Last week we posted an entry [2] on the self defense killing of a wolf by a pair of Flathead Valley hunters. Currently the NewAmerican is running an article [3] with written statements of Mark Appleby and Mario Benedict on the wolf pack attack.

Apparently the two hunters saw no fresh sign of wolves or other predators and felt comfortable enough to have lunch near the carcass for awhile before quartering up the elk. According to Mr. Pitman they were just starting to load the quarters onto the horses when:

[Mr. Appleby] turned and started to yell, "Wolves, Raymond!" I turned to see six or seven wolves at 20 yards or less coming in on us ... silently! No noise was heard. I pulled my .44 and fired a round up the hill as a warning. They didn't pause at all. So, I started pulling the trigger at the violent, incredibly fast pack of wolves. They were so close and [there were] so many of them. They were all around us from our 3 o'clock to our 9 o'clock [position], coming in for either the horses or the meat or us. We were definitely in a life or death situation..

Visit the link above to read the full account of each hunter, since earlier news stories did not appear to give solid details on the events leading up to and during the shooting. The US Fish and Wildlife is still investigating the attack [4] and have not wrapped up the case.