John Oens

John Oens loves to hunt. He spends a lot of his time out in the wild. The Wisconsin man often planted traps around his property, seeing what he would cats. Most of his traps were for coyotes. There was one day when he caught something in his trap that wasn’t a coyote, and it was a day that he would never forget.

Timber Wolf

When John and his friends got out to the woods to check the trap, they found that there wasn’t a coyote caught in it. It was actually a wild wolf, a very large timber wolf. The animal’s front paws caught in the trap, and he was trying to get free. John could tell right away that the animal was in great pain. John knew that freeing the wolf from the trap wouldn’t be easy. The wolf was in pain and scared, so John had no idea if the animal would turn on him while trying to get him out of the trap. It was a very dangerous situation, and John knew that one wrong move would result in disaster.

In a Bad Spot

John knew that he was in a bad spot. If he left the wolf, it would likely die of starvation or exposure. It could also bleed to death. If the wolf tried to chew his own leg off, it would have been a disaster. If he tried to save the creature, it could have been his arm that got chewed off.

The Trap

The trap that John had set designed to catch smaller animals, and the traps didn’t have any teeth. The trap that John had set designed to hold the animal’s paw in place, similar to a pair of handcuffs. Without the help of a human, it would be impossible for a wild wolf to get out. John knew that he couldn’t just leave the wolf out in the woods alone, so he decided to set the wolf free, regardless of the dangers to himself.

A Trapped Animal Is a Dangerous Animal

Any animal that is trapped can become angry. Even the most gentle animal will become angry and anxious when caught. The wolf was howling, but it wasn’t because he was in pain. He was crying because he was scared. John knew that he had to get the wolf out quickly, without scaring it or making it angrier.

Endangered Species

While John wanted to save the wolf, he also had to. The Federal Endangered Species List lists the timber wolf as an endangered animal. This means that if John decided to shoot to the wolf, he could have been arrested, been ordered to pay a fine, and even go to jail. He knew that his options were limited. He had to save the animal and hope that it wouldn’t turn on him in the process. The last thing that he wanted was to go to jail for harming the wolf.

A Debate

When John was trying to figure out how to get the wolf out of the trap safely, his friends were debating whether it was a timber wolf at all. They were looking at the animal’s size. John was focusing on the markings, and he was sure that it was a timber wolf. This meant that it was time to free the animal.

Making a Plan

John and his group decided to make a plan to set the animal free safely, without anyone getting hurt.
They used a piece of plywood to act as a shield, and John’s dad stood behind a tree, just in case things got dangerous. He was only going to use the gun if absolutely necessary.

Freeing the Wolf

John got close to the wolf while holding the shield. He moved closer and closer, and the wolf didn’t seem to be angry. John says that it was almost as if the wolf knew that he was there to help. The piece of wood had a notch in it that would fit right over the wolf’s paw. The wolf seemed to get angry when John put the piece of plywood between them, so he had to work fast. He used one hand to hold the wood, and the other to free the wolf’s paw.

Freedom

It took just a few seconds, and John freed the wolf. The wolf spun around a few times at first, appearing to be confused. Soon, the wolf started running. From behind the tree, John’s friend was capturing a video of the whole thing. The wolf ran toward the woods, then he stopped. He turned back to John as if to say thank you, and went into the woods. John was thrilled that the wolf was free, and he didn’t attack. The wild wolf’s reaction to the man who rescued him from a trap is priceless.