Trip Report ~ by Bill Hamblin

08 - 10 October 2010

~ October 2010 ~

Friday - 08 October

This is probably the last trip report from Yellowstone this year.  With Dunraven Pass closing early this week, getting around on a weekend is difficult.  You have to either do Lamar or Hayden, so the drive between them is too long now.

I had a nice young bull moose cross the road about 5 miles this side of West Yellowstone on the way in.  There was a single trumpeter swan in the Madison before Seven Mile Bridge.  I decided to do Hayden Valley on the way in.  Nothing from Grizzly Overlook, but just pass there the grizzly sow with two cubs of the year (coy's) were digging in the grass about 250 yards off the road.  One cub is dark the other a panda bear looking light one.  I headed from the Northeast.  I had heard for days about a bison carcass north of Boulder Pullout.  When I arrived a large grizzly controlled the carcass with a smaller lighter grizzly in the area.  They had had the Blacktail Pack of wolves on it earlier, but tonight the Agate pack was on it.  All four of the adults attempted to unseat the grizzly with no luck.  But the appearance of the smaller grizzly made the larger one amble off to made sure the smaller grizzly didn't get to the carcass.  Meanwhile, the Agates got to the carcass and wolfed down as much as possible.  The larger grizzly moved off and out of sight down towards the river corridor.  The smaller grizzly, who I was told had waited for several days, got his chance.  The wolves defended it for a while, but the smaller grizzly wasn't going to be denied.  We had howling south of the road, and I heard that a few of the pups (5 in the pack), had been seen earlier in the day.  They crossed the road to the south.

Saturday - 09 October

I camped outside Silver Gate both nights.  It rained early, the last few hours before daylight (thankfully as it stayed above freezing).  The Beartooth Highway was closed, now, I assume for the year.  I figured the carcass was the place to be at daylight.  Just before daylight our scopes picked up two dark figures moving around near the carcass.  It turned out to be four separate grizzly bears.  The large one and smaller grizzly from last evening, and two other nice sized grizzlies.  No wolves this were there this morning.  After about an hour, only the small grizzly remained in sight.  I found a large black bear in Crystal Drainage around 9:00 a.m.   On the way over to Hayden Valley, I stopped at 10-4 and someone pointed out a large grizzly way off in the far right meadow.  The afternoon revealed two wolf pups in the Canyon Pack rendezvous area (one black and one gray).  I talked to someone who was there later, and the alpha female came to the area and all three pups were seen greeting her.  There was a small black bear in the Calcite curve on the way back to Lamar in late afternoon.  The bighorn ewes and lambs are still hanging out close to the road near Calcite.  Only one large grizzly on the buffalo carcass on the way out for the evening.

Sunday - 10 October

A little colder during the night as it cleared out, no clouds to keep the heat in.  Jupiter was raising over the mountains near Silver Gate on the way out of the park.   I was at the carcass at daylight, but no sightings at all, not even a raven.   I returned into Lamar Valley where the adult wolves of the Lamar Canyon Pack were suppose to be moving west from around Footbridge.  I only saw 755M moving above the Institute and then north of Coyote Overlook.  I finally spotted a grizzly on my own.  Next I saw a grizzly on the skyline straight south of the Institute.  As we watched, it turned into three grizzlies, a sow and two yearlings, I think.  After an uneventful trip over to Hayden, I was surprised to find most of the people at Grizzly Overlook watching the grizzly sow with two coy's only a 100-150 yards across the river.  That panda looking coy is going to be really pretty as a yearling next year.  A wolf watcher who I had talked to yesterday, called my attention to a grizzly sow with one coy way north and east near Wapiti Trail head.  I was quite pleased in seeing the only two grizzly family groups that I know to reside in the Hayden Valley this year.

Other News

There has been two bulls and a cow moose in Round Prairie, but I only saw one bull Saturday night on the way to camp.

Saturday - 02 October

A little after daylight 754M of the Lamar Canyon Pack was located south of the Institute moving west. Later Jim B. from Iowa found the 06 female and 755M below the west end of Jasper Bench. She was chewing on something and didn't share with either of the males. It appeared to be a bear cub. Talking to everyone, it was probably a small black bear cub. They finally moved north, with the 06 female carrying a portion of the carcass back to the pups, who were north of Fisherman's Pullout. Finding no bears, I headed for Hayden Valley in the afternoon. Laurie from Bozeman was up and we spread out. She found a grizzly sow with two coys in Alum Creek. We watched then for over 1 1/2 hours. This is quite possibly the sow which had three coy's earlier in the year, but I'm not sure.

Sunday - 03 October

The Lamar Canyon pack had a kill in the Soda Butte Creek this morning. I drove by it before daylight. One of the black males was located north of the road heading west with a full belly. I finally got to see him north of the old Picnic Area. On the way home, I went to Hayden Valley. Calvin was at the Grizzly Overlook and said I just missed a grizzly moving to the east, but was out of sight when I arrived. I did see and watch the black pup of the Canyon Group's for a few minutes.

Other News

I did see a blue heron in the Yellowstone River east of the wildlife overlook in Hayden. I also saw another blue heron in the Madison River on the way out. The Antelope Fire moved south and is in some really thick old growth forest now, it will be only put out by the fall snows now. The coming weekend is the last weekend for Dunraven Pass and the Beartooth Pass to be open. Lots of wolf watchers in the park now.

by John William Uhler

Back to: Yellowstone Up Close and Personal