How to Howl Like a Wolf

Howling Basics

Howl to find out if there are wolves nearby. In the wild, wolves howl as a way of communicating with other wolves. However, wolves will often answer a sound that closely resembles an actual howl. Wildlife biologists use fake howling as a research tool to determine whether there are any wolves in a given area: they'll howl into the woods, then record the number of replies. Wolves howl as a territorial defense, as a social activity, and as a means of locating other members of the pack. In groups, wolves howl to motivate and rally one another to move or to hunt. Howl from a high place that is clear of trees. You want the noise to resonate! If you have access to the Internet, research wolf ranges and populations in your area. Wolves are endangered, and their activity has been well-documented by wildlife biologists.

Howl day or night. It is a common misconception that wolves only howl at the moon – and, indeed, that they only howl at night. Wolves actually howl most frequently around sunrise and sunset, when they are generally more active than other times of the day. If you are trying to get wolves to howl back at you, it may help to howl when they are most active. Wolves howl to each other year-round. However, most packs do tend to howl more often in the winter than in the summer.

Decide whether you are howling alone or with a pack. Packs of wolves use a particular howling structure: the alpha wolf begins the howl with one high, piercing note, and then the rest of the wolves gradually join in with various low, mournful pitches. Wolves that howl alone are often trying to locate other members of their pack.

Be careful. Wolves are highly social creatures, and they are very good at pinpointing the origin of a howl. If you howl in the wild and there are wolves nearby, there is a good chance that they will come to you. If you don't want to encounter any wolves, consider leaving the area quickly.

Howling Like a Wolf

Listen to audio recordings of wolf howls if you can. It will be much easier to imitate the howl if you know what it sounds like!

Take a deep breath. Inhale slowly and consistently until your lungs are completely full of air. You'll need a large volume of air to imitate the volume and duration of an actual wolf howl.

Start howling slowly. Cup your hands around your mouth as if you are going to shout. Begin with a low, mournful note, and then quickly increase your pitch by one octave: "A-woooooooooo!" Build up the volume of the howl so that it grows louder and louder. Hold the howl for as long as you can – at least a few seconds. As you feel your breath waning, gradually low your pitch and "fade out" of the howl. You can tell what a howl means by its pitch and strength. The longer the howl, the more powerful the emotion. Researchers also use pitch and volume to distinguish between individual wolves.

Howl again. Wolves rarely howl just once. If you want to imitate a wolf pack, then have several friends howl with you. Make sure that some of you howl in lower pitches, and some of you in higher pitches. Each wolf has a unique voice, and other wolves use these slight variations in pitch to identify who is howling.