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Wiltz: A large wolf surprises Parkston area hunters
By Roger Wiltz
Jim Sinkebell poses over a potential wolf after mistakenly shooting it southeast of Parkston on Jan. 9. (Courtesy photo)
By now you have probably heard bits and pieces about the Parkston wolf. During the early daylight hours of Wednesday, Jan. 9, Jim Sinkebeil and Jim More, both Minnesotans, were driving around the rural Parkston area looking for coyotes. Sinkebell is originally a Parkston native, and he still owns land in the Parkston area.
Sinkebell shot what he thought was the biggest coyote he had ever seen near an old farmstead 5 miles east and 3 miles south of Parkston. When he showed his “coyote” to hunting buddy Bryan Maas of Parkston, Maas immediately suspected that they were looking at a wolf. The guys called Hutchinson County conservation officer Brian Humphrey of Menno, as well as state trapper Randy Becker of Mitchell.
Though wolves are protected in South Dakota, no charges were made as it was a reasonable case of mistaken identity. Officer Humphrey took the carcass in the hope that DNA testing might trace the origin of the wolf. As I learn more about the wolf, I’ll pass it on in future columns. It is interesting that reports of an exceedingly large coyote had been reported in the Dimock area.
This not the first time a large predator has been taken in the Parkston area. You might recall the mountain lion taken by Dave Wagner on his Delmont farm.
via Wiltz: A large wolf surprises Parkston area hunters | The Daily Republic