Story and photos by Russ Kehler
The edge of morning crept across a valley within Yellowstone National Park, and twilight gave way to a gray dawn. My cold finger squeezed down on the shutter of my Nikon, and I adjusted camera settings in the faint hope of capturing an image of the black wolf in the dim light. The bright brass plates that protected the leather collar she wore shone even in the early morning light. It was the wolf known as 1479F, the restless yearling of the Junction Butte pack.
1479 was an extraordinary young wolf, born to a remarkable mother, the famous 907F (a wolf that lived to the age of 11 and birthed 10 litters). It was a year of near tragedy for the pack, as all the other pups died in the den, perhaps because 907 was already a 10-year-old matriarch. Somehow, 1479 survived, and it seemed to make her stronger.
She was often referred to as an “only child,” but strictly speaking, that is not entirely factual. 907 had given birth over the years to many surviving pups in previous litters, though in human terms, they were all “teens or adults” by the time 1479 was born. This little black pup, born in April 2023, became the darling of her pack.
She emerged from the den in early May and was immediately surrounded by doting “aunts” and “uncles” who smothered her with attention. When adults returned from a carcass to regurgitate and feed her, there were no other pups to fight for food. But there were also no other pups to play games with, so she was always the winner during the pup contest to catch the most grasshoppers. As you might expect, it did go to her head.
Rising Popularity
Self-confidence knew no bounds for this young wolf, and by the time she was a yearling, I was photographing her all over the northern range of Yellowstone. Whenever I have frequent encounters with the same wolf, it begins to feel like I am developing a personal relationship with it. With each new set of photographs, I learned more about her personality, and I began to carry the remarkable narrative of her journey through life, always in the back of my mind.
I was far from the only one who felt this way. For many park visitors, her popularity even rivaled that of her mother, 907F. I would be remiss not to add that she was often with the pups at the den after 907 birthed her final litter in 2024. Finally having playmates, she spent hours with the little ones trying to make up for the missed pup adventures of her childhood.
Pack Shifts and Unexpected Motherhood
That winter, 907 passed away from wounds she received during an attack by the Rescue Creek pack. At over 11 years, she was very advanced in age for a wild wolf, limping from an old wound, and having only one working eye when she died. She supported the pack successfully through over a decade.
By spring, it was clear that one of the other female wolves, 1385F, was pregnant and dominant. She set up at the traditional den location near Slough Creek. 1479’s sister from an earlier litter, 1478F, was also pregnant, and to avoid conflict, she found safety to the south in a den far away from the dominant breeding female, 1385F.
In early May 2025, we could see black pups far away at 1385’s den porch. One pup seemed to be much smaller than the others. And 1385 was not the only lactating female nursing the pups. 1479, whom no one suspected of having been pregnant, was also nursing the pups.
Only DNA will ever tell the entire story, but since spontaneous lactation is extremely rare, a likely scenario is that 1479 gave birth sometime after 1385, and the smaller (and younger) pup belonged to 1479. The visitors in Yellowstone were thrilled to see that their favorite young wolf had grown up to have a pup of her own, which only increased her popularity.
Tension and Exile
Giving birth did not make life any easier for 1479. Female 1385 dominated her frequently, which is a polite way of saying she was not treated kindly. This physical dominance is an integral part of creating a strong pack, but some females can be abusive. I do not doubt that 1385 was harsher on 1479 because the younger female exhibited so much independence and a confident personality.
Female 1385 was born a year before 1479, when the Junctions had four females breeding and a total of 21 pups. Having 20 playmates, 1385’s childhood differed drastically from the “only child” experience of 1479 and clearly colored her interactions with other females. When 1385 was a pup playing tug-of-war and other games, she learned quickly the dominance skills required to rise to the top of her pack in just three years.
As September 2025 arrived, the tension with 1385 continued to grow until one evening, high up on a northern hillside, multiple wolves from her pack fiercely attacked 1479F and banished her into exile.
A Wandering Spirit at Rest
The broken young wolf was joined by another black wolf, and they journeyed north of Yellowstone following the migrating elk into Montana’s Hunting District 316. It was not long before a hunter turned in her collar, confirming that her wandering spirit was now finally at rest.
Wolf 1479F, in her short 2.5 years, went from being the only surviving pup of a litter that was nearly a complete failure, to becoming a strong, brave, independent adult female wolf adored by thousands. We will never know if she could have fulfilled her potential to be as legendary as her mother, but in many ways, this young wolf did become a legend.
Before her death, she likely left us with at least one pup, perhaps more. Unlike 1479, it has the advantage of learning to keep up and compete with its peers from an early age. There have certainly been other wolves over the past three decades who, though diminutive in stature, became giants in the history of Yellowstone. I take comfort in the thought that perhaps the leadership legacy of 907F may be carried on by her little grandchild through her daughter, 1479F.
About the author
Russ Kehler’s wildlife photographs have appeared in magazines and books by various authors. He is also the author of “Imagine Yellowstone: Tales and Images from Wonderland’s Northern Range,” available from Yellowstone Forever stores or at OldWolfPhoto.com. One hundred percent of the proceeds from his work go to preserve wildlife.
This article was originally published in the Summer 2026 edition of International Wolf magazine, which is published quarterly by the International Wolf Center. The magazine is mailed exclusively to members of the Center.
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