Follow the Pack just returned from a short trip to the home ranges of two Mexican gray wolf packs: Middle Fork in New Mexico and Hawk’s Nest in Arizona. A visit to the territories of these two packs illustrates how lobos can thrive in very different kinds of habitats.
The Middle Fork Pack ranges over a large area of the Gila National Forest north of the Gila Wilderness. Their home range includes areas of grassland, as well as patches of ponderosa pine forest, rugged canyons, and forested mountains. A few years ago fires swept through parts of their territory, leaving lots of charred logs on the ground and encouraging the growth of grass in the burned-over areas. Although the stock tanks (ponds) are full after a snowy winter and wet spring, they will lose much of their water to evaporation during the summer.
We didn’t see the Middle Fork wolves themselves, but we did find tracks in the mud at the edge of a stock tank. We also saw a number of elk in several small herds. 
Middle Fork Pack track in mud 
Stock tank in Middle Fork territory
The Hawk’s Nest home range also includes large grasslands, but they are at a higher elevation and are much wetter. Small ponds and marshes seem to be everywhere. This year’s heavy snow left them overflowing with water. Ducks and geese move from pond to pond, quacking and honking as they fly. Frogs trill day and night. 
Grassland and forest in Hawk's Nest territory
Hawk’s Nest wolves move through some pine forests similar to those in Middle Fork territory, but there are also areas of forest consisting of aspen, spruce, Douglas fir, and other trees—what botanists call “mixed conifer” forest.
We were lucky enough to catch a glimpse of one member of the Hawk’s Nest pack running across the grassland, but the wolf was much too far away to photograph without a long telephoto lens. We also found wolf tracks in a little snow bank left from the enormous drifts that covered the area during the winter. Perhaps next time we return, we'll be really lucky and get a photograph to post on this page.
All photos courtesy of Jean Ossorio
