Not only is Zachary Shifrel basically a rocket scientist, he won the wildlife watcher’s grand prize lottery last weekend, coming to within just a few yards of one of about 15 elusive wolverines thought to live in Wyoming.
Seeing such a rare creature up close was “just as cool as it is to land on the moon,” said Shifrel, who designs space software for Rocket Lab in Denver.
The brief encounter happened May 10 near the Green River Lakeside Trail in the Wind River Range mountains.
‘Slightly More Than 15’
Even what might be called a “robust population” of wolverines won’t amount to that many.
The largest members of the weasel family, wolverines are known for their fierce tenacity. They’re frequently solitary, and each wolverine’s territory might cover hundreds of square miles.
They prefer remote, mountainous terrain, and can sometimes travel great distances seeking new territory.
There have been only limited studies of Wyoming’s wolverine population, Zack Walker, the nongame wildlife supervisor for the Wyoming Game and Fish Department, previously told Cowboy State Daily
The last time Game and Fish did a survey of wolverines was during the winter of 2021-2022.
Using a grid system across prime habitat in western Wyoming’s remote and rugged mountain ranges, they placed monitoring sites with cameras in 51 “cells," he said
Photos of wolverines were captured at 15 of those, Walker said.
That means Wyoming’s known wolverine population is “likely slightly more than 15,” he said. “In some cases, we determined that there was more than one individual animal that came into the same monitoring station.”
A Wyoming Collar?
Photos that Shifrel took of the wolverine he encountered clearly show a tracking collar on the animal.
It couldn’t be determined for certain by publication time whether the animal had been collared by Wyoming Game and Fish.
Utah Division of Wildlife Resources spokeswoman Faith Heaton Jolley told Cowboy State Daily that while her state has had some collared wolverines, the one that Shifrel photographed probably hadn’t come from that state.
Utah biologists “confirmed that is not one of our collars. They said it looks like a Wyoming collar,” she stated in a text message.
Photo Op Of A Lifetime
Shifrel lives in the Denver metro area and loves coming to Wyoming to hike and photograph wildlife.
He set out from the Lower Green River Lakeside early last Sunday toward Squaretop Mountain. He figured he might get chances to photograph elk and moose, and perhaps “a dusky grouse.”
He was nearing the end of his hike out with his camera gear packed away when he saw something dash across the trail just a few yards away.
After a brief moment of uncertainty, he realized he was up close and personal with a wolverine, a creature many outdoor enthusiasts go their whole lives without seeing.
Shifrel scrambled to get his camera out.
Fortunately for Shifrel, the wolverine stopped about 20 yards away, giving him a brief chance to capture some once-in-a-lifetime photos and video.
“It was kind of snarling at me and making the typical wolverine noises for a second,” he said.
The animal never directly threatened him and left quickly. The encounter probably lasted 30 seconds, but Shifrel said he’ll never forget it.
“I was super-thankful for it. I don’t think I’ll ever get to see a wolverine again,” he said.
Contact Mark Heinz at mark@cowboystatedaily.com
Mark Heinz can be reached at mark@cowboystatedaily.com.
