From Loss to Legacy: How Yellowstone’s Wolves Found Strength in the Wake of Tragedy
On Christmas Day 2024, the Junction Butte wolf pack — one of Yellowstone’s most iconic — suffered a devastating loss. Their legendary matriarch, Wolf 907F, known as the Queen of the Wolves, died after a fierce confrontation with a rival group.
She was more than just a leader. 907F had defied the odds of wild survival, living over 11 years — more than double the average lifespan of a Yellowstone wolf — and giving birth to a record-breaking 10 litters. Her reign was long, storied, and etched into the very fabric of the Yellowstone wilds.
But her end came swiftly and violently.
The Final Clash
On December 22, 907F and members of her divided pack were feeding on a bison carcass near the Yellowstone River when they were ambushed by the Rescue Creek pack, a group that ironically splintered off from Junction Butte years earlier. Wolves in Yellowstone rarely die of old age; territorial fights account for nearly half of all deaths, according to Kira Cassidy of the Yellowstone Wolf Project.
On that winter day, 907F was critically injured in the ambush. Her GPS collar stopped transmitting on December 25. The queen had fallen.
The Unexpected Turn
In the wild, change is swift — and often surprising.
Weeks after the loss, observers began to notice an astonishing development: male wolves from Rescue Creek were seen with female survivors from Junction Butte. By January 2025, it became clear: the once-rival packs were merging. What began as an act of aggression turned into an uneasy alliance.
And by April, the blended pack was on the move again — hunting bison together.
Caught on Camera: A New Era Begins
Wildlife photographer Julie Argyle captured the resurrected Junction Butte pack in action, chasing two bison in a thrilling (if unsuccessful) attempt to isolate a yearling calf. The mother bison stood her ground, shielding her calf until reinforcements from the herd arrived. Though the wolves failed that day, the footage told a deeper story.
The pack is back on its feet. And some of the wolves chasing bison in that video? They were the very ones that helped kill 907F.
Wild Legacies
In Yellowstone, death feeds life, and tragedy often gives rise to new beginnings. For the Junction Butte wolves, it’s a reminder that survival isn’t just about strength — it’s about adaptation, about forging alliances even in the ashes of loss.
Wolf 907F’s blood may no longer course through the valley, but her legacy endures — in the resilience of her pack, in the howls that echo through Lamar Valley, and in the bison that still run, still fight, still endure.