Yellowstone National Park 2016 Trip Reports
Trip Report ~ Bear & Wolf Sightings ~ by Bill Hamblin
10 through 15 May 2016
~ May 2016 ~
Tuesday - May 10th
37 degrees in Gardiner and 29 degrees in Lamar Valley this morning warming up to cold 37 degrees. Snow everywhere this morning but the roads that were bare. At 6:00 a.m. a gray collared and a black Mollie wolf south of YES Pullout. At 6:30 a.m. a black wolf (probably a 8 Mile Wolf) comes to the bison carcass south and east of Dorothy's Pullout. This is the same wolf we saw at Blacktail Ponds a month ago visiting the grizzly on that bison carcass. It has been seen from Floating Island Lake all the way to the Lamar Valley lately. At 7:00 a.m. 926F the alpha female of the Lamar Canyon pack crossed the road from north to south near the Institute. At 7:15 a.m. we had four black and one gray Mollie wolves in the sagebrush south of YES just leaving a new small carcass. At 10:20 a.m. Ralph N found a grizzly on the #3 finger of Norris. At 11:40 a.m. I spotted a large grizzly in the tree line south and west of the confluence. At 2:30 p.m. the probably 8 mile black wolf returned to the bison carcass near Dorothy's for a few more bites. At 3:30 p.m. the grizzly at Blacktail Ponds was sleeping on another bison carcass in the mud.
Wednesday - May 11th
35 degrees in Gardiner and 29 degrees in Lamar Valley in the morning warming up to 49 degrees. I had a vulture again today, sightings of them up a lot this year for some reason. At 5:35 a.m. Ralph N found a grizzly on Amethyst Bench for a few minutes until it went into the trees. At 5:50 a.m. we had a courting pair of grizzlies arrived from the west on to Amethyst Bench and were in view on and off for a couple of hours. One time the large boar walked away from the sow and went thru a small herd of bison to the drainage, but returned and found the sow again. At 5:55 a.m. the probable 8 mile black wolf returned to the bison carcass near Dorothy's Knoll. The wolf people think it is an 8 mile wolf because it is not a Lamar Canyon, Junction Butte or a Prospect Peak wolf - wolves they see often enough to be able to identify them. At 6:15 a.m. six black and one gray Mollie wolves were on a new carcass south and east of Trash Can Hill. We have been seeing five blacks and a gray regularly, so some are guessing this additional black may be the female wolf that may have denned around Amethyst Drainage. Ralph found these wolves today. At 6:30 a.m. I spotted a large black bear in the tree line south and east of Trash Can. At 7:45 a.m. Bruce from Louisiana found a nice sized brown grizzly south of the Soda Butte Cone digging and grazing. At 8:20 a.m. Ralph found a large dark grizzly north and east of YES in the snow digging. At 9:45 a.m. Ralph found a courting pair of grizzlies on Norris viewed from the Confluence. Soon they ran into another grizzly, so had three in view for a while. The sow headed south followed by the first boar, while the second boar moved uphill and out of sight. The boar isn't too much bigger then the sow, not like the Amethyst courting pair in which the boar is really big. At 12:15 a.m. we had a large cinnamon black bear in Elk Creek. At 12:30 a.m. the grizzly sow with three cuts of the year (COY's) was low on Specimen Ridge viewed from Long Pullout. This was the closest sighting of this family and they were in sight for hours. At 4:45 p.m. John B and I watched the Junction Butte Slough Creek den site for a while and were treated to seeing one black wolf pup on the pouch of the den. At 5:50 p.m. the red ear tagged grizzly was still eating the bison carcass in the mud at Black tail Ponds.
