are a smart as we think.

[ERIC]

I watched "National Geographic - Wild Phantom Wolverine (2010)" last night on Netflix. Recommended for those who have not seen it. Google search of the title resulted in a few places where I believe you can watch it for free online. Unreal how much winter territory these animals can cover with ease and in such short order.

[Troutdog 59]

It appears he is back part II has haapened as theres been another wolverine sighting up north in the Donner area. A camper/backpacker ??? got a photo of a Wolverine near Lake Spaulding (same general area as the previous sighting). Probably the same one, but I do hope its a different animal. Always thought such things to be pretty darned cool!!!I Heres a link to the story in the Sac Bee.

http://www.sacbee.com/2012/06/07/454561 ... apped.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[austex]

I can confirm a wolverine in between North Lake and Piute Pass in the late 70's. Nothing since though. They are cool and wary of humans.

[sierraholic]

I'll go to the grave swearing my wife and I saw one crossing 395 near Big Smokey Flat just a few miles north of the turn off for Mammoth Lakes. It crossed 100 ft. in front of our car, and we both said "What the hell was that!" Not a week later on TV was a documentary on wolverines. We both looked at each other and realized that is exactly what we saw. I live only 60 miles from where the only documented wolverine has been sighted. I would love to camp out there north of Castle Peak for a few days, and see if he or she shows up. Awesome!