Every season is a struggle for survival in Yellowstone National Park.
Predators and prey regularly find themselves in life-or-death battles, only one instinctive decision away from a life-ending injury or escaping to fight another day.
One of those struggles played out on the Blacktail Plateau in northern Yellowstone on Sunday. A large pack of wolves spotted a lone bison that had become separated a little too far from its herd and rushed to make the most of the moment.
“It was an opportunity,” said Andrea Baratte, a wildlife biologist and Yellowstone Adventure Tours guide who captured video of the hunt through a spotting scope. “The Rescue Creek pack was traveling along, saw the bison that was a little singled out, and started running toward it.”
As soon as the bison saw the approaching danger, it turned and kicked hard.
One wolf caught a back leg squarely to its chest, which knocked it into the air, only for the wolf to quickly land on all fours and literally hit the ground running.
Most wolf-bison hunts are unsuccessful, and Baratte said this was one of those failed attempts.
“The bison quickly caught up with the herd, and the whole chase ended,” he said.
Faced with the heavy, horned heads of an entire bison herd, the wolves backed off and all warily went their separate ways.
Adapt And Overcome
When wolves were reintroduced to Yellowstone in 1995, biologists hoped they would cull and control the park’s overwhelming number of elk.
The 14 gray wolves transferred into the park were conditioned to hunt elk, in part because biologists placed elk carcasses in their acclimation pens as they adjusted to their new home.
Since 1995, the number of elk in Yellowstone has dropped significantly, and changes in their behavior and movement have had wide-reaching impacts on the park’s biodiversity.
Yellowstone’s wolves quickly diversified their diets as well.
Bison carcasses were always scavenged, but some of the park’s packs are targeting bison more often.
“Wolves generally attack the easiest, most abundant prey,” said ecologist, author, and bison advocate George Wuerthner. “Bison are very large animals. That’s a lot of calories, if you can bring them down. It’s always worthwhile, but with a greater risk.”
A wolf pack’s hunting strategy for bison isn’t much different from that of elk, deer, or moose. Wolves will persistently harass bison herds until one individual, preferably young or injured, breaks off and exposes itself to attack.
“Wolves usually try to attack these animals from the rear, coming in behind them and grabbing their butts,” Wuerthner said. “One or two wolves will drag it down from the back, then other wolves will try to grab the throat to finish the animal off.
"The first thing is to disable them by getting their back legs.”
There are several wolf packs with distinct territories in Yellowstone, but not all of them are bison hunters.
“It’s the bigger packs that tend to go after larger prey, whether it's moose or bison,” Wuerthner said. “Packs of at least a dozen, because the more animals you have, the better your chances of bringing down a bison.”
The Rescue Creek pack currently has around 16 wolves, which are frequently seen hunting and hanging out between the Blacktail Plateau and Tower Junction.
That’s potentially enough to successfully take down a bison, but it’s not something they frequently attempt to do.
“It depends on the pack,” Barette said. “Some packs specialize more on (bison) than others, and that’s mostly in the wintertime. From my personal observations, I wouldn’t say I see the Rescue Creek pack specifically targeting bison.”
The Wapiti wolf pack in the Lamar Valley successfully hunts bison in winter.
One successful hunt in February 2025 sent a panicked bison sprinting into a group of watching tourists, but nobody was injured.
Hard Knock Life
For wolves, the cost of a failed bison hunt can be deadly. Wolves might be smarter, but a single bison can easily outweigh all of its would-be killers combined and will always have the advantages of size and strength.
Baratte couldn’t tell if the wolf kicked by the bison was seriously injured. It certainly didn’t seem to affect it in the moment, as it immediately recovered from the blow and ran after the fleeing bison.
“I was too far away to tell,” he said. “I would say we were about 3 miles away. I couldn't tell if that wolf was limping away or anything for my distance, but it was hard to say from my range.”
Wolves can survive surprisingly powerful blows from bison, elk, and moose. However, that doesn’t mean they get away unscathed.
“Older wolves almost always have broken bones when they're autopsied,” Wuerthner said. “If you live five or six years, the chances are you've been kicked, had to heal up a rib, or even broken a leg more than once.”
Predators avoid injury at all costs, even when it means missing out on a meal. That’s why the Rescue Creek pack quickly gave up their pursuit of the bison once it reached its herd.
Headfirst
Elk and moose are kickers. They use their front and back legs to keep predators back and might land a blow if they’re lucky.
Bison are capable of kicking, of course, but they prefer to tackle their problems head-on.
“A lot of times, bison will form a defensive circle,” Wuerthner said. “The outer perimeter is the mature animals with their calves in the center. That will intimidate any threat from going inward. It’s just intimidation.”
Intimidation is a potent weapon.
While the downturned head and sharp horns of bison usually aren’t enough to intimidate selfie-seeking Yellowstone tourists, wolves won’t bother once they’re face-to-face with one bison, let alone a defensive circle.
The strategy is more often seen in herds of musk oxen in the Arctic Circle, where wolves are among their primary predators.
“If the bison don’t break or indicate they’re afraid, the wolves will say, ‘It’s not worth my time, I don't want to die today,’ and move on,” Wuerthner said. "Bison aren't afraid to use their horns."
A bison kick could be seen as a last resort, a desperation strategy. It means they’re attempting to outrun their pursuers or reunite with friends with wolves already nipping at their heels.
“If a predator gets behind them, kicking their rear feet is a really effective strategy,” Wuerthner said. “They’ll do whatever it takes to fend off a wolf.”
Always Spectacular
Live wolves and dead bison are big business for Yellowstone. Most people will never see a wolf pack successfully kill a bison, but bison carcasses are a year-round attraction for wolves, grizzlies, and tourists.
Now that winter’s over, the carcasses of bison that died during the winter are thawing out. The rotting flesh attracts every opportunistic animal in the park, leading to incredible scenes of conflict and cooperation.
Barette and his Yellowstone Adventure Tours didn’t see a successful hunt that day, but nobody was complaining. The natural drama of Yellowstone rarely disappoints.
“Seeing the interactions between wolves and prey is always fascinating,” Barette said. “It’s these two big forces of nature interacting with each other. It’s always spectacular.”
Andrew Rossi can be reached at arossi@cowboystatedaily.com.
