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.
Actually, I prefer FMJ in a .380 ACP. The round does not have enough "oomph" to properly expand as a hollow-point, and the penetration of a hollow-point is much less than a FMJ. It comes down to the old trade-off: Penetration or expansion. With a relatively "weak" round such as .380 ACP, I'll opt for penetration. (Note: I purposely put "weak" in quotes, because I do think the .380 ACP is a suitable round for self-defense, if used in close-quarter.)
I was skeptical too. If only one attacked him, rabies maybe? Or if it were the end of a long winter with few available prey, that might be believable.
Regarding coyote, they hang around farms in our part of the woods, trying to eat small livestock. We recently rescued a farm dog that supposedly attacks coyote and other predators. I know they don’t harm humans, but to hear coyote call while sitting around the camp fire in pitch darkness will make the hair on your neck stand up.
I too would have carried something like a lightweight 9mm or even a .44 mag but as he showed, sometimes any gun is better than no gun.
I read an article in Sports Afield maybe in the 1950s by an old Alaska Sourdough named Russell Anabelle. He was leading a mule train up a frozen creek when he was attacked by a she wolf and her yearling cubs.
He sat down with his backpack against a tree and used his six inch Colt Woodsman .22LR (another John Browning invention) to dispatch the group. I can’t recall if he actually killed any but I think he did.
He did say they ought to make a monument to the .22
Adams county is about one hundred miles due east of me. I live in a heavily wooded and hilly part of Wisconsin, La Crosse County. While there are plenty of bears, coyotes, and a few puma sightings, there have been no wolf sightings in my county to my knowledge.
Although there have been confirmed wolf sightings in the next county east. I'm wondering if the guy didn't encounter some little larger coyotes.
We are neighbors. Dupage County myself.
I agree with you re: the coyotes. They are quite common here. I see them sometimes on the Prairie Path, and, of course, in the forest preserves. They are in my neighborhood, as well, as I’ve seen a few while walking my dog.
The PP was very common in .32. I ordered a West German Police trade-in back in the 80s. It still had it’s box and was beautifully made.
They were actually available in .25, .32, .380 and .22LR. The .380 was popular in the U.S.
The PPK was available in the same calibers.
The PPK/s was I think only sold in the U.S. I am not sure about the calibers but every one I have seen was in .380.
Probably only round the new PK walthers will feed reliably....
My choice would be the highest capacity 9mm I can comfortably carry ..... first of my 6 rounds would have been noise while I spray and pray the prey with violence of action ..... other 14 rounds from my combat tupperware would be for the deaf members of the pack.
Thats plan A everyday be they wolves in the woods or jackals in the hood...
Gray Glock 17TB with the plus two round magazine base modifications, speer 147gr gold dot hollow points. 58 rounds total with one in the chamber.....
Just my opinion and my current carry of the tupperware and two spare
mags... stay safe !
Yep... mines a PPK/S from interterms era..... A 380 with a reliability and action job by Cylinder and Slide gunshop..... very nice reliable pocket pistola
that also rides nice in a Ken Null shoulder rig in church....
Would the wolf pack attack & eat a member of the pack that was mortally wounded???
We have coyotes where I live and they can also get aggressive—but mostly against smaller animals.
Here; we have coyotes that have mixed with dogs & are now much braver than they once were.
Multiple problems, a judge relisted wolves in WI as federally endangered, so he’d have both state and federal liability were he not protecting himself from imminent harm.
Gotta get a bigger gun. Though the mini .380s are so easy to throw in a pocket. (with a Nemesis)
That’s true. I usually have five rounds, but I know in the unlikely event I ever had to deal with a bear, if I needed more than two his teeth would already be in me.
Mmm. I would expect a Walther should be able to run reliably with some kind of HP ammo, but might require some testing or feed ramp polishing.
Probably best to stick with 9mm as a minimum if at all possible. I remember Gov. Perry was able to successfully cap a coyote with his LCP but he probably had some bodyguards for backup.
Also, this is a refuge open to the public, others could have been around, as at some point could a wolf carcass.
If he was attacked by 3 wolves as he claimed he wouldn’t come out of it without a scratch.
Kicking one wolf as he claimed would give the other 2 an open door to chew his ass up.
He can’t kick anywhere nearly as hard as your average deer so his kick wouldn’t stop an attack.
I have seen pistols which were beautifully finished yet they left the feed ramp rough. I almost wondered if they did it on purpose but don’t think they did.
I used to have a cratex point for my dremel tools which was perfect for polishing feed ramps. I finally used it up and haven’t found another one except as part of a complete set of bits. It would really polish them without removing any metal to speak of.
The second part of your question is the interesting one, I'm wondering if the guy didn't encounter some little larger coyotes since they breed with large coyotes. I've heard of one trapper who successfully defended himself against a charge of killing a wolf, he dispatched the trapped wolf and then called the DNR, by having DNA run. It turned out to be a hybrid, and the charges were dropped.
Should have included you in 44. I mostly hunt in Adams, and have a few trail cam pics that the DNR identifies as probable. Big as a wolf, but some coyote features. Which leads to the question, what are they? Particularly important when one is endangered, and there’s an open season for the other.
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