Have you ever seen and observed a wolf at close range?

Only at the zoo where I volunteered. They are very neat to watch, although a little stanky.

I have not. I came across a coyote while mountain biking at Tahoe. The coyote was probably about ten feet from my bike. It just stood there as I rode by. I also once came to end of a trail and saw a large stag. It stayed there for a few moments but when I moved just slightly, it ran off. I also once saw a bear walk across our property at our Tahoe vacation home. It was a big, lumbering thing and left large paw prints in the snow.

Wolf and mountain lion are still on my list.

I have but it was in captivity.
My friends & I used to ice skate on the canals bordering a small zoo.We’d go after dark when things were closed. There’s nothing like the feeling of being watched by a wolf.
I have seen black bears before. The speed at which they can run shocked me!
I was inside my vehicle at the time (whew)
I have seen their tracks near my campsite before. I didn’t love that. At all.
I’ve seen elk,tons of whitetail deer,beaver,muskrat,woodchuck,coyote,mink,red fox,voles,mice ,rats, rabbits,bats, many birds and my neighbor in a leopard print “love outfit” .I hope to never see that again

I have, two of them together.
They impressed me, I want one!

We have coyotes in our little suburban neighborhood.
When I lived in the west, I did a lot of camping off the path. Saw bears and hawks and a puma, lots of coyotes, but never a wolf.

Witnessed a pack near the Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge.
https://www.fairmont.com/jasper/?cmpid=google_jpl_search-branded-canada_branded-e-revsh&gclid=Cj0KCQiA7OnxBRCNARIsAIW53B8lPTIpCsU6K-RWs2WvqCHieEtHtA1Un3mcmFwqzCrMkSWYuZQId4AaAk6_EALw_wcB

They are cagey around humans for good reason.Park wardens keep them at bay from the Town and the famous lodge.
A black wolf look mysterious and is seen periodically travelling along the riverbeds and a sfe distance from humans.

Had my three year old daughter with me when one lunged at me. His enormous paws on my shoulders put her in panic mode. I on crutches, nearly toppled, but braced myself just in time. He licked all over my face, which wasn’t hard, considering his tongue was big enough to cover half of it.
He was huge. Three toddlers could have easily fit on his back for a ride.
He had all the majesty nature can call for herself, and the unhindered need for affection of a puppy.
His mother had been killed when he was still a suckling, and he’d been hand reared. He was without restraint at an event sponsored by the school district. The man who brought him was there to talk up exploration of the night sky, and to introduce children to telescopes. The wolf was along as an aside.
He was an impressive power, more than muscle and teeth. It was like passion itself had found a living form.
The experience lasted a few minutes, but is in my heart forever.
I would never, ever, ever want to face down a wolf in the wild. I can’t imagine the terror of facing a pack.

@Patty_Melt
You just reminded me of a resident who had a half dog half wolf ( white majestic with one eye blue and the other brown.)

They lived in Town for many years until the municipality told him to remove the animal as local dogs as well as dogs that tourist brought on their vacations would attack and surround on the sidewalks as they sauntered down the street.

It was a gentle animal but one never knows when it may or may not become wild
( instincts?) however it was very old and hadn’t shown any wildness all those years.

It was a precaution and banned so the owner moved away.