- I'm Coyote Peterson and today there's
a pack of wolves in my backyard.
(wolf howl)
(steady rhythmic instrumental music)
When the crew and I first arrived at Howlers Inn,
we didn't know what to expect.
A long gravel drive led us up
toward the rolling hills of Montana,
and we found ourselves at a beautiful log home.
The sanctuary was quiet, almost serene.
And as I walked the grounds alone,
it was obvious that this was
about to be a magical experience.
Howlers Inn is a federally licensed wolf sanctuary.
Home to five magnificent Alaskan tundra wolves.
Kiowa and Chinook, the alpha female and male,
Tahoe, the right-hand commander to the alphas,
Comanche, the pack elder,
and last, but certainly not least,
the ever-friendly and playful, Sekani.
For anyone that loves animals,
what could be better than sharing a space in Montana
with these incredible wolves?
The Howlers Inn was founded in 1992.
And this wolf sanctuary was built
to help save wolves that were born into captivity,
but then people didn't want.
We're gonna go out back here and see the pack.
There's five wolves that live out here,
and it's gonna be pretty cool.
Look, look, look, here comes the pack.
They're all runnin' down.
Hi guys.
These are Alaskan tundra wolves,
and it may look like they're nippin' at each other,
but they're actually just playin' and havin' a good time.
All these wolves are a family pack.
And I don't wanna talk too loud
because it'll spook them.
They are very shy, elusive creatures.
Right now, they're just kind of adapting to us being here.
Saying, "OK, new people in our habitat."
But as you can see, they've got all this territory
that they're able to roam through.
And they've got a den that's built over here in the trees.
And this wolf pack is no different
from the wolf packs that are in the wild.
They have a typical hierarchy structure
where you have an alpha male, an alpha female,
and then the omegas.
Now Comanche, who you see right here.
He's the big white one.
Kind of looks like a direwolf from Game of Thrones.
He was once the alpha male,
but Chinook and Tahoe, who are brothers,
schemed together and overthrew Comanche from his reign.
Now Chinook is the alpha male.
Tahoe's kind of like his second-in-command.
And as you can see, I don't think
that Comanche's having any problem
not being the leader of the pack.
It's one big, happy wolf family here at Howlers Inn.
And these wolves are not pets.
These wolves are rescues.
So, this is a sanctuary for them basically
to live their lives in a natural setting,
and they stay out here year-round.
And we're here in September,
so you may see that it's beautiful.
There's obviously no snow on the ground.
But when that snow comes down,
it comes down in feet.
We're talkin' three to six feet can be out here
at any point in time, and these wolves
just tough right through it.
They either tuck down in their den,
or they come out here and move throughout the snow.
And those paws are so big that they can basically
spread over the top of the snow,
and they walk right across it.
Us, as humans, walkin' through there,
we'd be sinkin' up to our necks in it.
The wolves gracefully run it across the top.
And these wolves are absolutely built for the winter.
The coats that they have on their bodies
are so incredibly thick, it'll keep 'em warm
in temperatures as low as minus 40 degrees Fahrenheit.
It's so incredible how well they blend
right into that environment.
And Chance kept sayin' to me, "No, I can see her.
"She's right out there."
I said, "I don't see her."
But sure enough, look, she's about
to just disappear back into those grasses.
Now, wolves are typically more afraid of humans
than we should ever be of wolves.
And of course, they've gotten a bad name throughout time.
And just being here in this close proximity
to these animals today, I mean, just fills you
with this incredible energy.
And you feel that these animals are just,
oh, it's like nothing you can describe
being in the presence of wolves like this.
Viewing and filming these magnificent creatures
from the observation platform was incredible,
but we wanted to get closer.
One of the greatest perks at Howlers Inn,
the walking paths along the outside of the wolf enclosure.
And we were about to have the encounter of a lifetime.
This backdrop here, the mountains of Bozeman, Montana,
what an amazing place for these wolves to live.
Now, they do have to be kept in enclosure, obviously.
And this is their territory.
This is where their pack lives.
It's where they hang out.
It's where they eat.
It's where they sleep,
and they will defend it which is why we need
to be on this side of the fence.
But it's cool just being able to get this close
to this majestic animal.
Now see, they're curious.
They wanna know.
"There's some new people out here in our environment."
We're tryin' to stay real low and quiet.
Sekani is just kind of comin' right
down the edge of the fence right near me.
She's very curious.
Here we go.
Hi sweetie.
Hi.
Oh, look at how beautiful that wolf is!
Chance, what's that like gettin'
that close to an Alaskan tundra wolf?
- Uh, that's intimidating.
- Yeah, a lot bigger than you think, huh?
Hi, how are you?
Look at those eyes.
How beautiful are your eyes?
This is Sekani.
She's one of the most social wolves in the pack.
I don't wanna stick my fingers
through the fence and pet her,
even though it is very, very tempting.
And you can just see how thick and dense that coat is.
It's no wonder these guys can stay warm
in temperatures as low as minus 40 degrees Fahrenheit.
Look how dense and thick that is,
and that beautiful, big bushy tail.
Aren't you a pretty girl.
Wow, it's unbelievable how big they are
once you get right up close like that.
So cool, that's the closest I've ever been to a wolf.
Spending time in the presence of wolves
cannot truly be expressed in words.
All I can say is that staying at Howlers Inn
was an experience I will never forget.
Trust me, you'll walk away feeling
as if you too, are one of the pack.
If you guys wanna get up close and personal with wolves,
I definitely recommend comin' out here
to check out the sanctuary.
I'm Coyote Peterson.
Be brave.
Stay wild.
We'll see ya on the next adventure.
(dramatic instrumental music)
If you thought that was one wild adventure,
check out these other animal encounters.
And don't forget, subscribe to follow me and the crew
on this season of Breaking Trail.