Yellowstone National Park 2017 Trip Reports

Trip Report ~ Bear & Wolf Sightings ~ by Bill Hamblin

01 through 04 June 2017

~ June 2017 ~

Thursday - June 1st

I stayed near Silver Gate this entire report. 37 degrees this morning warming up to a nice 73 degrees. I saw my first antelope fawn this morning in Little America. A coyote den at YES overlook has three puppies. Towards evening I found a beaver in the really high water of the Soda Butte Creek from Footbridge Pullout. At 5:55 a.m. John G found a courting pair of grizzlies bedded high in the Salad Bowl. They soon got up and were in view for quite a while this morning and were out again this evening in about the same spot in the Salad Bowl. At 6:20 a.m. I found a courting pair of grizzlies in Calfee from Trash Can Pullout. They soon disappeared but came into view in the afternoon again still on Calfee. At 6:25 a.m. Richard and Rita found the grizzly sow and yearling north and east of Trash Can. They were really low in a clearing and soon disappeared. At 6:55 a.m. the grizzly sow with two cubs of the year (coys) were on the second finger of Norris. They were in view in the evening also. At 8:00 a.m. we had another courting pair of grizzlies in the Bowl viewed from first Mid Point and then the Institute. From the Institute both courting pairs were in view at the same time. At 8:10 a.m. we watched a black bear in a small clearing east of Square Meadow from Mid Point Pullout. At 9:00 a.m. John G found a cinnamon black bear low on Junction Butte from the Boulder Pullout. At 5:40 p.m. we had two bedded wolves near the Slough Creek den (these were Prospect Peak wolves). At 8:00 p.m. I found two black bears together near the Lamar River Corridor viewed from Coyote Overlook. At 8:15 p.m. we watched a large grizzly north of Picnic Area hunting elk calves. At 8:30 p.m. my last bear sighting for the day was a good sized black bear in K-2 Clearing viewed from Footbridge Pullout.

Friday - June 2nd

48 degrees this morning warming up to a nice 73 degrees. At 5:20 a.m. Richard and Rita found a small black bear south and west of Fisherman's Pullout viewed from Coyote Overlook. At 5:30 a.m. Randi M found a grizzly on the sky line in the Salad Bowl viewed from Coyote Overlook. At 5:45 a.m. Bob and Nell H found a courting pair of grizzlies in the Bowl viewed from Trash Can Pullout. At 6:15 a.m. Richard and Rita found a light colored nice sized grizzly northeast of Trash Can Pullout. At 6:20 a.m. I spotted a large grizzly below the moose head northeast of Trash Can Pullout. Also a brief look at a small colorful grizzly low in the same clearing. At 7:20 a.m. Richard found a nice sized courting pair on the sky line north of Trash Can. At 8:05 a.m. we had a courting pair of grizzlies high on the southeast end of Specimen Ridge viewed from the Slough Creek Restroom. At 8:35 a.m. Rita R found a small grizzly moving to the west and soon in the trees on Specimen Ridge. At 9:05 a.m. a nice sized grizzly was found by John G again on Specimen Ridge. This grizzly was in sight for quite a while and appeared to be hunting elk calves before it went over the hill and out of sight. At 5:00 p.m. we had a black bear just off the road at Lower Hellroaring. At 7:15 p.m. I looked at Bear Meadow from the Institute and had four grizzlies in my scope. A courting pair of grizzlies with two two year old cubs following them. The sow circled back and walked with the two two year olds for a while. The next forty minutes we got short views of the courting pair in the snow and trees near the sky line. At 8:35 a.m. I found a cinnamon black bear on the third finger of Norris.

