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Wolves transporting fawns they have killed to their pups

Voyageurs Wolf Project | March 12, 2026



Once wolves kill fawns, as they do frequently at this time of year, they have a transportation issue: the pups are not big enough to travel to the kills so the adults must move the meal to the pups.

This often means adults must travel several miles, expending substantial energy and spending considerable time, simply to deliver a relatively small meal by wolf standards (young fawns are ~4-6 kg) to the pups.

And we capture this process on camera from time to time as you can see in this video.

Undoubtedly, what you see in this video has occurred somewhere in the Greater Voyageurs Ecosystem at least once today, if not numerous times.

Now, we have no doubt some will object about our choice of a thumbnail for this video…a composite image showing the sequence of a female wolf carrying a fawn back to the pups (which you can see in the video)

Despite the caption of the photo clearly explaining what the image is, some have concluded the image is “reckless”, “has a negative impact”, “very misleading”, “deceiving”, and is “sick”, And that if we cared about wolves, we would not have shared this.

Almost all these comments are spurred by the concern that the image makes wolves “look bad” and that “anti-wolf” crowd will use this for propaganda.

Our response to that is: our objective is not to sanitize wolves or run a public relations campaign for them. We study their behavior, and try to depict them in the most biologically realistic light as we can.

Further, we have always tried to use unique and creative ways to share what wolves do, regardless of how that makes them look.

Sometimes that means highlighting the warm moments like pups and social interactions, and sometimes that means highlighting the visceral moments such as wolves’ carnivory and predation behavior.

Ironically, no one is screaming at us when we do similar things and create composites of wolf packs together, or other thumbnails that clearly are composites intended to capture the essence of a video or certain event.

What our project has done is provided rigorous, up-to-date scientific information on wolf predation on deer fawns based on our own work and that of others that has reached millions of folks via our efforts on social media.

If a composite image—which we think is a unique and interesting way to depict a common occurrence in summer—such as this catches someone’s attention on social media and they read our post on the actual science/research and learn something, then we consider that a win.

For instance, our post last week on wolf-fawn interactions, where we used this image, was viewed by 518,724 people on Facebook alone, in part, because this image captured peoples’ attention.

Lastly, this photo is not going to change anyone’s perspective on wolves. If someone or some group that dislikes wolves wants to use this image, they can have at it.

Folks who want to demonize wolves for being predators will do so regardless—the internet and social media is full of such examples. There is no shortage of content depicting the predatory capabilities of wolves, or the remains of their prey.

Our goal on social media is to provide engaging and captivating content based on the best available science and research. We have put in considerable time and effort to do this over the past 7 years and hope to continue doing this for many years.

Learn more about the Voyageurs Wolf Project:
Website: http://www.voyageurswolfproject.org
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/VoyageursWolfProject
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/voyageurswolfproject/
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/VoyaWolfProject
Threads: https://www.threads.net/@voyageurswolfproject

Written by Voyageurs Wolf Project

Comments

This post currently has 47 comments.

  5. @hannahy4962

    March 12, 2026 at 8:50 pm

    predators need to eat, too, and wolves hunting (and being able to disperse over wider ranges of land) ensures that the deer population stays stable and healthy, and that herbivores across the ecosystem aren't competing for food with an inflated number of deer.

  6. @cleonmain1291

    March 12, 2026 at 8:50 pm

    Good proof of the reason Deer populations are falling in NE Minnesota. Remember at the same time Black Bears as well as other predators are out hunting Deer fawns. Not to mention the over 60% Moose Calf mortality in NE Minnesota too. All of this is well documented in studies by the DNR and Fon-du-Lac band. As a Land owner in NE Minnesota I've witnessed all wildlife prey disappear from my area. We now have Wolves in central Minnesota and Black Bears in the suburbs of the Twin Cities at times. Minnesota has the Largest Wolf population in the lower 48 states and they are expanding their range. Our Wolf population is estimated to be greater than All the other lower 48 states combined.

  17. @AtlasBlizzard

    March 12, 2026 at 8:50 pm

    I want wolves to be less demonized too, but I don't think showing them in their natural behavior demonizes them at all. That's a cultural thing that, sadly, takes longer to change. This behavior, for instance, is something I've never seen before, so thank you! Wolves will brave peril for their pups, which is admirable.

  21. @janelle4550

    March 12, 2026 at 8:50 pm

    Sad but I know it's the circle of life. Sometimes I try to imagine what it would be like to have to take a chance on whether or not I and my children eat.
    Sadly again, there are plenty of people in the world who face that issue and they don't even have an opportunity to hunt.

  29. @doberski6855

    March 12, 2026 at 8:50 pm

    Can't tell for sure. Does this mean it was a good year for the Deer population or a bad one? Seems odd for wolves to waste all that time and energy for such a small return. I would have thought they would focus on old or sick adults.

  30. @briseboy

    March 12, 2026 at 8:50 pm

    Most of you may ALSO BE unaware that NW Wisconsin counties often show RELIABLE counts of over 60-100 deer per Square Mile, where wolves are absent. This overbloom also occurs dow into Illinois and Indiana.
    Check with field biologists working in your region to get accurate numbers.
    Having been involved in and with wolf and other researchers, i had initially been surprised at the densities.

    Realize, too, that the CWD, traced back to "game farms" in Dakotas to Texas, is spreafing – the visible physical presentations are identical to extreme starvation, in late-stage CWD

  33. @briseboy

    March 12, 2026 at 8:50 pm

    Easier than the common swallowing & barfing up so necessary during denning!
    Few know that EVERY part of a fawn EXCEPT hooves and jawbone are nutritious fare for an adult or teen wolf. Seeing the consumption several times, i can assure that only those parts remain, immediately following dining.
    Yes, a single wolf can have an entire fawn in one meal. The diner may not choose to eat again for a couple days ( about 3 is a common max fast if prey & carrion are plentiful.)

  35. @wildswan221

    March 12, 2026 at 8:50 pm

    That's amazing footage! The deer here are reproducing like mad because we have no wolves. It's crazy, they have fawn triplets…eating all the vegetation. If I didn't plant stuff for the bees, we would have no pollinators left at all. I don't even eat the honey, I just spend time trying to feed the wild honey bees because the dratted deer have wiped out all their natural flowers.

  45. @Frazsier-lx1gr

    March 12, 2026 at 8:50 pm

    Well, that's life in nature. Cruel but necessary. It's a survival situation. I like many predatory animals. And with this fondness also comes what we see in this video. Thanx for the insight. 👍

Comments are closed.

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