If you meet a wolf, enjoy the experience

BOISE, Idaho -- Thousands of vacationers in the West will likely see a wolf in the wild for the first time this summer, often from the road but sometimes while camping or hiking.

The federal government and state agencies that manage wolves have concise rules on what is legal in these encounters, and experts who study wolf behavior offer advice on how to handle what is likely to be an unforgettable experience.

"Wolves don't turn and run away immediately like we're used to with other animals," said Carolyn Sime, gray wolf program coordinator with the Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks Department. "The other thing that kind of makes it unnerving is the intensity of their eyes. It's partly the color and partly the intensity of the way they're looking at you."

Wolves nearly always blink first, experts say, but yelling will drive off a wolf, as will pepper spray.

About 1,000 wolves in 140 packs live in Montana, Idaho and Wyoming, steadily increasing since being reintroduced in Yellowstone National Park and central Idaho in 1995 and 1996.

Wolf experts say that centuries of mythology -- think "Little Red Riding Hood" -- taints present-day wolf-human meetings, and that wolves tend to avoid humans.

"If you're walking on a dark trail at midnight and you turn a corner and come across a pack of 20 wolves, enjoy them," Bangs said. "Because they'll be gone in a few seconds."

In fact, wolf attacks on humans are extremely rare. But wolves might not run off so quickly if a hiker has a dog along. Northern Rockies gray wolves have killed at least 83 dogs since 1987, and last year killed 30 of their own number in territorial disputes.

Pepper spray -- often carried by hikers in grizzly bear country -- can be used on wolves. It's legal to kill a wolf in self-defense. "Expect an investigation because that is almost nonexistent," Ed Bangs, with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. "The physical evidence better back up your story."

The penalty for illegally killing a listed wolf can range up to $100,000 and a year in jail. Bangs said that about 10 percent of Northern Rockies wolf deaths are the result of illegal kills.