Yellowstone National Park 2016 Trip Reports
Trip Report ~ Bear & Wolf Sightings ~ by Bill Hamblin
28 through 31 March 2016
~ March 2016 ~
Monday - 28 March
There was supposed to be a major storm coming in so I decided to leave a day early and got out of town around 10:00 a.m. Wet roads to the Montana Line, then a little snow on the road and finally dry roads from Norris into Gardiner. 285 miles and about five hours to Gardiner. I did see three black bears near Rigby, Idaho but I can't count them as they were in the fenced area of Bear World. I took the road thru Ennis rather than thru West Yellowstone and Big Sky. Lots of elk in the fields, one herd well over 300. Quite a few mule deer and pronghorn antelope in the fields. Bob B. called me when I was near Bozeman and told me there was a grizzly on a carcass in Slough Creek. I arrived about 3:30 p.m. to find a collared grizzly and all five of the Lamar Canyon wolves north of the horizontal forest in Slough Creek. The Lamar Canyon pack is down to five animals now - all black: 926F the alpha female, 992M called Twin is the alpha male, 993M called Dark Black, Mottled a black male, and Little T a black yearling female and daughter of 926F. At 4:45 p.m. 907F, the gray beta female of the Junction Butte Pack was viewed on Specimen Ridge. The Junction Butte Pack is down to eleven animals now- 4 black and 7 grays. 911M a GPS collared gray is the alpha male, 970F is the black alpha female, 890M is a black beta male with a GPS collar, 907F is a GPS collared gray beta female, 969F is a gray female, 994M is a gray male pup, two black pups and three gray pups.
Tuesday - 29 March
35 degrees this morning warming up to 42 degrees. Lots of birds showing up in the park now; blue birds and black birds and lots of small birds, sand hill cranes, five trumpeter swans hanging around Slough Creek, red tailed hawks (one was in the owl nest at Lamar Canyon East, now sure it will nest there), bald and golden eagles, ducks, Canada geese, but no falcons or ospreys yet. At 8:30 a.m. the collared grizzly was still on the carcass above the horizontal forest in Slough Creek. From 9:00 a.m. thru 10:15 a.m. the five Lamar Canyons again negotiated with the grizzly for the right to the carcass, except for a brief time the grizzly kept the carcass. At 11:00 a.m. ten of eleven of Junction Butte wolves (missing one gray pup) were at Hellroaring. They eventually went out of sight and later showed up chasing the Lamar Canyon wolves around Slough Creek. The also chased a bull elk and finished it in Slough Creek near the campground. I also had a THREE DOG DAY that includes at least one wolf, one coyote, and one fox.
Wednesday - 30 March
37 degrees this morning warming up to 52 degrees. A clear morning helped me locate Saturn in the southern sky from Blacktail this morning, quite pretty on 60 power in the spotting scope. At 8:30 a.m. at least nine of the eleven Junction Butte wolves were viewed on their new bull elk carcass in the Slough Creek near the campground. At 10:00 a.m. 993M of the Lamar Canyon pack was in view north of Coyote Overlook looking a little stressed after the Lamar Canyons were chased yesterday afternoon by the Junction Butte wolves. Another THREE DOG DAY today. At 3:00 p.m. the collared grizzly showed himself near the carcass above the horizontal forest in Slough Creek (the carcass nearly gone was dragged into some trees and behind rocks - probably had been there all day.
Thursday - 31 March
36 degrees in Gardiner this morning with light rain. Moving thru Gardiner it turned to snow and was sticking on sides of the road. By the time I got above Undine Falls it was sticking on the roads as well. I had a car or two about a mile ahead of me, so I was surprised to see animal tracks in the snow on the road at Blacktail Ponds. I finally caught up to a grizzly in the road heading east, he then climbed the hill to the south and went out of sight. I headed on, but later heard that the grizzly re-crossed the road and was good viewing for almost an hour. It must have been a good show as no cars came thru from Gardiner way for about an hour. At 8:15 a.m. 993M of the Lamar Canyon pack was bedded south and west of the Institute. At 8:20 a.m. 926F, 992M and Little T were bedded north of the Institute. They had a new carcass near the old road between the Institute and Dorothy's Pullout. Mottled had still not been seen since the big chased two days ago. At 1:30 p.m. Sian and Phyl J found 890M and two gray Junction Butte wolves moving fast to the west in Slough Creek. We climbed Dave's Hill for a better view and the wind and snow drove us back to the parking lot after another brief sighting. All day was windly and at times snowing.
People Seen
Wolf Watchers: From Montana: Kathie L, Rick M, Lizzie C, Anna A, Doug M, Melba C, Ilona P, and Josh A. From the UK: Sian and Phyl J. From Missouri: Don and Carol. From Kansas: Calvin and Lynette J. Bear Watchers: From Montana: Doug and JoAnn M. Others: From Montana: Deby D, Bob L, Carl S, Steve B, Cliff B, Ken T, Dan, Cindy and Kelly H. From Utah: Bob B.
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