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Yellowstone National Park 2017 Trip Reports





Trip Report ~ Bear & Wolf Sightings ~ by Bill Hamblin

08 through 11 May 2017




Yellowstone Grizzly Bear ~ © Copyright All Rights Reserved John William Uhler

~ May 2017 ~



Yellowstone Grizzly Bear taken Spring 2014 ~ © Copyright All Rights Reserved John William Uhler Yellowstone Grizzly Bear taken Spring 2014 ~ © Copyright All Rights Reserved John William Uhler



Yellowstone Grizzly Bear taken Spring 2014 ~ © Copyright All Rights Reserved John William Uhler

Monday - May 8th


46 degrees in Gardiner and 41 degrees in Lamar Valley warming up to a nice 64 degrees. We had cloud cover most of the morning but it was a slow day for grizzlies. There was a moose cow with last year's calf at Footbridge Pullout this morning. At 6:15 a.m. I started with a grizzly digging on the Amethyst Bench viewed from Coyote Overlook. At 6:35 a.m. I had another small grizzly moving west just east of Amethyst Bench. At 8:10 a.m. I found a black bear south of the #1 finger on Norris. At 8:25 a.m. I found a nice sized blond grizzly moving west on the east end of Dead Puppy Hill. At 9:15 a.m. we had a collared grizzly north and east of Footbridge Pullout. John G found it after watching a nervous herd of elk looking down into an out of sight ravine. At 10:25 a.m. 949M the black alpha male of the Lamar Canyon wolf pack was spotted south of Footbridge. He buried a piece of meat before disappearing into the trees and out of sight. At 10:45 a.m. we had a light brown grizzly south of Picnic Pullout grazing and digging near the tree line. About 3:15 p.m. 926F the black alpha female of the Lamar Canyon wolf pack crossed the road from north to south to visit a fresh elk carcass in the river corridor. Twenty minutes later she re-crossed the road going back to the north and the den. At 4:00 p.m. I found a small grizzly in the old Druid Rendezvous area digging. It was ran off once by a bull bison, but merely moved behind the bull to keep digging. At 5:25 p.m. we were hoping to find the grizzly sow and yearling cub on Junction Butte. John, Randi and I found a likely candidate from Rick's Pullout but it turned out to be a nice sized brown bear.


Yellowstone Wolf ~ © Copyright All Rights Reserved Gerry Hogston

Tuesday - May 9th


45 degrees in Gardiner but only 35 degrees in Lamar Valley warming up to a nice 58 degrees with afternoon thundershowers. I found Ruddy Ducks in the Floating Island Lake. The lake still has the three week old elk carcass floating in it with the rib cage showing now. Lots of moose today: a cow and last year's calf below Footbridge Pullout, three moose in a small clearing south of Soda Butte East Pullout, and a cow and last year's calf running across Square Meadow viewed from Coyote Overlook tonight. We got a call about grizzlies south of Hitching Post. We walked out south to the river corridor and found a courting pair on a new bison carcass. Above the carcass and courting pair was another large grizzly waiting to come to the carcass. Looking back to the west we found another large dark grizzly on yesterday's elk carcass in the river corridor. The boar in the courting pair spent most of his time chasing off the second grizzly. The sow got quite a bit of eating in while the boars were away chasing each other. In a surprise the large boar decided to move off to the east and out of sight. This was the chance the second grizzly needed, but he just followed the sow around for a while. Meanwhile the large dark boar from yesterday's elk carcass moved into the bison carcass area. The second grizzly moved away into the sagebrush. The large dark grizzly found what I thought was a large pile of scat and did a little dance for a few minutes. With his front feet on the ground, he quickly danced with his rear feet. Now the large dark boar tried to mate with the sow, but she walked away. They both soon moved towards the new growth forest to the southeast and out of sight. Now finally the second grizzly got his time at the carcass. He ate fast. Meanwhile we spotted another nice sized grizzly coming off Norris down to the flats. This grizzly was comfortable with grazing and never came close to the carcass. Looking around we found a small grizzly way to the west in the aspens digging. Around 6:50 a.m. we found a new light nice sized grizzly coming in from the east from the direction of Dead Puppy Hill. We thought one of the original grizzlies was returning, but this grizzly was another new one. It moved west pasting the carcass area by several hundred yards and went to yesterday's old elk carcass. Only stayed a minute or two then exited south in a hurry. We assume all the scents of large grizzlies made it uncomfortable. Backing up a bit, 949M the black alpha male from Lamar Canyon pack was just above the carcass this morning howling for ten minutes or so facing to the east. Soon a group howl from the east and 949M moved east and out of our sight. At 7:30 a.m. we moved east to glass near the Soda Butte Cone. John G found the grizzly sow with one yearling north and east of the cone. This we believe is the Druid sow that had a small coy (cub of the year) last year. The sow is tall with a lot of room between the ground and her stomach, and the cub is small for a yearling. We heard on the radio that a new grizzly was seen near the new growth forest. We went back to Hitching Post to watch a collared grizzly (same one as yesterday) rub on a tree showing a lot of brown on its neck and stomach. The grizzly was really enjoying the back rub. At 8:35 a.m. I went to Slough Creek to glass there. No bears, but three of the four gray wolves of the Prospect Peak Pack were bedded near the Sage Den in Slough Creek. Around 8:45 a.m. I was back in Lamar when others watched the un-collared female come out of the den and nurse all five pups (I still have not seen them-always in the wrong spot and the wrong time). Ralph N called me earlier in the morning sighting the sow and yearling on Junction Butte viewed from Elk Creek. Before noon others had seen them from Wrecker Pullout to the Specimen Trailhead. At noon I found them near the top of Junction Butte from Tower Junction. Long but good viewing for thirty minutes or so. At 3:45 a.m. a grizzly crossed the second sliver clearing near Ski Slope viewed from Coyote Overlook. At 4:45 p.m. the courting pair were seen coming down Norris towards the new growth forest and I assume eventually going back to the bison carcass.