Thursday - May 12th
41 degrees in Gardiner but 22 degrees in Lamar Valley this morning warming up to a nice 64 degrees with a moderate breeze today. John G, Randi M, John B and I hiked the three peregrine hills today. We saw a lot of ducks in Trumpeter Pond and one vulture flying down the Lamar River. At 5:12 a.m. the car in front of me slowed down on the Yellowstone River Bridge, a black wolf had just finished crossing the bridge west to east and looked back at me from 25 feet off the road. Too dark to tell, but I am guessing the black 8 mile wolf. At 6:00 a.m. I spotted a large grizzly north of Coyote Overlook moving slowly to the east. At 6:10 a.m. the courting pair of grizzlies were high on Ski Slope near and sometimes on the skyline. At 6:45 a.m. Craig C pointed out a brown nice sized grizzly south of Footbridge Pullout near the tree line. I think this was the south of Soda Butte Cone grizzly from yesterday. At 7:05 a.m. we had a large cinnamon black bear south and west of the confluence in the tree line. At 9:00 a.m. someone pointed out 965M and 993M (dark black) south of Hitching Post and then south of Footbridge Pullout. These are the two remaining males of the Lamar Canyon pack and both are afraid of the road. So howling answered by one of the females north in the den area. At 9:10 a.m. we had a light brown grizzly digging on Penny Lane viewed from Footbridge Pullout. At 11:00 a.m. we had a grizzly with two COY'S on Specimen Ridge viewed from Lamar Canyon West Pullout. Either the sow with three lost one or less likely another sow moved in with two COY'S and the sow with three moved out. The COY'S were sticking really close to the sow when observed for the next couple of hours. At 3:30 a.m. I found a large black bear in Elk Creek. At 3:45 a.m. the red ear tagged grizzly was still in the mud eating on the newest bison carcass he has found.
Friday - May 13th
The roads from the South Entrance and the road from Roosevelt to Tower Store opened this morning. Lots and lots of black bears from Floating Island Lake all the way to the Tower Store. 44 degrees in Gardiner but 38 degrees in Lamar Valley warming up to an early nice 58 degrees but windy and cooler later in the day. The great horned owl nest in Lamar Canyon now has three chicks. The great horned owl at Mammoth has at least two chicks now. At 5:40 a.m. I spotted a lone black wolf south and east of Coyote Overlook (my guess the 8 mile loner). At 5:50 a.m. John G found a large grizzly north and east of Coyote Overlook. It was in sight for over one half hour. At 6:20 a.m. the brown grizzly was at the confluence and quite close moving east pass the Hitching Post Pullout and crossed the river finally disappearing in the trees to the east. At 6:40 a.m. a large cinnamon and a large black bear together in the tree line south and west of the confluence (milling around, my guess a courting pair). At 6:50 a.m. we had a small grizzly on Square Meadow. At 7:20 a.m. the small blond grizzly was on Amethyst Bench (it looked a lot like the small grizzly on square meadow but more blond--both were it sight at the same time). At 9:00 a.m. we had the grizzly sow with two COY'S on the west end of Specimen Ridge viewed from Boulder Pullout. At 9:10 a.m. I found a large black bear in the Buffalo Ford area slowly feeding to the west. At 9:40 a.m. a large grizzly was on Prospect Peak viewed from Boulder Pullout. At 11:35 a.m. the courting pair of grizzlies were on the skyline of Ski Slope. At 1:15 p.m. I spotted the grizzly with one yearling on Thunderer viewed from the Pebble Creek Restroom (they had moved one clearing closer). This sow is a young grizzly with a lot of space between the belly and the ground. At 2:15 p.m. we had a black bear in the tree line south and west of the confluence. At 3:20 p.m. we had a couple of brief sightings of a black bear sow and one black yearling cub in Crystal Drainage from the Slough Creek Restroom. At 5:00 p.m. a gray Junction Butte wolf was near the den in Slough Creek. A note on pups, at least eight have been observed at one time and the wolf people believe more could still appear outside with the others.
