Yellowstone National Park 2017 Trip Reports
Trip Report ~ Bear & Wolf Sightings ~ by Bill Hamblin
02 through 05 April 2017
~ April 2017 ~
Sunday - April 2nd
46 degrees in Gardiner this morning but only 37 in Little America. We had rain, sleet and showers off and on today with a high of 47 degrees and windy in the afternoon. I arrived at Straight-away Pullout and checked the bison carcass at 6:50 a.m. Four wolves of the Prospect Peak pack were on the carcass (the alpha's 821F and 966M as well as 964M and an un-collared gray, all four are gray wolves. They fed for about an hour then bedded in the trees, three of the four returning around noon and again at 5:30 p.m. At 12:15 pm. the grizzly sow with one yearling was on the northeast portion of Junction Butte turning over rocks. They were out and in sight most of the time until I left about 5:45 p.m. At 12:45 p.m. Peter M (member of the wolf project a few years ago) spotted a grizzly to the north of Straight-away but this side of the river going north. At 5:20 p.m. I found a large dark grizzly high north of Straight-away in a patch of new green growth grazing.
Monday - April 3rd
26 degrees in Gardiner with a little frost and snow on the car warming up to only 38 degrees. Most of the day was clear but clouds and wind came in the afternoon. A little snow was on the roads in spots this morning and I was the first one out of town this morning until Tower were the snowplow was ahead of me going towards Cooke City. A single grizzly had wandered down the road on the east end of Phantom Lake. At 6:30 a.m. I found a small dark grizzly on the bison carcass in Little America. It only stayed in sight for ten minutes then headed east into the trees. At 8:30 a.m. I had a nice sized brown grizzly just off the road near Boulder Pond. It took a drink before crossing the road to the south. I headed to Straight-away and watched it arrive on the carcass. The grizzly was only there a few minutes, suggesting the carcass is pretty much gone. It went into the trees to the south and I left the area. At 9:20 a.m. Doug M the wolf watcher called having a grizzly crossing the road just east of Boulder Pond going south to north. It was out of sight when I arrived but Doug suggested Boulder Pullout and I got to see him go over the hill heading for the river. At 2:50 p.m. the grizzly sow and one yearling were out again on the northeast portion of Junction Butte, and remained out until I left the area around 4:30 p.m.
Tuesday - April 4th
29 degrees in Gardiner but 13 degrees in Round Prairie in the morning warming up to 45 degrees. I had seven moose in Round Prairie as first light this morning. I have not seen any foxes for 10 days, but found two today - one near Yellowstone Picnic Area and the second northeast of Coyote Overlook. At 12:55 p.m. the grizzly sow with one yearling was on the southeast part of Junction Butte. They were out for quite a while again this afternoon. I think they spend their mornings low on the butte in the trees, because I usually do not find them until afternoon. At 4:35 p.m. I found a grizzly walking above the Lamar River corridor south of the confluence.
Wednesday - April 5th
29 degrees in Gardiner but 21 degrees in Round Prairie at first light warming up to 47 degrees. Two moose in Round Prairie this morning and a moose crossing K Meadow in the afternoon. My first kestrels were spotted today, one near Aspen Pullout where they nested last year and one near Footbridge Pullout. At 6:40 a.m. I spotted a large grizzly just leaving the bison carcass in Round Prairie. He went into the trees and bedded, then returned and bedded near the carcass. He was in sight for about 30 minutes. At 8:45 a.m. I found the grizzly sow with one yearling low in the trees on the east side of Junction Butte viewed from Boulder Pullout, They were out again at 11:40 a.m. and I heard reports of people seeing them most of the afternoon. At 4:20 p.m. I found a grizzly with the Yellowstone stripe, south of Trashcan Pullout viewed from Footbridge. I moved to Trashcan and watched it for over 45 minutes as it slowly moved east. Kind of strange as there is a new bison carcass south of Dorothy's Pullout to the west.
People Seen
Wolf Watchers: From Montana: Rick M, Doug M, Scott W, Melba C, and Josh A. From Kansas: Calvin and Lynette J. From the UK: Alan and Kirsty P. Bear Watchers: From Montana: Kevin and Tammy, and Shari. Other People: From Montana: Bob L, Cliff B, Deby D, Leo L, Evan S, Nathan V, Linda T, and Peter M. (worked on the wolf project a couple of years ago) with his girlfriend. From Colorado: Jim and Bobbie F. And lastly from Utah: Bob B.
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