Saturday - June 3rd

37 degrees this morning warming up to a nice 74 degrees. I had a THREE DOG DAY today with a second fox thrown in to boot. I also saw another vulture flying over Junction Butte this morning. Moose sightings: a moose crossing A-Z clearing this evening, a cow with this year’s calf at Round Prairie in the late evening and a bull moose at Warm Springs were all seen just before dark. At 6:00 a.m. I started the day with a cinnamon black bear on the fourth finger of Norris. At 7:20 a.m. Jim H called with a brief sighting north of Mid Point Pullout viewed from Trash Can Pullout. Randi M found a large boar following/running off a light colored small grizzly from the hill just west of Mid Point and to the north. Then the sun came up and we could not see anything. Later someone saw grizzlies as the sun had risen up to allow viewing to the north. But a different two grizzlies were in view - the large courting pair of grizzlies were now in view and no sign of the large boar and small light grizzly. Great viewing with the steam coming out of their mouths as the moved around for a good fifteen minutes. At 7:50 a.m. Jerry C called with a grizzly digging on the Penny Lane viewed from Footbridge. This grizzly was out for quite a while. At 8:05 a.m. I was glassing below the snow cornice high west and south of Footbridge and had a grizzly sow with a least two coys moving thru a small clearing below the sky line. Unfortunately only Jim H was able to view the family before they were out of sight. At 9:15 a.m. a Tour Guide working for Ken T called with a courting pair of grizzlies on the Middle Ridge of Crystal Drainage. We did arrive at Lamar Canyon West in time for ten minutes of viewing. This pair were out again tonight viewed from Coyote Overlook and by others from Slough Creek Restroom area. At 5:00 p.m. three wolf pups came out of the Sage Den and moved to the eastern trees in Slough Creek. At 7:50 p.m. we had a courting pair of grizzlies above the snow patch on Ski Slope viewed from Dorothy's and Coyote Overlooks.

Sunday - June 4th

37 degrees this morning warming up to 80 degrees in the afternoon. I had a moose near Warm Springs this evening. At 5:15 a.m. I found the courting pair of grizzlies still above the snow patch on Ski Slope. At 5:20 a.m. Randi M found a small dark grizzly on A-Z Meadow who eventually went over the top and was in view in the Bowl viewed from the Institute and Hobart Hill. At 6:30 a.m. I spotted a grizzly digging on Norris from Trash Can. At 6:30 a.m. Amy T found a bedded black wolf and as they watched all of the Junction Butte wolves were spotted south of Trash Can. The usual grouping of two grays and five black wolves were seen. At 7:00 a.m. I heard from Doug M (wolf watcher) that the Prospect Peak pack had treed a black bear at the Slough Den. When I arrived I did not see the black bear but three of the adult wolves were near the eastern trees where the black bear was up the tree. At 8:30 a.m. we had a large black bear in a clearing near K-2 Meadow viewed from Footbridge Pullout. At 8:50 a.m. we watched a black bear grazing on the second finger of Norris viewed from Footbridge Pullout. At 6:15 p.m. three wolf pups nursed at Sage Den accompanied by the mom and one other gray wolf. At 7:45 p.m. my last bear sighting for this trip report was a black bear high south of # 1 finger on Norris.

People Seen

Wolf Watchers: From Montana: Rick M, Doug M, Laurie L, Amy T and Josh A. From Oregon: Bruce and Kelly H. From California: Bob and Nell H. From Iowa: Jim and Joellyn B. From Missouri: Don and Carol L. From New York: Rick and Maureen B. From Colorado: Steve M and Terri S. From Utah: Jerry and Julie C. Bear Watchers seen this report: From Washington: John G and Randi M. From Wyoming: Richard and Rita R. From South Carolina: Jean S and Margaret P. From Utah: Kevin and Pam, Dave H and Mark H. From Illinois: Mike G and Richard and Ursula B. From Montana: Sarah W and Family, Kate and her boy friend Dave and Doug M. From Colorado: Don and Shirley. From Missouri: Fred and Linda. and From Tennessee: Mike and Donna F. Others seen this report: From Colorado: Jim and Bobbie F. From Montana: Jim H, Carl S, Leo L, Cliff B, Bob L, Evan S, MacNeil L.

Yellowstone National Park

Lamar Valley Map - Yellowstone National Park