Yellowstone National Park 2017 Trip Reports
Trip Report ~ Bear & Wolf Sightings ~ by Bill Hamblin
06 through 09 April 2017
 |
~ April 2017 ~
 |
 |
 |
Thursday - April 6th
39 degrees in Gardiner but 28 degrees in Lamar Valley warming up to a nice 60 degrees. My first unita ground squirrel seen today at Hitching Post. At 6:25 a.m. I found five Prospect Peak wolves on the bison carcass south of Dorothy's Knoll. They were 821F, 966M, 964M, and two un-collared wolves (all five were gray). While watching them a gray wolf thought to be a Junction pup walked 10 yards from my car and headed towards the carcass. It got about 100 yards short of the carcass and bedded waiting for the other five wolves to move off. When they did the gray made its way to the carcass. Apparently this wolf is known to the Prospect Peak wolves and is tolerated near, but not on their carcasses. At 6:35 a.m. I found a grizzly across the river from the wolves and the bison carcass. It moved around apparently was never to the carcass. It ran into five coyotes who must have or thinking of having a den in the area and harassed the grizzly out of the area. It moved east crossing Amethyst Bench and then going east to the old Druid rendezvous area. At 11:10 a.m. Melba C called with a lighter colored grizzly south of the confluence, basically under the K Meadow walking the tree line. At 4:00 a.m. I found the grizzly sow with one yearling still on the southeast portion of Junction Butte viewed from Straight-away pullout.
Friday - April 7th
Friday April 7th. 47 degrees in Gardiner but only 36 degrees in Lamar Valley warming up to 60 degrees. During the afternoon the weather changed getting cooler and quite windy. Two moose were seen in Round Prairie at first light. At 6:45 a.m. the large grizzly was on the bison carcass in Round Prairie (he was there two days ago, but not yesterday). Close to 7:00 a.m. he moved into the trees and out of sight. At 8:25 a.m. Jim F found a grizzly south and slightly west of the Soda Butte Cone. It was not out for more than 30 minutes. At 10:00 a.m. after glassing on Junction Butte for the grizzly with yearling, I went around the corner to cars watching the pair south of Curve Pullout (she had crossed the road sometime since last evening). I heard that the wolf people thought the Mollies might me on the backside of Specimen Ridge and had looked earlier for the wolves from Elk Creek. I decided to glass there, and found eight black and three gray wolves crossing a snow patch at around 11:15 a.m. That's four miles plus but the light was good and they crossed a lot of snow patches and areas with short grass. They ran around for a while, and we watched seven blacks and two grays for were over an hour. During a lull I decided to glass Garnett Hill for black bears. I found one on the western end and shared the scope with Alan P. He immediately said that it had two cubs. Yes, two cubs of the year with mom, all three black. They were out only a little time as the weather changed getting cooler and quite windy. I never saw them again today, but expect to be able to watch them for a week or two before they will move on. On the way back to Gardiner I glassed painted hills on the Black tail for wolves and bears, but instead found the white elk. This cow elk has been seen for about four years on Everts and the painted hills, but it’s the first time I got to see her.
 |
Saturday - April 8th
Saturday April 8th. 43 degrees in Gardiner but 33 degrees in Round Prairie at daylight warming up to 47 degrees. I found a fox before daylight in Lamar Valley so I had a THREE DOG DAY. Five moose in Round Prairie, an angry female dusty grouse chasing cars at the confluence, a golden eagle, and a few meadowlarks seen today. At 6:30 a.m. the large grizzly on the carcass at Round Prairie. We saw our first bison calf of the year near Fisherman's Pullout today. At 11:00 a.m. eight black and four gray Mollies wolf pack on the Peregrine Hill that is north of the Lamar River viewed from Boulder Pullout. They moved east and bedded and were seen for quite a while near the Marge Simpson tree in Slough Creek. At 12:30 p.m. the grizzly sow with one yearling crossed the road near Junction Butte from north to south and fed on what was living under the bison chips. They fed for over twenty minutes before moving over the hill to the south and out of sight. Good viewing for the photographers as they were less than 100 yards off the road a long time.