Yellowstone Wolf and Buffalo ~ © Copyright All Rights Reserved Gerry Hogston

Wednesay - May 10th


42 degrees in Gardiner but 29 degrees in Lamar Valley this morning warming up to 62 degrees. I had another vulture today and a cow moose with last year's calf at Footbridge Pullout this morning. At 5:35 a.m. I found a courting pair of grizzlies just leaving the bison carcass south of Footbridge Pullout. It looks like there is nothing left of the carcass, with the full moon I'm guessing the bears ate on it all night. At 5:35 a.m. I spotted another grizzly a couple hundred yards out in the sagebrush leaving the carcass area. At 6:00 a.m. we had a small grizzly first east of the Amethyst Bench then on the Amethyst Bench digging and grazing. At 6:10 a.m. I found a courting pair of grizzlies north and east of Coyote Overlook near the skyline.At 6:30 a.m. I found another courting pair of grizzlies on the 2nd sliver of Ski Slope. They eventually moved down and spent a lot of time of Amethyst Bench. At 6:45 a.m. the blond two year old sub adult were grazing and digging north and east of Coyote Overlook. It reappeared after going behind the large hill north of Coyote Overlook and was in good view from straight north of Coyote Overlook. This blond grizzly was seen with the mother just days ago, if fact the courting pair on the skyline may have included its mother. At 9:30 a.m. we had a tall lanky boar and typical sow courting pair south and west of Footbridge Pullout occasionally mating for a couple of minutes each time. At 9:00 a.m. a black bear was in the aspen trees south and west of Footbridge. At 4:00 p.m. I found a brown sub adult grizzly in the tree line south of Footbridge Pullout. It was slowly feeding to the east. At 4:00 p.m. we had a grizzly on Dead Puppy Hill that was running and searching for something. Up and down and around it went scent trailing something. John G, Randi M, and I guess it was the sow escaping from the lanky boar and searching to find her cub/the brown sub adult. They ended up going out of sight in the same area with the brown grizzly disappearing before the sow. At 5:20 p.m. two adult gray wolves and three of the five gray pups in view at the Sage Den in Slough Creek. Ralph N. had called me in the morning to tell me that the grizzly sow with one yearling had been seen on the NW end of Junction Butte. At 6:35 p.m. I found them on the top of Junction Butte viewed from Elk Creek. At 6:50 p.m. I pulled in at the S Curve on the Blacktail to visit with Froane and Judy S. I glassed to the north and west and found a dark grizzly grazing. It appeared to be eating flowers or something that was only in a few places. It would move back and forth biting at the tops of the grasses then move to the next patch. This was the first grizzly I have seen at Black Tail in a year or so.


