Yellowstone National Park 2017 Trip Reports
Trip Report ~ Bear & Wolf Sightings ~ by Bill Hamblin
24 through 27 May 2017
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~ May 2017 ~
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Wednesday - May 24th
I camped near Silver Gate for this trip.
40 degrees this morning warming up to a nice 72 degrees. All the rivers are getting really high. The forecast is for cooler weather so should slow down the snow melt. I had the trumpeter swan (tagged H-52) again in the Lamar this morning. At 5:25 a.m. John G found a grizzly hunting for elk calves north of Coyote Overlook. At 5:40 a.m. I spotted a black bear in the clearing east of Square Meadow viewed from Coyote. At 5:45 a.m. John G found a grizzly high almost skyline on Specimen Ridge viewed from Coyote Overlook. At 6:45 a.m. all four of the Lamar Canyon wolf pack seen north of Trash Can Pullout moving west. At 6:55 a.m. the two year old silver/blond grizzly was spotted on Druid Peak. About 7:10 a.m. it approached the grizzly sow and yearling that were digging on Druid Peak. I'm afraid the two year old just wants to join someone. This didn't work as it got twenty yards below the sow and yearling before it thought better of the idea. At 7:25 a.m. a dark grizzly was in the bowl viewed from Mid Point Pullout. At 7:30 a.m. we had another grizzly in the bowl further to the south, both never saw each other and moved out of sight in different directions. At 8:45 a.m. all five adult wolves of the Prospect Peak pack were in view from the Sage Den to the east end of the Diagonal Forest. At 9:30 a.m. Margaret P found the grizzly with one coy on Prospect Peak viewed from Straightaway Pullout. At 3:30 p.m. we had a black bear on the east end of Phantom Lake. At 7:10 p.m. we watched a courting pair of grizzlies on Middle Ridge viewed from Coyote Overlook. I went to Lamar Canyon West to get a closer look at them but only had a brief sighting. Then I headed for Slough Creek and in less than ten minutes they were cresting Specimen Ridge still traveling to the west. At 7:20 p.m. Margaret P found another grizzly, this one smaller on Middle Ridge. It soon came into view for me at the Slough Creek Restroom and it was running appearing to be following the courting pair at about one half mile behind them.
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Thursday - May 25th
30 degrees this morning warming up to a cool 52 degrees. The swan was again in the Lamar Valley, it prefers the little pond at Mid Point Pullout. At 5:30 a.m. John G found the grizzly sow and yearling on the west end of Druid Peak. They were out most of the day as I would see them each time I passed by going east or west. At 8:00 a.m. I spotted a smaller grizzly on Prospect Peak viewed from Straightaway Pullout. At 10:00 a.m. the two year old silver/blond grizzly was moving around north of Coyote. At 10:20 a.m. we watched a nice size brown grizzly approach the silver/blond grizzly and then chase it over the hill to the north. At 10:35 a.m. a black bear was seen in a small clearing east of A-Z Meadow. At 11:00 a.m. I found a black bear east of the Chalcedony Fan viewed from Picnic Pullout. At 2:00 p.m. the grizzly sow and yearling were found on Junction Butte (she had crossed the road south to north around noon). At 3:15 p.m. Kathie L showed me two bedded gray wolves near the Prospect Peak den site. At 6:30 p.m. I found the grizzly sow and one cub of the year (coy) on Prospect Peak about a half mile from yesterday's location. At 7:30 p.m. we had a grizzly with a little brown forward of its shoulder and a small Yellowstone stripe north of Coyote Overlook. At 8:00 p.m. my last sighting for the day was a courting pair of grizzlies in the first fan east of Amethyst Drainage.