 |
Sunday - April 9th
Sunday April 9th. 36 degrees with wind and rain in Gardiner that changed to 29 degrees and snow in Lamar Valley. Only about one inch of snow but the roads were slippery. It warmed up to a cold 36 degrees out in Lamar Valley. At 6:30 a.m. I was behind schedule going to Round Prairie mainly because of the slippery roads but also the snow plow got in front of me at Tower Junction. It was getting light but with the blowing snow visibility was only a few hundred yards. However, as I was coming around the eastern curve pullout east of Footbridge I spotted a black wolf standing the other side of the Soda Butte Creek. It turned out to be three wolves of the Lamar Canyon ;pack: 949M, small dot and little T. They roamed around for a while then moved east and south and out of sight. Later Josh A found 926F on a carcass from Footbridge Pullout. So I'm thinking the three wolves were disturbed by the snow plow and moved away for the carcass. 926F is more tolerable of the roads and its sounds and stayed to eat a few more pounds. A 6:40 a.m. the large grizzly was on the bison carcass at Round Prairie. He moved away at 7:18 a.m. but returned later for more breakfast. I was going back to watch the wolves and a tourist told me that a large grizzly had left the bison carcass in Soda Butte Valley. The bison carcass had been there for three days about 100 yards off the road. Yesterday morning we could see that something had opened it up and rearranged the carcass. Anyway I glassed the trees above the carcass and found a large grizzly heading uphill and out of sight. At 9:00 a.m. seven black and four gray Mollies wolves were in Slough Creek. They were there all morning. They chased some elk, checked out a couple of bison, bedded often, went out of sight a couple of times but were still in view near noon. One gray bedded away for the pack and moved away from Slough Creek later. Early in the morning the lead gray had its tail tucked under it and appeared afraid of the rest. It may be that this in one of two un-collared grays that have been seen near other packs and visiting the packs kills.
People Seen
People seen this report: Wolf Watchers: From Montana: Rick M, Doug M, Josh A, Melba C, and Scott W. From the UK: Alan and Kirsty P. Bear Watchers: From Louisiana: Bruce P. From Montana: Shari and a friend, Mike and Kathy W, and Doug M. Others: From Montana: Peter M (former wolf project) and his girlfriend, Bob L, Cliff B, Bonnie, Deby D, and Ken T. And lastly From Utah: Bob B.
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Yellowstone National Park
Lamar Valley Map - Yellowstone National Park
| Yellowstone National Park Trip Reports | ||
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 2016 | 2011 |
| 2020 | 2015 | 2010 |
| 2019 | 2014 | 2009 |
| 2018 | 2013 | 2008 |
| 2017 | 2012 | 2007 |
| Yellowstone National Park Trip Reports | |
|---|---|
| 1995 | 2000 |
| 1996 | 2002 |
| 1997 | 2003 |
| 1998 | 2004 |
| 1999 | 2005 |
| Yellowstone Geyser and Thermal Videos | |
|---|---|
| Beehive Geyser Eruption | Old Faithful with Bison |
| Beehive Geyser Eruption Two | Pocket Basin |
| Fan and Mortar | Roaring Mountain |
| Grand Geyser | Rocket and Grotto |
| Old Faithful One | West Thumb |
| Yellowstone Waterfall Videos | ||
|---|---|---|
| Cave Falls | Mesa Falls | Undine Falls |
| Gibbon Falls | Rustic Falls | Upper Falls |
| Lower Falls | Tower Fall | Wraith Falls |
| Yellowstone National Park WebCams | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Old Faithful Live | All Old Faithful | Old Faithful Static | Old Faithful VC | North Entrance | Mt Washburn | Mammoth | YVO WebCam |
| Entrance Cities and Gateway Towns | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gardiner, Montana | Silver Gate, Montana | West Yellowstone, Montana | Cooke City, Montana |
| Livingston, Montana | Cody, Wyoming | Jackson Hole, Wyoming | Yellowstone National Park |
| Links | |
|---|---|
| The Great Outdoors Net | Great Outdoor Recreational Places |
| Gardiner, Montana | West Yellowstone, Montana |
 |  |