On a cool autumn evening in October we drove down an unpaved-country road in search of the wild Wisconsin wolf. It was a perfect night for a wolf howl survey. There was a full moon out that night. The night air was cool with no breeze. A perfect night to make our human-howls carry through the night air.

We stopped the car deep in the woods, and quietly exited the vehicle. We walked to a spot in front of the car about 50 feet away. We waited for the sounds of the car motor to die-down. Jeff made the first howl with no response. Then, I howled, and there was a response. We heard wolves howl from our left about a hundred yards away.

The forest canopy blocked out any moonlight making it impossible to see your hand in front of your face. That’s how dark it was in the…