Yellowstone National Park 2015 Trip Reports

Trip Report ~ Bear & Wolf Sightings ~ by Bill Hamblin

09 through 12 April 2015

~ April 2015 ~

Thursday - 09 April

22 degrees this morning warming up to 50 degrees. I got a walk in today with Dan H. We hiked up to the Tower Store from Roosevelt Junction. We saw a peregrine falcon, marmot, and a herd of 18 bighorn sheep all ewes and lambs. Lots of hawks showing up now and I saw a kestrel today. At 7:00 a.m. I spotted a large dark grizzly across Slough Creek near the campground viewed from Dave's Hill. At 8:00 a.m. Story, a young wolf watcher, spotted a colorful grizzly feeding in the tree line south of Straight-away in Little America. It took me a little time to get down Dave's Hill and over to Little America but the grizzly was still there, watched it for over 30 minutes and was it still in sight when I moved on. At 3:50 p.m. 926F the Lamar Canyon alpha female and her two new male friends Twin and Mottled were north of Picnic. The wolf people had been watching for a couple of hours, with occasional views. They had a kill that was out of sight, but they came into view when they left the carcass and returned.

Friday - 10 April

32 degrees this morning warming up to 53 degrees. I had a THREE DOG DAY today and all before 8:00 a.m. At 7:00 a.m. I found a grizzly in Crystal Drainage viewed from Dave's Hill. At 8:00 a.m. Mottled, one of the two male friends of 926F waas viewed from north of the Picnic Area (still in the area of yesterday's carcass). At 11:00 a.m. we had a black bear on Specimen Ridge just below the tree line viewed from the Slough Creek bathroom. At 1:45 p.m. I found all seven of the Junction Butte wolves in Crystal Drainage viewed from Lamar Canyon West. I watched them for over three hours, they were bedded all the time. The only action was one black got up and moved towards the trees and re-bedded. They were only three quarters of a mile away so I got to show a lot of tourists some wolves. At 5:15 p.m. Laurie and Dan L. told me of a black bear on Lower Hellroaring, a good sized black bear only ten yards off the road. The big news today was that a couple I showed the wolves too, got to see Scarface in the Lamar River Bridge moving to the north. I apologize for my email with a picture that the couple sent me on Facebook. Apparently I cannot email a Facebook picture to anyone that is not on Facebook -- or a least I have not figured out how to do that. The picture Scarface looked really good for spring, even better than last year.

Saturday - 11 April

30 degrees this morning warming up to 54 degrees but the wind made it feel like the 30's. I had a blue grouse in the road this morning near Tower, and it was still living when I left it (hope it learns not to walk in the middle of the road before daylight). We saw our first bison calf of the year viewed north and west of Coyote Overlook this morning. When I passed it, it was still trying to stand up. At 8:30 a.m. I found two grizzlies in Bear Meadow high and south of the Institute, about three miles away. Jack G. joined me and we determined that they were grizzlies but couldn't figure out the relationship. It was probably a sow with a two year old cub, but they never got out in the clearing far enough to be sure. At 9:00 a.m. I found a grizzly digging/grazing in A-Z Meadow from Midpoint, but had better viewing from Coyote Overlook. That was my three grizzlies for today, but Jack G. ended the day with six grizzlies. At 8:00 a.m. the Junction Butte wolves were around the Lamar carcass north of Picnic Area. A couple of brief sightings before I arrived and then they moved west. We spread out and I found a gray bedded near some anxious elk viewed from the Institute. At the same time Sian J. found a bedded black on the other side of the ridge viewed from Enclosure. Later, with the wind blowing hard, my gray wolf moved over the ridge. Rick M. spotted the wolf from Enclosure and ended up with five of the seven, but I only had two of them.

Sunday - 12 April

28 degrees this morning warming to 44 degrees but we hadreally strong winds again today. Snow and ice on the road this morning and had snow cover for viewing the hills at least most of the morning. I had a fox at the Tower Gas Station this morning, but did not have a coyote all day. At 7:00 a.m. I spotted a large dark grizzly moving away to the north near the diagonal forest in Slough Creek viewed from Dave's Hill. This grizzly was old, one of those slow walking grizzlies. At 8:00 a.m. a gray and a black wolf for the Junction Butte pack were bedded in some sagebrush south of Long Pullout (actually six of the seven were eventually sighted, but I only had the two). At 10:00 a.m. a black wolf was briefly spotted going over the ridge on Specimen. The wolves had moved into the trees while I was visiting Lamar Valley, and this black must have been the last of the six since we only saw that black leaving.

People Seen

People seen this report. Wolf Watchers: from Montana: Rick M, Doug M, Melbe, Dan and Laurie L, and Ilona P. From the United Kingdom: Sian J, and Alan and Kristy P. From Washington: Story and her mother. From Wyoming: Larry and Linda H. From New York: Wendy. Bear Watchers: From Montana: Jack G and Doug M. Others: From Montana: Dan H, Cliff B, Ranger Brian C, and Ken and his sister Marilyn. From Utah: Bob B. And from Colorado: Jim and Bobbie F.

Yellowstone National Park

Lamar Valley Map - Yellowstone National Park