Monday - 04 July

Laurie from Helena and I decided to run south for the day. It was difficult to get up at 3:30 a.m. to get there from Pebble Creek Campground, but it was worth it. At 5:20 a.m. Laurie found a grizzly from grizzly overlook. At 5:25 a.m. Laurie found the grizzly sow with one yearling in Alum Creek near the highline heading west for the trees. At 5:40 a.m. we watched a large grizzly across the river from wildlife overlook. We hiked west of the wildlife overlook back about 1/2 mile and found two separate large grizzlies way back over two miles away. Back on the road Laurie found the grizzly sow with two yearlings relatively close in Alum Creek. At 7:45 a.m. I spotted a large dark grizzly back near the tree line. At 8:30 a.m. Laurie found a grizzly way way way away on Dunraven Pass area viewed from near grizzly overlook in Hayden. I spent the next 4 hours watching the grizzly sow with two yearlings from a hill west of grizzly overlook (she was actually out in the sagebrush all day, had people who watched her the rest of the day). At 4:00 p.m. we had two large cinnamon black bears in a low clearing just south of Dunraven Pass (appeared to be a courting pair). At 6:00 p.m. I found a large black bear near the old bathroom pullout above Tower. At 6:45 p.m. we watched the small blond grizzly above the narrows (the resident grizzly). At 7:20 p.m. we had a large grizzly in the rendezvous area. At 9:20 p.m. my last sighting of the day was a large dark grizzly in round prairie.

Tuesday - 05 July

At 5:02 a.m. I spotted the large grizzly still in round prairie. At 5:50 a.m. we had two black wolves (not Lamar Canyon - probably either the old Gibbon pack or maybe a couple of Mollie's), along with one black bear and one grizzly all in the rendezvous area. At 6:40 a.m. I found a grizzly in the bowl south of the Institute. At 7:00 a.m. we had a grizzly north of picnic area. At 8:25 a.m. I spotted a grizzly on # 2 clearing of Norris. At 8:30 a.m. we had a grizzly in penny lane. At 4:15 p.m. we had a black bear, and a cow and calf moose in the Soda Butte picnic area. I also found two mountain goat moms with kids high in the rocks south of the picnic area. At 7:35 p.m. we had a small grizzly across the river in the high grass south of Dorothy's Knoll. At 7:45 p.m. we saw a small black bear running hard across the lower end of A-Z. At 8:30 p.m. I found wolves moving east near soda butte east clearing.

Wednesday - 06 July

At 4:55 a.m. I found the dark grizzly still in round prairie. At 5:25 a.m. we had a grizzly south of picnic. At 5:30 a.m. I spotted a black bear in thru tree line in the rendezvous area. At 6:10 a.m. we had a grizzly south of the Institute. At 6:35 a.m. we watched a black and cinnamon black bear traveling together north of coyote (large bears). At 7:30 a.m. I we watched a large grizzly way back in Alum Creek.

Other News

Other news: There was a bear mauling on Wapiti Trail near canyon on July 6th. I'm still unclear about which family group of grizzlies was involved. To my knowledge there are three family groups in Hayden this summer: the grizzly sow with one yearling, the grizzly sow with two yearlings and the grizzly sow with two cubs of the year (coy) (which I haven't seen this year). The report said a grizzly with cubs, so assume the sow with two yearlings or the sow with two coys. The sow with two yearlings was across the river in Alum Creek on the 4th. Bonnie from the Institute had the sow with coys south and west in Hayden a few days prior to the mauling on the 6th; however, most of the early sightings of the sow with coys was close to the area of the mauling.