North GroundHuntNorth Ground Hunt — return to North Ground
Species authority page

Wolverine

Gulo gulo · Furbearers

Wolverine (Gulo gulo): Largest land member of the weasel family, built like a small bear: thick body, short legs, broad head, short ears. Dark brown to black fur with a pale creamy to gold stripe from each shoulder along the flanks to the base of the bushy tail. This profile does not establish whether taking it is legal anywhere.

Check rules for a place and dateOpen the wolverine map

Certified rules currently represented in Hunt: coverage in development. This is coverage, not a legal answer.

Wolverine crossing boulders in a conifer forest
Photo by Hans Veth on Unsplash
Scientific name
Gulo gulo
Family
Mustelidae
Range
Northern Canada and Alaska, retaining its range in the Arctic and western mountain and boreal regions but gone from the prairies and much of southeastern Canada; in the contiguous U.S. essentially limited to the mountains of Idaho, Montana, Wyoming and Washington.
Biology

How to identify it

Largest land member of the weasel family, built like a small bear: thick body, short legs, broad head, short ears. [1][2][3]

Dark brown to black fur with a pale creamy to gold stripe from each shoulder along the flanks to the base of the bushy tail. [1][2][3]

White or orange patches common on the throat and chest. [1][2][3]

Adult males about 11–18 kg; females 6–12 kg. [1][2][3]

Species it is confused with

Check these before deciding what you are looking at. If you are not certain what it is, do not shoot.

Field notes

  • Identification Do not identify Wolverine from colour alone. Compare structure, size, range and the listed similar species before making a field decision.[1][2][3]
Field knowledge

Where it lives

Alpine and arctic tundra and boreal and mountain coniferous forest, usually with winter snow cover; in the south limited to large mountain wilderness. [1][2][3]

Field knowledge

How it behaves

Solitary and wide-ranging; male home ranges can exceed 1,000 km² [1][2][3]

Scavenges carrion (often wolf or hunter kills) in winter and hunts small and medium mammals and birds [1][2][3]

Marks food and landmarks with urine and musk [1][2][3]

Tends to use higher elevations in summer and lower in winter; young are born in snow dens [1][2][3]

Regulatory handoff

Where it is listed for legal take

These authorities list this species for legal take in their own regulations.

Conservation and protection

Where legal take is listed

Being listed is not an open season. Seasons, zones, licences, methods and limits decide whether this animal may be taken on a given day and place — check Hunt or the authority before you go. Listings read 2026-09-30.

Geospatial intelligence

Where it is found

Northern Canada and Alaska, retaining its range in the Arctic and western mountain and boreal regions but gone from the prairies and much of southeastern Canada; in the contiguous U.S. essentially limited to the mountains of Idaho, Montana, Wyoming and Washington.

Biology

Sources

Every claim above is attributed to one of these published sources.

  1. Alaska Department of Fish and Game · reviewed 2026-09-30

    Alaska Department of Fish and Game

  2. Hinterland Who's Who (Canadian Wildlife Service / Canadian Wildlife Federation) · reviewed 2026-09-30

    Hinterland Who's Who (Canadian Wildlife Service / Canadian Wildlife Federation)

  3. NatureServe · reviewed 2026-09-30

    NatureServe