Saturday - May 14th
42 degrees in Gardiner and 37 degrees in Lamar Valley warming to a nice 59 degrees. At 6:00 a.m. four black wolves of the Mollies were south of Hubbard Hill this morning. At 6:10 a.m. Ralph N found a black and a collared gray wolf bedded on the west end of Jasper Bench viewed from Coyote Overlook. According to the wolf people these were Mollie wolves also, but later the four black ones moved west and ran the gray and black off. ???? At 6:40 a.m. Doug M (wolf watcher) called with a dark grizzly near the Junction Butte den in Slough Creek. When we arrived it was being escorted by two gray wolves moving to the east and out of sight. Meanwhile the grizzly sow and two COY'S was in view on Specimen Ridge. At 9:30 a.m. back in Lamar Valley Little T from the Lamar Canyon pack was crossing the road from south to north just east of Footbridge Pullout. Soon 965M and 993M dark black were located south of the road, but did not attempt to cross. At 11:30 a.m. John G and Randi found a light brown grizzly north and east of Picnic Pullout. At 12:15 p.m. the courting pair of grizzlies again on the skyline on Ski Slope viewed from Fisherman's Pullout. At 2:00 p.m. we had a huge bear jam on the west side of the Yellowstone River Bridge. The black sow with the two yearling brown cubs were feeding near the bridge, then did cross the bridge with the help of the ranger and John K and Ed. At 6:00 p.m. we had a cinnamon black bear at Elk Creek. At 6:05 p.m. my last sighting for the day was a large black bear at Floating Island Pond. I enjoyed my last night in the motel in Gardiner, so hoping for warming weather for the future car camping to come.
Sunday - May 15th
A short day for me as I left for Idaho Falls before 9:00 a.m. 41 degrees in Gardiner and 36 degrees in Lamar Valley with rain coming in as I left this morning. A cow and calf moose were at the confluence this morning and a beaver in the Soda Butte Creek near the confluence. At 5:00 a.m. John G found a small grizzly on A-Z Meadow. This griz eventually moved over the top and we watched it in the bowl later. At 6:15 a.m. I spotted the small blond grizzly on ski slope viewed from Midpoint Pullout. At 7:15 a.m. Ralph N made a good spot with clouds dropping from the confluence on Calfee a nice sized grizzly. At 7:15 a.m. Doug M (bear watcher) found four Mollies wolves coming out the trees south of Midpoint and moving east. I had missed it but 965M and 993M of the Lamar Canyon pack were out at the same time just east of there south of Hitching Post. At 7:45 a.m. John G and Randi M found the courting pair of grizzlies on the back of Ski Slope past the long snow patch. At 8:00 a.m. the grizzly sow with two COY'S were again visible on Specimen Ridge viewed from the Slough Creek Restroom and then points west of there.
People Seen
Wolf Watchers: From Montana: Rick M, Doug M, Kathie L, Lizzie C, Bob and Elizabeth N, and Frank Y. From Colorado: Anne W, and Ric and Kathy T. From Vermont: Don P. From California: Bob and Nell H. From Utah: Jerry C and Julia, and Pam and Denny. From Idaho: Craig C. From Oklahoma: Robert and Pam. Bear Watchers: From Montana: Ralph N, Chuck, and Lee H, Doug M, Scott M, Mike and Kathy W and Sarah W and parts of her family. From Ohio: Jim and Tywla E. From Minnesota: Virgil and Marlene S. From Kentucky: Ron. From Washington: John G, John B, Randi M, Walt and Char, and Hank and his friend Debbie. From Oklahoma: Paul S. From Missouri: Fred and Linda. From Utah: Dean and Jeri D and assorted family members and Luke and Maleea M. From Indiana: Jeff and Terri. From Colorado: Ed A with son and daughter in law. Others: From Montana: MacNeil L, Alan and Sue O, Ken S, Pete B, Cliff B, Bob L, Steve G, and Steve B. From Texas : Carol S and Carl L. From Arizona: David and Phyllis. From Vermont: John K. Ed who does the bear jams. From Louisiana: Bruce. From Florida: Rick. From California: Sylvia. From Oregon: Dale and Elva P. And from Utah: Bob B.
Buffalo Youngsters Playing - April 16th, 2016 - Lamar Valley
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