Wolves allegedly seen in Polson city limits

POLSON, Mont. - A biologist said tracks found inside the city limits of Polson, Mont., could belong to wolves.

Polson resident Joyce Norman said she was on the phone with a friend about 9 a.m. Friday when she looked out the window and noticed a herd of deer running through her neighborhood.

She said the deer were being pursued by what she believed were wolves, one black and one gray. She said she initially thought that the black animal was a dog, but changed her mind because it "wasn't really shaped like a dog and the movement was different."

Norman said the gray animal had what looked to her like a yellow radio collar around its neck. She said the two pursuers chased the deer south across Hillcrest Drive and out of sight.

Norman contacted George Barce, a wildlife biologist with the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, who inspected the paw prints left behind in the snow.

"Most likely they are wolf tracks," Barce said Wednesday, noting that they are consistent with hundreds of wolf prints he has examined in the past.

Barce said the prints left behind by one of the animals were among the largest he has seen.

Though Barce said wolves are known to occasionally roam the land surrounding Polson city limits, to his knowledge there has never been a sighting in town.

Polson, in Lake County, is on the southern shore of Flathead Lake. Its population is about 4,000.

With homes clustered close together and the busy traffic of U.S. Highway 93 within view, Norman's neighborhood does not come across as prime wolf habitat, Barce said.

CSKT officials issued a press release on Monday cautioning that wolves should not be approached or fed by humans.