Territorial wolves

[Flintknapper]

In real life, wolf packs have territory and mark it using urine/feces. What if you could tell that you were entering wolf territory? The game could display a message that says something like: "You smell the distinct odor of urine." Then you could avoid that area if you wish not to encounter wolves. On the other hand, it could also help trappers find good locations to set up traps.

[Flintknapper]

I just noticed that the dev plans already lists "Animals droppings to be found in the wild". However, my suggestion about the wolves having territory still stands. I would also like to add that their territories shouldn't be permanent, and wolf packs would move around from time to time. So setting up a house outside wolves' territory does not guarantee that you will not encounter them.

Observing and tracking the distribution of wolf territories and pack sizes could be a strategic method to plan out a travel route, e.g. when transporting goods and livestock animals.

[PALU]

Does wolf urine actually smell strong enough for humans to detect it? I would have expected it to smell as much as dog urine, which isn't readily apparent (while you can see it during winter, you can also see the paw prints...).

As far as I understand, wolves have large territories, so they may well be 10 kilometers or more away from you even if you're inside their territory. New packs form from time to time, and they try to set up their own territories, preferably without getting into any fights with established packs. Killing off a pack will leave its old territory open for claim by new or established packs, so there is a dynamism involved. In addition to this, young, typically male, wolves are expelled from their flocks to roam as solitary wolves looking for a mate to start a new pack with, and these wolves tend to roam far and wide.