This will probably sound stupid, but after looking at some pictures of a wolverine, I am wondering if I could have seen one. A few years ago I was bow hunting out of Yakima> During the middle of the day it got real hot so I walked down to a small stream that was along side a fairly busy forest service road. After walking around for a few minutes I saw a small black animal taking off up the other side at about 80 yards. I thought it looked like a badger and after about 1 or 2 minutes of running up one of the steepest hills around, it turned around at about 100 to 120 yards, panting, and it looked exactly like a bear in the face, all black with a white spot on it chest. Definitely not a badger, but looked to only be about 40 or so pounds. I wrote it off as the smallest black bear around, but after looking at pictures I am starting to wonder. Could it actually have been a wolverine?

did it have a long tail? i think wolverines do

Did this critter have a brushy tail, longer than would have been like a bear? Was it stocky with short legs? Wolverines are native to the BC Rockies, but have been seen as far south as the Sierras of Northern Cal. Quite possibly it was a wolverine, and a very rare sight around these parts.. Pretty cool.

My brother and I saw what we think was a wolverine just south of Cle Elum last year, about the first week of October. First we thought it was a small bear, but then realized it definitely wasn't a bear. It let us walk right up within about 60 yards, we were walking on an old overgrown road and it ran off into the brush, not in too big a hurry. So we continued on down the road just a ways till it ended, and on the way back I took a couple steps off into the brush about where the animal had gone, and there it was, about 30 yards away this time. It was like nothing I'd ever seen, and after looking in some books we decided it had to be a wolverine. Weird because we weren't very high in elevation at all, just barely above the valley floor.

Woverines can spray somewhat like a skunk and have a distinctive odor.

http://www.fs.fed.us/pnw/news/2006/02/wolverine-radio.shtml

RVW

cool article. i hunt that methow area for deer. last year a friend called and told me he seen a couple badgers. i wonder if it was a wolverine...? hmmm could have been now that i read that article.

i guess i will just hope to see on for myself.

Thanks for the article RVW. Those are awesome critters.

My two brothers and our Dad were in Montana coming down out of the hills returning from hunting and Dad spotted a grouse, one his favorite things to eat. One of my bros got out with his 22 and shot the grouse. As he went over to pick it, a badger came around a tree and started to grab the grouse as PJ was about to pick it up. PJ shouted at the badger as he was startled. The badger started hissing, beared his teeth, and kinda lunged at PJ's hand. PJ still had his 22 in the other hand so he shot the badger. Now he has a nice badger pelt as it was cold and the badger had a nice thick pelt.
Near as he can figure, the badger must have been stalking the grouse as the whole thing happened so fast.

god that would have scared the crap outa me.