Wolf?

[PurpleFloyd]

I was on my way home from New Ulm going through Madelia this afternoon and when I merged onto hwy 15, this guy had just crossed the highway and was on the shoulder of the road walking towards me.

Right off the bat the two things that crossed my mine were either a very tall German Shepard or a Wolf. Obviously in this area a wolf is rare to say the least. Even rarer on the side of a divided hwy in the daylight. So if you know me, I am very hesitant to bring it up just because I don't have enough solid evidence to back it up 100%. And I understand that I might be wrong but then again if there is one in the area someone might want to know.

So I took the first off ramp and went back, it was by the tall grass just on the other side of the overpass and walked into the tall grass as I went by so I went to the first turn lane and backtracked, took the off ramp and pulled over. It was in the tall grass hiding so I got out the iphone and opened the door. It was watching me and when I opened the door, it got up and started away but looked back and gave me one good shot. It then crossed the road to the other side so I drove over there and got one more picture. it kept following the edge of the tall grass so i drove ahead one more time, got out and walked to the edge to see it one last time before it saw me and walked into the tall grass where I never saw it again.

[PurpleFloyd]

[K_Josh87]

My vote is german shephard... looks like brownish legs and a dark nose...

[PurpleFloyd]

I know the pictures are bad but it's all I have. Anyways the things that make me believe it might not be a GS are:

Size- It was tall, taller than any GS I have been around and I have been around many in my life. Also, to me a GS seems to be taller at the shoulder and the back legs seem shorter,and more muscular with thicker legs. This one had what seem to me to be rear legs that were near the same length as the front ones and the legs were longer in proportion to the height of the body.

Condition- The body looked thin. Not starving but like it has been moving around and not eating as fast as it is wearing it off.also, while it certainly paid attention to me and stayed well away from my efforts to take it's picture, I would expect a healthy wolf to bolt and get away as fast and as far as possible. This animal looked more like it was looking for cover, which the reeds in the ditch provided.

[PurpleFloyd]

My vote is german shephard... looks like brownish legs and a dark nose...

The legs weren't brown. but there were brown highlights on it's sides. This picture looks darn close to the coloration.

[pascooter94]

there is talk about a few farmers that said they seen some around here, but I cant say.

[Pinusbanksiana]

Wolves have a way of walking that is unique and if you ever see it you will remember it. They kind of walk with a long stride, lope if you will. Head is sometimes held down with nose near the ground even though the head will be turned watching you. A coyote or a dog do not walk like this. Google a video of a wolf walking, there must be some out there.

As for the photo, I can't tell. First one looks coyote like but not the second. If you saw it move and it moved wolf like, you would know it.

[shortfatguy]

I hope they move into the suburbs and start eating pets. Maybe then a few of the people down that way will see what we are dealing with in the arrowhead and understand why we want a season on them.

[nofishfisherman]

Its very hard to tell from the photos. It would be incredibly rare to see one in that area not to mention trotting along a highway like that. Also the coloring would be pretty unique for a wolf. Putting all 3 of those factors together make it even more unlikely that its a wolf.

My guess would be some sort of domestic dog, maybe a German Shepard mix of some sort or it could be a large yote. How close did you get? Did it walk by anything that could give you a better sense of scale so you could see how big the animal really is?

[hockeybc69]

I will go dog simply based on location... especially along a highway in the daylight...

[merkman]

Dern pictures of Bigfoot and wolves are always blurry and grainy... why is that????

.

[monstermoose78]

they have shot a wolf in Missouri and it has happened in Iowa. Its could be a young wolf looking to find its own area. Not saying that it is or is not but a young T-wolve looks skinnier then adults. I normally hunt near Hovland Minnesota and I see wolves almost every year and a you can tell the full grown wolves from young ones. I have been seeing wolves along highway 61 up along the north shore. I think it either old wolves or injured or young wolves that got chased out of the pack.

[Ufatz]

Big old scruffy Shepard mix of some sort, probably dumped by some warm hearted soul who didin't "need" it any longer. Been living on its own out there.

Studied your pix closely and just don't see wolf. And I have seen LOTS of them from 10 feet to 100 yards!

[PurpleFloyd]

Its very hard to tell from the photos. It would be incredibly rare to see one in that area not to mention trotting along a highway like that.

[PurpleFloyd]

Dern pictures of Bigfoot and wolves are always blurry and grainy... why is that????

.

Yeah, I know what you mean. I have been meaning to start the bigfoot thread but the pictures are even worse. Then again the air did smell a little squatchy.

I thought of it last night that I should have went down to the shoulder of the road and snapped pictures of his tracks. My guess is that may have shed some light on it.

[EBass]

Looks like a wolf to me based on that pic, but yes could be a large Sheppard on the loose. It's a better pic than the bigfoot pic in Utah.

[JBMasterAngler]

That is clearly a chupacabra!

[FishinFools]

What ever it is, and even as fuzzy as the pictures are, it is obviously injured and heading to get aid.

[Dave S]

considering the location, and comparing the size to the signs in the picture, I'm going to say a black coyote if it's not a domestic dog/mut of some sort. Even a young wolf, with the exception of maybe a yearling, would be bigger in relation to the signs in the pic.

[trapperdirk]

Pic is grainy but more doglike to me and I snare half a dozen or more yearly . Even that pic you put up as an example is not a true wolf but a hybrid . There are so many colour phases to wolves that it's a poor indicator to use as being either or .

TD

[PurpleFloyd]

considering the location, and comparing the size to the signs in the picture, I'm going to say a black coyote if it's not a domestic dog/mut of some sort. Even a young wolf, with the exception of maybe a yearling, would be bigger in relation to the signs in the pic.

I drove by it at less than 320 feet and it was taller than a GS. Certainly not a coyote.

[PurpleFloyd]

What ever it is, and even as fuzzy as the pictures are, it is obviously injured and heading to get aid.

I think he was headed to the bar for 2 for 1's.

[brian6715]

What ever it is, and even as fuzzy as the pictures are, it is obviously injured and heading to get aid.

Post of the year

[Tom7227]

Hyena.