CORNELL — Local wildlife personality Cory Pattson held a triumphant press conference Friday after reportedly surviving what he described as “the most aggressive wolf attack in Michigan history,” an encounter critics say involved three mildly curious wolves standing approximately 75 yards away while wondering why a grown man had suddenly climbed a maple tree.
According to Pattson, the wolves “surrounded” him in what he called a coordinated military maneuver, forcing him to seek refuge in the nearest tree before spending the next several hours contemplating his legacy and drafting what witnesses described as an Emmy-worthy retelling of the ordeal.
“I looked death square in the eyes,” Pattson reportedly said. “And death blinked.”
The wolves have since disputed the account.
“We actually stopped because he started yelling at us,” said one wolf through a fictional Department of Natural Resources translator. “Then he climbed a tree for reasons we still don’t fully understand.”
As news of the incident spread, hundreds of Michigan outdoorsmen gathered online to discuss the event.
Within minutes, the internet jury had reached a unanimous conclusion: the wolves probably weren’t the biggest problem in the woods that day.
Commenters noted that if the wolves truly wanted Pattson, they likely wouldn’t have spent the encounter patiently waiting beneath him like disappointed Little League parents.
Others questioned whether the animals were actually predators or simply hoping he’d stay in the tree long enough for someone else to come pick him up.
Several longtime outdoorsmen expressed surprise that Pattson had managed to find a tree sturdy enough to support both himself and the weight of his own storytelling.
Meanwhile, conservation officers reportedly spent hours attempting to separate verified facts from details that appeared to improve with each retelling.
By Friday evening, the original pack of wolves had reportedly requested relocation—not because of habitat loss, but because they were tired of hearing about themselves on social media.
The Michigan Department of Natural Resources has declined to comment, though one employee admitted the agency has received multiple calls asking whether wolves are now capable of psychological warfare.
At press time, Cory Pattson had announced plans to release a commemorative line of “I Survived the Delta County Wolf Siege” apparel, while the wolves were said to be considering legal action over damage to their reputation, insisting they “weren’t nearly as interested in Cory as Cory was in Cory.”
