Yellowstone National Park 2016 Trip Reports
Trip Report ~ Bear & Wolf Sightings ~ by Bill Hamblin
02 through 05 May 2016
~ May 2016 ~
Monday - May 2nd
30 degrees in Gardiner and 25 degrees in Lamar Valley warming up to 66 degrees. I had my first badger of the year near Dorothy's Pullout today. At 6:05 a.m. I spotted an un-collared Mollie Pack wolf south of the YES Pullout. This wolf found the after birth of a bison calf then staked out the bison cow and calf trying to get the calf for a few hours, without success. At 6:10 a.m. a collared black Mollies wolf on the east end of Jasper Bench spotted by John G. At 6:20 a.m. John G found a small grizzly in a long narrow clearing behind the east end of Jasper Bench. At 7:20 a.m. Paul B of the Teton Science School showed us the colorful with a lot of blond grizzly in the tree line south of YES Pullout. At 8:00 a.m. we had another Mollie collared black wolf on Dead Puppy Hill. At 8:55 a.m. I found a grizzly in the bowl viewed from the Institute. It eventually went up and over the skyline passing thru a nice patch of snow. At 10:30 a.m. the grizzly sow with three cubs of the year (coy's) was on the Middle Ridge in Crystal Drainage. I hiked Trout and Buck Lakes today taking a new route coming out at Buck Lake then passing Trout Lake on the return. John G and Randi were my hiking partners today.
Tuesday - May 3rd
40 degrees in Gardiner and 28 degrees in Lamar Valley warming up to a nice 73 degrees. At 6:35 a.m. a large dark grizzly in the sagebrush flats south and west of Footbridge Pullout, found by Ralph N. Later we found him again going south low on Cache Creek. At 6:50 a.m. one un-collared black wolf and one collared black wolf of the Mollies Wolf pack were at Trash Can Pullout. At 7:30 a.m. we watched the grizzly sow with three coy's low on the middle ridge in Crystal Drainage. This sighting is working out great, since you can look north in Slough Creek to watch the Junction Butte pack den site where wolves usually in sight in the morning and evening, than look south in Crystal to watch the grizzly family in Crystal without moving. At 8:45 a.m. we watched a nice grizzly with the Yellowstone stripe in the Yellow grass Meadow in Slough Creek. I walked up to Tower Store with John G and Randi M today and found a dipper and then the new nest site of the peregrine falcon at Calcite Springs area. From the park personnel they are allowing administrative travel on Dunraven Pass and South Entrance already so the south will open on time May 13th and Dunraven on May 27th. Only the Beartooth Highway is still being plowed for snow. We have a great horned owl nest in the Lamar Canyon in a rock face. So we have an osprey, red tailed hawk and a great horned owl nest within 1/4 mile.
Wednesday - May 4th
31 degrees in Lamar Valley but warming up to a nice 73 degrees. At 6:30 a.m. I spotted a grizzly north of Picnic Pullout moving west. At 7:45 a.m. we had a grizzly east of the horizontal forest in Slough Creek. Near noon the grizzly roamed thru the Junction Butte wolf pack area and was escorted out of the area. At 7:50 a.m. the grizzly sow with three coy's were on the middle ridge of Crystal Drainage again. At 8:00 a.m. a gray un-collared wolf of the Junction Butte pack was near the den area. At 9:20 a.m. Ralph N found a large dark grizzly on K-2 Meadow viewed from Footbridge. At 9:20 a.m. Ralph found a middle sized dark grizzly in the sagebrush flats south and west of Footbridge moving north and into the river corridor. Interesting news today as a yearling bison got caught in a culvert and had to be put down and removed by the park rangers. At 11:30 a.m. we have five gray and two black Junction Butte wolves escort the grizzly out of the den site area. At 3:00 p.m. we watched a nice sized grizzly on the sky line digging north of Picnic Area. At 3:05 p.m. I found the small blond grizzly digging just east of Amethyst Bench near the tree line. At 5:00 p.m. we had a black bear sleeping 50 yards off the road near Upper Hellroaring Pullout. I hiked north of Thunderer and Ice Box Canyon today with Randi M and John G.
Thursday - May 5th
47 degrees in Gardiner and 40 degrees in Lamar Valley warming up to a nice 73 degrees. At 6:15 a.m. I spotted an un-collared black Mollie wolf hunting bison calves south of Midpoint. At 7:00 a.m. Josh A called in a grizzly north of the eastern curve lot east of Footbridge Pullout At 8:15 a.m. and for the next three hours the grizzly with the three coy's on the middle clearing in Crystal. This sow looks older, but she leaves her cubs bedded in the clearing and feeds up to 70 yards or so from them for sometimes up to an hour. Not the best situation if the wolves or a boar grizzly comes along. At 9:00 a.m. four gray and one black wolf milling around the den area. One gray was digging in the sagebrush den which has never been used except as a play area. Most days up to ten wolves and the last couple of days one or more new pups have been seen. It is just that I am usually up in Lamar where more grizzlies are usually spotted. At 11:45 a.m. and again tonight the small blond grizzly was near Amethyst Bench. Good news for the Lamar Canyon pack as 965M a large gray male has returned to the pack after leaving in early winter. Jim E found a nice grizzly on the #3 finger of Norris this afternoon. A young grizzly moving around looking for something to dig and eat. At 5:45 p.m. my last sighting for the day and this trip report was a black bear at Lower Hellroaring.
People Seen
Wolf Watchers: From Montana: Rick M, Josh A, Doug M, Melba C, and Dan and Laurie L. From Colorado: Anne W. From California: Bob and Nell H. From Oklahoma: Robert and Pam. From Utah: Jerry C and Julia, and Lynn and Dorothy W. From Vermont: Don P. From New York: Wendy B. Also from Oklahoma: Paul S. Bear Watchers: From Montana: Ralph N, Jack G, and Shari. From Washington: John G, Randi M, Froane and Judy. From Illinois: Wayne K and Chicago Bob and Margaret. From Indiana: Jeff and Terri. From Ohio: Jim and Tywla E. From Idaho: Emmett and Vicky. From Colorado: Ed A. Others: From Montana: Dan H, Nathan V, Carl S, and Ken S. From Wyoming: Jeff H, Paul B, and Dick P. From Idaho: Ray T. From Louisiana: Bruce. From Florida: Rick. From Texas: Carol S and Carl L. From Vermont: John K. And from Utah: Bob B.
Buffalo Youngsters Playing - April 16th, 2016 - Lamar Valley
Can you see the four Antelope?
Yellowstone National Park
Lamar Valley Map - Yellowstone National Park
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