Yellowstone National Park 2015 Trip Reports
Trip Report ~ Bear & Wolf Sightings ~ by Bill Hamblin
10 through 17 October 2015
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~ October 2015 ~
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Saturday - 10 October
The weather for the entire trip was great. No rain and sunny skies most days with highs in the 60's and low 70's. Today it was 77 by mid-afternoon. I started out late and decided to go to the secret place outside of Yellowstone to view bears this evening. Only one large grizzly in the usual spot tonight. However, on the way home a couple of cars were pulled over and I got to watch a grizzly with three large cubs (large yearlings I think, but the light was fading fast). I stayed over near Gardiner tonight.
Sunday - 11 October
It was 68 degrees at 5:30 a.m. this morning but down to 47 degrees on the mountain secret place and really windy all day. Two horned owls (great horned I think) on fence posts on the road up the mountain this morning. I had a large grizzly in the meadow at daylight. Soon after that I found a grizzly with three yearlings in the field also (this was one of the two family groups who have three yearlings, this family is the one with one really blond cub). At 2:40 p.m. a light grizzly beyond the high lines in Alum Creek in Hayden Valley. At 7:00 p.m. a dark grizzly in the tree line at the rendezvous area viewed from Trash can Pullout.
Monday - 12 October
28 degrees this morning outside Silver Gate and still windy for the day. At 7:30 a.m. we had three black wolves and one gray wolf which was 965M south of Soda Butte East (others stayed longer and found all seven of the adults). At 8:00 a.m. I spotted a grizzly south of Picnic area viewed from Dorothy's Knoll. At 11:15 a.m. Calvin and Lynette J found eight Prospect Peak Pack wolves on the scopes of Hellroaring. We watched three black and five gray adults for about 45 minutes. At 12:50 p.m. we had the light grizzly beyond the high lines in Alum Creek. I called it an early day and had pizza with friends in Gardiner in the evening.
Tuesday - 13 October
38 degrees near Gardiner this morning. I went back to the secret place and found a cow and calf moose in the trees. At 7:00 a.m. a large grizzly was digging in the field at the secret place. Also about 7:00 a.m. I found a grizzly sow with two coy's also digging in the field. At 9:30 a.m. a crowd at the Specimen Ridge trail head near the Lamar River Bridge had the Junction Butte wolves leaving a new but small carcass (mule deer or elk calf). Others had been seen earlier, but I got to see 911M, two gray and one black pup. The wolves moved over the hill and out of sight so I decided to climb Dave's Hill and was rewarded finding eight wolves 5 gray and 3 black bedded north and across the Slough Creek in the bottoms. At 3:00 p.m. I spotted a young grizzly close to the road about two miles south of the Canyon Junction.
Wednesday - 14 October
28 degrees this morning. Later in the morning Ralph N found a cow and calf moose in the 10-4 clearing near the new bathroom pullout at Antelope Creek. At 7:30 a.m. we had a small grizzly in the Slough Creek bottoms. At 8:30 a.m. I found a large grizzly beyond the high lines in Alum Creek. At 9:30 a.m. the young grizzly was off the road near the horse corrals south of Canyon Junction. At 10:30 a.m. one black and two gray wolves of the Wapiti Lake pack were bedded west in Alum Creek beyond the high lines. At 3:00 p.m. the light colorful grizzly was back out beyond the high lines in Alum Creek.
Thursday - 15 October
24 degrees in Lamar Valley this morning. I had my only THREE DOG DAY today catching a fox on the road near Barronette Peak before daylight. At 7:30 a.m. I spotted a large grizzly on Amethyst Bench. At 8:30 a.m. all seven adults of the Lamar Canyon pack and one gray pup south of Picnic Area (in the evening they reappeared south of the Soda Butte Cone - others picked up two black pups in addition to this morning's eight count). At 9:00 a.m. we had the young grizzly near the road at the horse corrals south of Canyon Junction. At 9:15 a.m. we watched one gray and one black Wapiti Creek wolves bedded west of Alum Creek beyond the high lines.
Friday - 16 October
26 degrees this morning in Lamar Valley. At 7:20 a.m. I viewed five black wolves of the Lamar Canyon in the rendezvous area (others got to see all eleven wolves of the pack this morning (7 adults - 926F, 965M, Twin, Mottled, Dark Black, big T black yearling and little T black yearling, and two black and two gray pups--the third gray pup has not been seen in over three weeks and presumed dead). A grizzly bear appeared with the wolves briefly before disappearing into the trees with the wolves. At 8:30 a.m. the young grizzly was at the horse corrals south of the Canyon Junction. Between 10:00 a.m. and 2:15 p.m. the grizzly sow called Raspberry and her blond coy were feeding near Cub Creek about eight miles east of Fishing Bridge.
Saturday - 17 October
25 degrees this morning. At 7:30 a.m. I viewed seven of the eleven Lamar Canyon wolves going east up the Cache Creek trail on Norris from Trash can Pullout. Others had an earlier and better view from the confluence and all eleven was present this morning. At 3:15 p.m. we had a large grizzly digging in the Soda Butte Creek corridor south of Hitching Post. At 6:00 p.m. twelve of the eighteen Junction Butte wolves were viewed in Antelope Creek on the # 3 clearing. It was assumed that all eighteen were there, but I only counted twelve. I had a check engine light come on the car and since I was planning to leave in the next day or two I headed home at dusk. Dunraven Pass was scheduled to close on Monday morning anyway, making visits to Hayden Valley a long trip.
People Seen
Bear watchers: From Idaho: Blake M. From Utah: Luke and Mayleea. From Montana: Ralph N, Doug M, and Chuck. From Ohio: Jim and Tywla E. From Minnesota: Virgil and Marlene. From Wyoming: Rain. Wolf watchers: From Montana: Rick M, Doug M, Josh A, Melba C, Ilona P, Peter M, Lizzie C, Alan and Sue O, and Bob and Elizabeth N. From Washington: Betsy D. From Colorado: Anne W, and Mark and Carol R. From Kansas: Calvin and Lynette J, and Bill and Jan. From Iowa: Jim and Joellen B. From Virginia: Dusty and his wife Kathy, From the UK: Kirsty and Alan P. From British Columbia: John and Mary. From Wyoming: Larry and Linda H. From Idaho: Ray L and Kathy, and Warren and Natalie B. From California: Bob and Nell H. and From Tennessee: Stacy. Other people seen: From Montana: MacNeil L, Jim H, Pete B, Bob L, Deby D, Ken T, Dan, Cindy and Kelly H, and Cliff B. From Washington: Froane and Judy. From Texas: Keith W. And I missed seeing Jim and Bobbie F from Colorado.
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