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Friday - May 26th
36 degrees in the morning warming up to a cool 52 degrees. I saw a badger at Boulder Pullout this afternoon. At 5:35 a.m. John G found a courting pair of grizzlies above Square Meadow near the Ski Slope from Coyote Overlook. At 5:45 a.m. we had a black bear low on the west end of A-Z Meadow. At 7:15 a.m. I spotted a dark grizzly on K Meadow viewed from Footbridge Pullout. At 7:35 a.m. we had a black bear in a small clearing south and west of Trashcan Pullout. At 7:45 a.m. the grizzly with one yearling was on the west end of Druid Peak. At 8:15 a.m. Randi M found a dark grizzly in the Bowl traveling southwest viewed from the Institute. At 9:15 a.m. we had a grizzly high north and east of Coyote Overlook viewed from Straightaway Pullout. At 9:45 a.m. we watched a courting pair of grizzlies on the skyline south of Peregrine Pullout in Little America. At 10:40 a.m. I found a large brown bear just off the road near Elk Creek. At 10:50 a.m. we had a black bear north of Lower Hellroaring just off the road. At 3:45 p.m. we had a black bear sow with two black yearling crossing the road near Calcite Overlook. At 8:00 p.m. I spotted a courting pair of grizzlies on Norris viewed from Trash Can Pullout. At 8:25 p.m. I found a nice sized and brown nose below Penny Lane viewed from Footbridge Pullout.
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Saturday - May 27th
27 degrees this morning warming up to a nice 61 degrees. At 6:30 a.m. I spotted a light colored and tall grizzly grazing on Penny Lane viewed from the Confluence. At 6:50 a.m. I found a real pretty and colorful grizzly north of Trashcan Pullout near the Moosehead. At 7:45 a.m. John G found a dark grizzly high on the east end of Specimen Ridge from Lamar Canyon West - it was out for over thirty minutes. At 8:00 a.m. we had a grizzly sow and yearling on Junction Butte viewed from Lamar Canyon West and viewed better from Straightaway Pullout. At 8:15 a.m. Randi M found a small black bear in a small clearing in Crystal Drainage viewed from Lamar Canyon West. At 10:20 a.m. we had a brown black sow and one dark yearling high north of the Institute. At 10:30 a.m. five blacks and two grays of the Junction Butte wolf pack were seen south and west in the Bowl from the Institute. A really good show with them traveling downhill and going over several snow banks. At 2:30 p.m. we had a brown black bear on the east side of Junction Butte viewed from the top of the west Peregrine Hill. I hiked the three Peregrine Hills with John G, Randi M, Amy T and Rick and Maureen B today. At 6:50 p.m. Richard and Rita R found a courting pair of grizzlies on Penny Lane viewed from Coyote Overlook (they had been on Norris this morning, but I missed them then). At 7:30 p.m. we had a courting pair of grizzlies in the large clearing behind the east end of Jasper Bench. A little later the five black and two gray wolves of the Junctions appeared and chased both grizzlies into the trees - they had other things on their mind.
People Seen
Wolf watchers: Rick M, Laurie and Dan L, Leo L, Amy T, Kathie L, Doug M, Lizzie C, and Bob and Elizabeth N. From California: Bob and Nell H. From Iowa: Jim and Joellyn B. From Missouri: Don and Carol L. From Utah: Jerry and Julie C. From New York: Rick and Maureen B. From Colorado: Steve M, and Rick and Lynn. From Virginia: Colleen C. Bear Watchers: From Washington: John G and Randi M. From Montana: Mike and Kathy W, Doug M, Steve and Charotte H, and David B. From Wyoming: Terri from Thermopolis, and Richard and Rita R. From Virginia: Daniel and Gabriel. From Arizona: Gene. From Louisiana: Bruce P. From South Carolina: Margaret P and Jean S. From Kentucky: Ron. From Minnesota: Virgil and Marlene S. From Missouri: Fred and Linda. From Colorado: Don and Shirley. From Utah: Kevin N, Mark and Liz H, and Kevin and Pam. From Wisconsin: Tyler B. From Iowa: Larry and Jan. and From Idaho: Jennings and Carla S. Others seen this report. From Montana: George B, Evan S, Emil, MacNeil L. Bob L, Carl S, and Jim H. From Idaho: Don and Jane S. From Wyoming: Paul B. From Utah: Josh S. From Colorado: Jim and Bobbie F. And really past and unimportant: From Utah: Bob B.
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