The study was carried out in the Superior National Forest in northern St. Louis, Lake, and Cook Counties of northeastern Minnesota ([fig. 1]), in conjunction with other aspects of wolf research (see Mech et al. [p. 1]).
METHODS
The investigation began in February 1966 and continued through March 1969; the basic objective was to examine as many wolf-killed deer as possible and compare their ages, sex, and condition with a large sample of deer from the population at large in the same area. Wolf-kills were examined only during December through March when they could be found from the air. Aircraft ranging in size from an Aeronca Champ to a Cessna 206 were used to fly over frozen lakes at altitudes up to 2,000 feet to locate wolves ([fig. 2]), wolf tracks, or kills ([fig. 3]). We often discovered kills by tracking a wolf pack.
Figure 2.—Wolves were located from the air, usually on frozen lakes. (Photo courtesy of L. D. Mech.)
