Yellowstone National Park 2018 Trip Reports
Trip Report ~ Bear & Wolf Sightings ~ by Bill Hamblin
04 through 07 May 2018 - Yellowstone National Park
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~ May 2018 ~
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Friday - May 4th
39 degrees in Gardiner but 31 degrees in Lamar Valley warming up to 62 degrees. I had two moose in Round Prairie across from Pebble Creek Campground this morning. Five swans in a pond near Picnic Pullout in Lamar Valley this morning. The park service has put up the closure signs for the wolves basically from near the Soda Butte Cone to the east and to the Confluence to the west on the north side of the road. Again, they think both 926F and Little T have or shortly will have pups. At 6:00 a.m. Rick M called to tell us a grizzly had crossed the road at Coyote Overlook from south to north. When I arrived a medium sized grizzly was about to go over first hill north of Coyote Overlook. It did not reappear. At 6:15 a.m. a lone uncollared and unidentified wolf was howling and bedded just west of A-Z Meadow in Lamar Valley. A nice sized gray wolf with an unusual tail, like a pump handle. The wolf went out of sight but moved east all the way to south of Picnic Pullout before it disappeared into the trees to the south. At 8:00 a.m. a small grizzly was digging on Amethyst Bench south of the Institute. At 9:15 a.m. 907F was observed at the Sage Den in Slough Creek. This report saw 969F move into the Sage Den with 907F and the uncollared black female wolf--all three are now in the same Sage Den visible from almost anywhere at Slough Creek. At 9:25 a.m. the grizzly sow with the two year old cub was found south and east of Slough Creek just across the Lamar River. At 2:15 p.m. the grizzly sow with one cub of the year was briefly seen on Thunderer viewed from Pebble Creek Parking Lot. That was the last day we saw this family group, they have not reappeared anywhere to my knowledge. At 6:00 p.m. a large black bear was above the horizontal forest in Slough Creek. At 6:20 p.m. we observed four black wolves and both gray wolves of the Junction Butte pack at the den. Actually 907F and the uncollared black female entered the den while we watched.
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Saturday - May 5th
46 degrees in Gardiner but only 35 degrees at Slough Creek this morning warming up to 65 degrees. At 6:00 a.m. 907F was out of the den and in sight close to the Sage Den. At 6:20 a.m. Bruce P found the grizzly (Druid sow) with the one two year old cub north and east of Footbridge Pullout best viewed from the curve just east of Footbridge. Good viewing as they were digging in short grass. At 6:30 a.m. Bob H found Small Dot the male of the Lamar Canyon Pack crossing the Soda Butte Creek right at Footbridge. He moved out following the Cache Creek Trail and disappeared going south. Later John G was looking where the grizzly family had disappeared and found Little T coming to the den area from the northeast. At 9:00 a.m. we had a medium sized grizzly digging and grazing on the Southern Divide Ridge viewed from Slough Creek. At 9:10 a.m. two black wolves bedded near the Slough Creek Den Site. At 10:20 a.m. John G made a great spot of a grizzly sow with one cub of the year on Middle Ridge in Crystal Drainage viewed from Coyote Overlook. This family was out for quite a while and eventually got high enough on the ridge to allow us to view from Lamar Canyon West Pullout.
Sunday - May 6th
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46 degrees this morning but only 37 degrees in Lamar Valley warming up to 66 degrees. At 5:50 a.m. 969F was at the entrance to the Sage Den in Slough Creek. At 6:40 a.m. a large grizzly spotted by Bob H from Picnic Area on Norris traveling near the Cache Creek Trail. Apparently this grizzly was close to the road at Hitching Post early in the morning. At 7:10 a.m. Randi M found the grizzly sow with one two year old cub north and east of Footbridge Pullout. They were on a high ridge line and good viewing for quite a while. At 8:40 a light colored grizzly was spoted at the bottom of Salad Bowl just behind Jasper Bench viewed from Coyote Overlook. At 11:00 a.m. Randi M found the grizzly sow with one cub of the year again on Middle Ridge from Lamar Canyon West. We watched for over an hour and then as the family moved over the ridge to the west, we watched from the Specimen Trailhead west of the Lamar River Bridge and finally from Aspen Pullout. At 2:15 p.m. the grizzly sow with one two year old cub were being chased by a large grizzly north of Boulder Pullout. When I arrived the larger grizzly had disappeared and the sow and cub were going east close to the road. Good viewing as they took their time often bedding and stopped to dig. They wanted to cross the road to the south, but too many people for that. At 4:00 p.m. a grizzly sow with two yearling cubs was on the #5 finger on Norris viewed first from Footbridge Pullout then from Soda Butte East Pullout.
