Posted on 10/02/2015 6:34:24 AM PDT by SJackson
On Sept. 23, Matthew Nellessen of Friendship, Wisc., an avid deer hunter and former U.S. Army sergeant who served with the 961st Engineers in Afghanistan in 2006 and 2007, was scouting a potential hunting area in the Colburn Wildlife Management Area of Adams County when he locked eyes with a wolf only 30 yards away. Acting on instinct he gained from military service, Nellessen immediately pulled his sidearm, a Walther PK .380, and chambered a round.
That’s when things went from bad to worse. As he racked the slide, Nellessen noticed two more wolves approaching from the left.
“It all happened so fast,” said Nellessen. "It was maybe 3-4 seconds and the wolves were on me.”
The first wolf came in from the right, mouth open, fangs ready to rip into Nellesen's leg. A swift kick from the man’s boot landed square on the wolf's face and deflected the bite.
“That first wolf missed my leg by 8-10 inches,” he said.
The other two wolves weren’t far behind. As the next wolf leapt toward Nellessen, the man jumped back and was able to fire a single round into the animal. Nellessen was unsure of the lethality of the hit, but two wolves immediately retreated for the bush at the sound of the gunshot and the third limped away “like a gut-shot deer," said Nellessen.
Though shaken, Nellessen, realizing he had not been injured in the ordeal, made a hasty, yet calculated retreat to his truck, he said, "clearing every bush and tree along the way with my .380.” Reaching a point roughly 600 yards from the truck, Nellessen breathed a small sigh of relief, phoned his wife and informed her of the ordeal.
“I thought, if the wolves were still following me,” said Nellessen, “I ought to give her an idea of where I’m at.”
Once home, he called the Wisconsin DNR.
The following day, with biologists from the Wisconsin DNR and U.S.D.A. Wildlife Services in tow, Nellessen returned to the scene of the attack, hoping to find a dead wolf. At press time no wolf had been found, but Nellessen said the group did find lots of wolf sign, and a blood trail that ended after roughly 150 yards.
Nellessen is an avid outdoorsman.
Despite his encounter, Nellesen said, "I don’t blame the wolves.” He surmised that the perfect wind for scouting also turned out to be the perfect wind for unintentionally bumping into the wolves in what he described as "their living room.”
Nellessen attributes his ability to survive the encounter to his military experience and the small sidearm he carried with him that day.
“I’d be dead without my military experience,” he said. “A single bullet saved my life … a .380 FMJ.”
Phone calls and emails to the Wisconsin DNR confirm: "The Wisconsin DNR along with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service are currently investigating a report of a wolf interaction on or about that date. That’s all we can say since there is an ongoing investigation.”
Matthew Nellessen, who says he is now "In the market for a bigger gun,” renewed his NRA membership four days ago.
I'd agree with his intent to carry a larger caliber.
Wolf lobby to protest assault weapons in 3...2...1!
ping. The Colburn pack has been long identified.
You really need bullets that explosively come apart, shred or petal out a large wound channel, animals like dogs, wolves or any game animal are very hard to kill with just one shot, especially with a small caliber solid projectile at a modest velocity.
Big velocity or big bullet.
Thank goodness he learned that lesson. A .380 is a pretty puny round to be carrying as your defensive sidearm in the woods.
Yeah, because everybody knows wolves always keep clear of humans and never attack them.
The time he spent chambering a round (racking the slide) could have been spent shooting his attacker.
Color me skeptical. This story reads like a Jack London knockoff.
Good story. But this is 2015. So of course I’ve got to ask, how many federal, state, and local violations will he be charged with?
He might consider the 10mm ...
I'm a .357 man myself but a 10 mil would be a fine option also.
Why would you have FMJ in a gun you plan to use for self defense?
Maybe he was planning to do a little target shooting during his scouting trip.
Agree completely. Though I carry both, in my unprofessional opinion anyone with a semi auto uncomfortable with a round in the chamber should probably opt for a revolver. Things happen fast.
A .380 is awfully small for going into the woods. He’s lucky the single shot and sound scared the wolves away.
Yes, but I'd rather have a loud smaller caliber FMJ with me than a mondo-mushroom hand cannon that gets left at home because it's too heavy to carry on such a nice day.
Like it or not, the under powered .380 pea shooter saved his life that day, and taught three wolves that people are to be avoided.
Pistols are only good for killing people #LibSpeak
I favor the .45 m’self.
Agree, a few black bear in the general area as well. I usually carry a 357 though an incident like this, three attacking simultaneously, I magazine capacity could be an issue. My guess he wasn't carrying this with four legged wolves on his mind.
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