Many packs live in a certain geographical area that they will defend against other wolves. The size of a wolf pack's territory varies greatly from about 18 square kilometers per pack to 1300 square kilometers per pack. Wolves live within a small territory when prey animals are abundant and when they can stay in one place year round.
Wolves generally have small territories in the forests of Minnesota or Ontario.
Large territories are found where prey is less common, or where prey may migrate. The boundaries of such territories can be difficult to define, and some wolf packs of Canada's Northwest territories do not seem to have fixed territories during the winter, a time during which the wolves must travel long distances to follow migrating caribou herds. Other factors that may influence the size of a territory that a pack will defend include climate, the presense of other wolf packs and the nature of the terrain. In areas where there is little suitable wolf habitat and a high density of people, wolves often have rather small territories. Wolves tend to have larger territories in areas where there are many other large predators, such as wild cats and bears, present.