Yellowstone National Park 2018 Trip Reports
Trip Report ~ Bear & Wolf Sightings ~ by Bill Hamblin
14 through 20 June 2018 - Yellowstone National Park
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~ June 2018 ~
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Thursday - June 14th
I returned to the park in the afternoon to a very windy 71 degrees. I saw a bull moose at Warm Creek on my way to Silver Gate where I camped the entire trip. At 4:00 p.m. I found a small colorful grizzly on Rooftop viewed from Antelope Creek. At 4:40 p.m. the black bear sow called Mean Mom was just above the exit to Tower Campground with her one coy (cub of the year). At 7:20 p.m. I spotted two black bears in the Chalcedony Fan viewed from Picnic Pullout. At 8:20 p.m. we had a black bear on the second sliver near Ski Slope viewed from Coyote Overlook. At 9:00 p.m. 926F of the Lamar Canyon wolf pack was briefly seen north and east of Footbridge Pullout.
Friday - June 15th
31 degrees in the morning warming up to a cool 53 degrees. We had five hours of rain mid morning today and they closed the Beartooth Highway because of snow. At 5:15 a.m. I spotted a black bear and a cinnamon black bear in the A-Z Meadow viewed from Coyote Overlook. At 6:00 a.m. I found the Slough Creek grizzly sow with two coys north in the ravine between Coyote and Dorothy's Pullouts. At 6:30 a.m. Small Dot, the black male of the Lamar Canyon wolf pack, was seen south of Footbridge Pullout. Small Dot is often seen in this area, since he is afraid to cross the road back to the den area. At 7:10 a.m. we had a small light grizzly (the Druid Peak 2 1/2 year old) north of Picnic Pullout. At 7:25 a.m. a small light grizzly was spotted by Terri W in the Bowl and then later in the top of A-Z. At 7:45 a.m. I found a grizzly on the southern Divide Ridge moving to the east viewed from Slough Creek. At 7:50 a.m. we watched a dark grizzly on Middle Ridge moving west viewed from Slough Creek. At 8:50 a.m. we had two equal sized grizzlies just to the south of the snow cornice high south and west of Footbridge Pullout. At 5:05 p.m. two small equal sized sub adults were spotted on the # 3 finger of Norris. At 7:45 p.m. we had a grizzly sow with two yearlings on Norris viewed from the Confluence. At 8:15 p.m. 926F crossed the road and Soda Butte Creek from north to south and after a six minute chase caught an antelope fawn in view at Footbridge Pullout. At 8:50 p.m. my last sighting for the day was a cinnamon black bear in the road two miles inside the Northeast Entrance.
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Saturday - June 16th
44 degrees this morning warming up to 65 degrees. It rained all last night and the Beartooth Highway remained closed. I saw a fox and a western tanager today. At 5:03 a.m. I had a large grizzly cross the road going north between Hubbard Hill and YES Pullout. At 7:00 a.m. the Slough Creek grizzly sow with two coys was again north of Coyote and Dorothy's Pullouts, good viewing for hours today and was out again at 7:15 p.m. tonight. At 12:00 noon the two light faced sub adults was again on # 3 finger on Norris and were in view for over an hour. At one time they detected something and ran off in two directions. It took them over fifteen minutes to come together, as one approached the other not recognizing the other ran from its sibling. At 12:20 p.m. we has a black bear on the # 4 Finger on Norris. At 12:45 p.m. I spotted a large brown grizzly on the # 1 Finger on Norris. At 4:00 p.m. the black bear sow with three coys were on Tower Hill (what a jam with cars from Tower Hill all the way to Roosevelt Junction). At 4:50 p.m. we watched a large black bear near Adam's Knob at Slough Creek. At 5:30 p.m. I found a light colored grizzly in the Bowl moving towards A-Z Meadow. At 8:50 p.m. Dan L found a small colorful grizzly north of the eastern curve east of Footbridge Pullout.
Sunday - June 17th
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42 degrees this morning warming up to 61 degrees. We had rain again in the afternoon and the Beartooth Highway remains closed. At 6:25 a.m. I spotted a courting pair of grizzlies in the Yellow Grass Meadow in Slough Creek. At 8:15 a.m. we had the small colorful grizzly (Druid Peak 2 1/2 year old now sub adult) in a clearing below Druid Peak from Picnic Pullout. This small grizzly was in view again at 6:00 p.m. At 9:00 a.m. the Slough Creek grizzly sow with two coys was seen north between the Coyote and Dorothy's Pullouts, and in view again between 4:30 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. At 12:40 p.m. we had a grizzly sow with one coy bedded on Ski Slope. At 1:45 p.m. the two light faced sub adults were on # 3 Finger on Norris again.