Thursday - May 11th


Black bear by John William Uhler Copyright © All Rights Reserved

48 degrees in Gardiner but only 33 degrees in Lamar Valley warming up to 72 degrees. I found two vultures flying above Trout Lake today. At 5:45 a.m. I started the day with a small grizzly in the sagebrush across the Lamar River just east of Amethyst Bench. At 5:55 a.m. I found a courting pair of grizzlies on Amethyst Bench. They spent a lot of time following the small grizzly that had just came on to Amethyst Bench. At 6:15 a.m. we had a brief sighting of a grizzly near the moose head tree north and east of Picnic. We hurried around the corner heading towards Footbridge to see it again. At 6:20 a.m. we found 926F, 949M and Small Dot had just crossed the road from north to south at 21's crossing. The Mollie's Wolf Pack had been seen east of Dead Puppy Hill at first light, and the three Lamar Canyon wolves quickly re-crossed the road from south to north heading back to the den. Dean D did locate the grizzly near the moose head tree from Hitching Post. At 6:40 a.m. five black and one gray Mollie's wolves were on the west part of Dead Puppy Hill. We stopped at Confluence East and found them bedded on Norris. Later after we left Ralph N had them howl and slowly move south on Norris towards and past the Cache Creek trail. At 6:45 a.m. I spotted a small colorful grizzly feeding on Penny Lane from Confluence East. At 7:10 a.m. we had a new courting pair on Amethyst Bench. While I was east watching the Mollies Ralph N. had all five grizzlies on Amethyst Bench (the small grizzly, the original courting pair, and this new courting pair). Ralph had seen two black wolves early disappearing into the Amethyst Drainage and they came out on the 2nd Sliver of Ski Slope viewed from Dorothy's Knoll (four seen by others, I only had two). Usually when the wolves go over the 2nd Sliver they remain gone. But today they crossed the Amethyst Creek and we had all four moving west in the big meadow behind the eastern end of Jasper Bench. At 8:40 a.m. the tall grizzly grazing and digging south of the Soda Butte Cone. At 10:30 a.m. one gray wolf was spotted at the Sage Den at Slough Creek (that made our four wolf pack day). At 11:30 a.m. Dean D made a good spot of a small grizzly digging on the top of K Meadow viewed from Footbridge Pullout. Around 1:00 p.m. two gray wolves were at the Sage Den at Slough Creek. One came out of the den and reentered and the second walked past from the east and bedded west of the den. At 3:20 p.m. one of the small two year old cinnamon black bears was east of Yellowstone Picnic area. According to John K, both of the two year old cinnamon bears survived. One of the two is quite aggressive and has been visiting the Yellowstone Picnic Area looking for unattended food. At 3:30 p.m. we had a huge bear jam at the Yellowstone River Bridge. The mother of the two cinnamon cubs has two brown cubs of the year this year and she was below the road with both cubs in the top of a tree. About fifty yards away was a black bear with two black yearling cubs, both of these cubs were up a different tree. There was no fighting and as I left the sow with the two black yearlings were down the tree and heading to cross the bridge. A note: there are three sets of black bears with two black yearling cubs hanging around the Tower Area. Photographers have been hiking the road to Tower Store from Tower Junction for a couple of years to view them. The road opens for traffic this Friday.


Black bear cubs by John William Uhler Copyright © All Rights Reserved

People Seen


Wolf Watchers: From Montana: Rick M, Lizzie C, Doug M, and Josh A. From Texas: Carol S and Carl L.; From Idaho: Craig C, Ned and Theresa, and Ray L and Kathy. From Iowa: Jim and Joellyn B. From California: Joe M, and Bob and Nell H. From Colorado: Ric and Kathy T. From Oklahoma: Robert and Pam W. From Utah: Jerry and Julia C. From Minnesota: Scott W. and from Wyoming: Larry and Linda H. Bear Watchers: From Montana: Ralph N and Sarah W. From Utah: Dean and Jeri D. From Washington: John G and Randi M. and Froane and Judy S. From Ohio: Jim and Twyla E. From Oklahoma: Paul S. From Idaho: Jon and Karen E. From Colorado: Ed A. From the mid west: Mark S, Gary, Bob A, and Steve S. From Indiana: Jeff and Terry. From Louisiana: Bruce P. From Missouri: Fred and Linda. Others seen this report: From Montana: Cliff B, Ken T, Bob L, Kevin and Tammy, Nathan V, Bonnie M, and Dan and Cindy H. From Washington: Ed M. From Utah: Josh S. From Mass: Ed S. From Vermont: John K, From Oregon: Dale and Elva P. From Arizona: David and Phyllis. From Wyoming: Dick P. And really lastly from Utah: Bob B.




Yellowstone Grizzly Bear taken Spring 2014 ~ © Copyright All Rights Reserved John William Uhler Yellowstone Grizzly Bear taken Spring 2014 ~ © Copyright All Rights Reserved John William Uhler

Yellowstone Grizzly Bear taken Spring 2014 ~ © Copyright All Rights Reserved John William Uhler Yellowstone Grizzly Bear taken Spring 2014 ~ © Copyright All Rights Reserved John William Uhler



Yellowstone Moose ~ © Copyright All Rights Reserved John William Uhler



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