By late summer 2012, visitors are swarming to Yellowstone to see O-Six and her four-month-old third litter. Outside the park, though, US Fish and Wildlife has officially approved Wyoming’s long-delayed first wolf-hunting season. This leaves Yellowstone’s wolves surrounded—no matter where they leave the park, they now risk being hunted or trapped. In Crandall, Steve Turnbull procures his tag for the season and begins searching along the Chief Joseph Highway for signs of a pack.

O-Six moves her pups to the old Druids’ summer rendezvous, which worries Rick. Behind the summer spot on Mount Norris is a creek that leads down to Crandall Creek and the park boundary, then turns east into Crandall proper. The Lamars sometimes go that way in search of elk. With so few competing wolves in that direction, Rick fears O-Six might be tempted to stake a claim to Crandall itself.

On November 6, Americans to the polls to vote for their president and several senatorial seats, including John Tester’s in Montana. Democratic control of the senate hinges on his success, as well as a few other tight contests. At the end of the night, Tester fends off his Republican rival Denny Rehberg by fewer than 20,000 votes.