Freelance writer Katie Jackson’s favorite animal is a wolf, while her rancher parents feel the opposite about the canines. She ended up writing an article about how she took them wolf-watching at Yellowstone National Park. Here’s how it goes:
Growing up on the family ranch in the foothills of the Judith Mountains, the author straddled two very Montana truths: wolves have always been her favorite animal, but to her mom and dad they were the enemy — a threat to a livelihood where every cow counts. Her rancher parents have always hated wolves, and while she took them on a Yellowstone wolf‑watching tour to see if she could change their minds, it quickly became clear that this wasn’t about developing a soft spot for the animals. The piece opens with a recurring childhood nightmare (“Don’t shoot!”) that highlights the tension between her fascination with Canis lupus and the hard-edged reality of ranch life. She’s a travel writer now, but those alfalfa fields and her parents’ Carhartt-clad practicality never left her — nor did the stubborn, unromantic respect her parents have for the creatures’ role in the ecosystem.
The Yellowstone trip, led by veteran guide Nathan Varley, becomes less a lesson in affection and more about showing science in action. Scopes trained on the Lamar Valley and explanations of predator-prey dynamics show her parents why wolves exist in Yellowstone and how they help manage populations, but emotional attachment is beside the point. Seeing the Junction Butte pack in action earns a nod of understanding rather than a newfound fondness; the ranchers leave curious and informed, but still guided by the hard logic of protecting livestock. In true Big Sky fashion, the story isn’t about changing hearts, but about finding a balance between science and survival — and maybe respecting wolves enough to let them exist, even if they’ll never be anyone’s favorite animal on the ranch.
You can read the full story here.
What are your thoughts? If you are a rancher, or you dislike the destruction wolves can cause, would you agree to a wolf-watching tour through Yellowstone?
(Photo credit: Katie Jackson)