Monday - June 18th
It rained all night again last night. 47 degrees this morning warming up to 55 degrees with a lot of low visibility though out the morning. We had a muskrat in Boulder Pond today and the Beartooth Highway remained closed today. At 6:20 a.m. I spotted a grizzly north between Coyote and Dorothy's Pullouts (I guessed maybe the sow with two coys, but turned out to be a single). At 7:30 a.m. 1048M a black male from the Junction Butte pack was in the Slough Creek bottoms. At 10:25 a.m. the two sub adults back on the # 3 Finger on Norris, they were back out tonight at 8:00 p.m. but had moved to # 5 Finger on Norris. At 11:35 a.m. we had a black wolf on the skyline north of Coyote Pullout (probably one of the Lamar Canyon wolves). From 2:00 p.m. to 3:15 p.m. a grizzly sow with two yearlings were on the # 2 Finger on Norris (they were in sight again at 6:30 p.m. on the # 1 Finger on Norris). At 5:00 p.m. a large grizzly was high north of the Institute viewed from Straight-away in Little America. At 6:35 p.m. we had a black bear high on the # 1 Finger on Norris. At 7:45 a.m. I spotted a small grizzly on the top of Ski Slope. At 8:30 p.m. we watched a black bear in the clearing to the east of Penny Lane viewed from Footbridge Pullout.
Tuesday - June 19th
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44 degrees this morning and the Beartooth Highway was still closed, but opened later in the day. The unusual amount of rain we have received this late spring and early summer has everything still green. There are more elk on the valley floor this time of year than I have seen in fifteen years. At 7:15 a.m. I found the Slough Creek grizzly sow with two coys north of Coyote Overlook digging for over an hour. At 8:20 a.m. we had a small light grizzly on the top of Ski Slope viewed from Coyote Overlook. At 9:00 a.m. we watched a cinnamon black bar south of the # 1 Finger on Norris. At 7:15 p.m. 1048M the black male of the Junction Butte pack was south and west of the Institute. At 7:40 p.m. 996M of the Junction Butte pack was north of Coyote Overlook. 996M has lost all his winter hair and really looks in great shape as he came within 150 yards of the road today. I had a THREE DOG DAY today. At 8:35 p.m. we had a black bear in K Meadow viewed from Footbridge Pullout. At 8:40 p.m. we had a large cinnamon black bear southeast of Footbridge in the tree line. At 8:45 p.m. I spotted the two sub adult grizzlies on the # 5 Finger on Norris. At 8:55 p.m. a grizzly with two yearlings was briefly spotted on the top of Norris viewed from Hitching Post.
Wednesday - June 20th
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46 degrees this morning warming up to 65 degrees. At 6:20 a.m. I spotted two courting black bears behind the Western Hill viewed from Picnic Pullout. At 6:40 a.m. I found a grizzly sow with two yearlings on Penny Lane. At 7:45 a.m. we had the Slough Creek grizzly sow with two coys north and between the pullouts of Coyote and Dorothy's. At 9:00 a.m. we watched a cinnamon black bear on the road above the Tower Campground. At 10:30 a.m. I spotted a black cinnamon sow with two cinnamon coys at Mae West Curve at Antelope Creek. At 10:45 a.m. the black bear sow with three black coys just off the road near Roosevelt Junction (the cubs were up the closest tree to mom). At 8:15 p.m. I spotted a grizzly north of the Institute. At 8:25 p.m. an uncollared gray wolf was spotted southwest of Picnic Area (unknown wolf - no uncollared gray wolves in either the Lamar Canyon or Junction Butte packs). I did have a THREE DOG DAY today.
People Seen
Wolf Watchers seen this trip: June 14th thru July 2nd. From Montana: Becky C and Chloe F, Dan and Laurie L, Rick M, Doug M, Melba C, Lizzie C, Ilona P, Alan an Sue O, and Jim G. From Florida: Andy and Missy O, Ray and Lynn M, and Reve and Susan. From Idaho: Ray L and Kathy, and Warren and Natalie B. From Missouri: Don and Carol L. From Utah: Marlene F. From California: Bill W, Bob and Nell H, and Dorothy D. From Mississippi: Chuck and Wynelle M. From Washington: Larry and Linda R. From Indiana: David and Bena. From Ohio: Linda G. From the Netherlands: Jort V. And from Nevada: Becca (Richard Brown's daughter.
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