Monday - May 7th
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49 degrees in Gardiner but 37 degrees in Lamar Valley warming up to a nice 65 degrees. I had a vulture flying over Lamar Valley this morning. Vultures use to be a rare sight in Yellowstone, but now they are seen every other day or so. At 6:00 a.m. a gray wolf bedded at the entrance to the Sage Den at Slough Creek. As of this morning, no pups have been seen yet. At 6:30 a.m. Bruce P found the grizzly with the one two year old cub again north and east of Footbridge Pullout. They were closer this morning but feeding in tall sagebrush. Eventually we got good looks at them as they traveled thru shorter grass. At 7:15 a.m. I found a large grizzly on K Meadow viewed from Footbridge Pullout. He was moving down thru the mostly snow covered clearing. At 7:30 a.m. Terri B said there was another grizzly in K Meadow. A smaller grizzly had appeared on the south end of the clearing near Jennings Rock. Soon both grizzlies saw each other and the larger one chased the smaller off. We thought maybe early courting behavior, but the large grizzly returned to feed in K Meadow by himself. Around 3:00 p.m. the smaller grizzly was back in K Meadow for a few minutes. At 8:30 a.m. Doug M (wolf watcher) called with a small light grizzly near the Horizontal Forest in Slough Creek. We think this is a three and one half year old grizzly that we watched last year in Slough Creek. At 8:55 a.m. the grizzly sow with two year old cub again in Little America. In sight until 5:00 p.m. when I left, they dug and bedded often and even nursed at one time. Today they got across the road to the south and as I left were bedded under a bunch of trees under Specimen Ridge south of Long Pullout. At 9:50 a.m. a medium sized light grizzly in the large clearing just south of Crystal Rock viewed from Slough Creek. While we were watching the grizzly’s one to the south and one to the north we watched four black wolves around the den area. The uncollared black female came down from the eastern trees and into the den. A black moved to the western trees to bed. And two black wolves came into sight from below the den. At 1:15 p.m. the sow with the two yearlings was in Round Prairie across from Pebble Creek Campground grazing and playing for about 45 minutes. At 3:15 p.m. a black bear on Square Meadow viewed from Picnic Pullout. At 4:00 p.m. a large black bear was above the yellow grass meadow at Slough Creek. At 5:00 p.m. we had a light cinnamon black bear on the road about a mile east of the High Bridge near Mammoth.
People Seen
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Wolf Watchers: From Montana: Rick M, Doug M, and Lizzie C. From California: Bob and Nell H. From Colorado: Rick and Len H. From Utah: Chris and Brenda C, Jerry and Julie C, and Pam and Denny D. From Idaho: Craig C. From Iowa: Jim and Joellyn B. From Canada: Jeff A. From Wyoming: Larry and Linda H. From Texas: Carol S and Carl L. Bear Watchers seen this report. From Washington: John G, Randi M and John B. From Louisiana: Bruce P. From Montana: Sarah W with mother and aunt. From Ohio: Jim and Tywla E. From Missouri: Fred and Linda. From Idaho: Carma and Jennings S. From Illinois: Chicago Bob and Margaret. From Colorado: Ed A. From Oklahoma: Paul S. From Utah: Dean and Geri D. From Wisconsin: Don L. Others seen this report: From Montana: Cliff B, Leo L, Cara M, Chris H, Bonnie M, Carl S, Dan H, and Emil M. From Wyoming: Paul B. From California: Lee and Christy H. And lastly from Utah: Bob B.
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