Fans of one of Yellowstone National Park\u2019s most popular wolves are mourning her death. The young female, 1479F, was reportedly shot legally by a hunter this month after straying\u00a0out of the park and into Montana.<\/p>\n
Wolf 1479F was about 2.5 years old and was killed by a hunter last week, followers of the popular wolf told Cowboy State Daily.<\/p>\n
The National Park Service (NPS) confirmed Tuesday that 1479 was killed Sept. 17 during a legal hunt in Montana\u2019s Wildlife Management Unit 316 north of the park.<\/p>\n
\u201cWMU 316\u00a0is a wilderness hunt unit that is also a popular elk hunting district during the fall season,\u201d according to NPS.<\/p>\n
NPS also confirmed that 1479F was an offspring of another famous Yellowstone wolf, 907F.<\/p>\n
1479F\u2019s tracking collar was returned to NPS by Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks (NPS).<\/p>\n
Wolf 1479\u2019s death could rekindle the debate over allowing wolves to be hunted near the park\u2019s boundaries in Wyoming, Montana and Idaho.<\/p>\n
Adding to the impact of 1479F\u2019s death on the wolf-watching community is the fact that she could have been an offspring of one of Yellowstone\u2019s most legendary wolves, the late 907F.<\/p>\n
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Fans of Wolf 1479F described the young female as a curious and active member of the Junction Butte Pack in Yellowstone National Park. She reportedly left the park and was legally killed by a hunter in Montana this month. (Courtesy Deby Dixon Photography)\u2018One Of The Funniest Wolves\u2019<\/p>\n
Wolf 1479F was part of the Junction Butte Pack, which is highly visible and therefore popular among wolf watchers and wildlife photographers.<\/p>\n
For years, the pack\u2019s matriarch was the famed\u00a0one-eyed 907F<\/a>. She was 11.8 years old when she died on Christmas Day 2024, from injuries she suffered a few days prior during a fight with wolves from a rival pack.<\/p>\n During her remarkably long life, 907F gave birth to numerous litters of pups.\u00a0Wolf 1479F was among a litter of pups born to the Junction Butte Pack in April 2023.<\/p>\n \u201cShe (1479F) was the only pup who survived that year,\u201d said Krisztina Gayler, an avid follower of the pack.<\/p>\n Gayler was in tears when she spoke to Cowboy State Daily about the loss of 1479F.<\/p>\n She said the young female was a delight to watch.<\/p>\n \u201cShe was one of the funniest wolves that you could observe,\u201d\u00a0Gayler said. “She made me laugh a lot. She was very, very distracted by everything, all the time. And she played a lot.”<\/p>\n Wildlife photographer Deby Dixon told Cowboy State Daily that 1479F was energetic and independent.<\/p>\n \u201c(She was) always on the go, nothing stopped her,\u201d Dixon said. “She was the kind of wolf that lived in your heart so much that you were scared to talk about her for fear she would become a target.”<\/p>\n There were unsubstantiated rumors that 1479F had pups this past spring, but most of them died, Dixon added.<\/p>\n \u201cShe was independent and always on patrol, and she was a great babysitter for the pups this year,\u201d Dixon said.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd, she was one of the few wolves in the park that would walk right through a crowd of people to reach her destination,\u201d\u00a0she added. “Since the death of her mother, 907F, she was the Junction Butte pack member that you looked for every time.”<\/p>\n Debate Over Wolf Hunting At The Park Line<\/p>\n Inside Yellowstone National Park, wolves remain fully protected. That\u2019s in sharp contrast to the policies of surrounding states, which have allowed wolf hunting for more than a decade.<\/p>\n Opponents of wolf hunts directly adjacent to the park claim that the Yellowstone wolves are too acclimated to humans to make those hunts truly fair chase.<\/p>\n Hunting proponents point out that once wolves set foot outside of Yellowstone, they are under the states\u2019 regulations. Legal wolf hunting has been a key component of the states\u2019 wolf management programs.<\/p>\n As\u00a0to the effects of the hunts on pack structure, that can depend upon which wolves are killed, biologist Doug Smith told Cowboy State Daily.<\/p>\n The death of a \u201chigh-ranking wolf can be disruptive to the pack\u2019s social structure,\u201d said\u00a0Smith, who led Yellowstone\u2019s wolf program for nearly three decades and now is the chief biologist at the Jackson Fork Ranch.<\/p>\n Depending upon the circumstances, the loss of a lower-ranking wolf might not have much effect, he added.<\/p>\n
![\"Fans](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/1479F-woof-1-9.23.25.jpeg\")
Fans of Wolf 1479F described the young female as a curious and active member of the Junction Butte Pack in Yellowstone National Park. She reportedly left the park and was legally killed by a hunter in Montana this month. (Courtesy Deby Dixon Photography)The Controversial Death Of 0-Six<\/p>\n