Yellowstone National Park 2021 Trip Reports

Trip Report ~ Bear & Wolf Sightings ~ by Bill Hamblin

17 through 20 April 2021
Yellowstone National Park

~ April 2021 ~

Saturday - April 17th

25 degrees in Gardiner but 17 degrees at Slough Creek this morning warming up to 52 degrees. It must be spring as the pronghorn antelope are moving up as I spotted antelope at Hellroaring for the first time this year in a herd of fifty individuals. At 6:25 a.m. twelve Junction Butte wolves bedded by the southern round tree in Slough Creek. The colors were nine black and three grays. At 9:10 a.m. I found Jack G's grizzly family of a sow and a large two and half year-old cub again in the Aspen Drainage east of the Slough Creek den and higher. They were in sight most of the day as I watched them until 5:30 p.m. For an hour in late morning, they went to a snow field and played and wrestled for almost an hour. At 12:15 p.m. a medium sized grizzly was east of the Horizontal Forest moving slowly east digging at times thru the Yellow Grass Meadow and out sight after forty minutes. At 3:30 a.m. a black un-collard wolf was seen near the Junction Butte sage den in Slough Creek.

Sunday - April 18th

22 degrees this morning warming up to 54 degrees with a cool breeze in late afternoon. I had a moose in Round Prairie this morning. At 6:20 a.m. a black collared wolf in the road near Rick's Pullout near Tower Junction. It must have been a Wapiti Lake pack member as it very slowly moved off the road and headed north. The Wapiti Lake pack has little fear of roads which is a problem. At 6:50 a.m. Doug M (wolf watcher) found a large grizzly south in Little America near Straight-away Pullout. It was in sight fifteen minutes before I arrived. It followed the tree line then laid down for a nice nap that lasted for almost twenty minutes. At 7:20 a.m. I found a bedded gray wolf near the Sage Den in Slough Creek. At 8:30 a.m. we had a large grizzly digging in front of the Mixed Conifer Aspen Forest. He was out for well over an hour and then reappeared this afternoon from 4:00 p.m. and still in sight when I left at 6:00 p.m. At 10:30 a.m. we had four black wolves moving around the Sage Den at Slough Creek. I had a THREE DOG DAY today. At 5:15 p.m. the grizzly sow with one two and half year-old cub was again high in the aspen drainage just where the bare ground met the snow field.

Monday - April 19th

27 degrees at Gardiner but 22 degrees at Slough Creek this morning warming up to 34 degrees. The osprey is back on the nest in Lamar Canyon. The pronghorn antelope are now all the way up into Little America. I had a bull moose in Round Prairie this afternoon. At 7:15 a.m. we had a black wolf bedded near the Slough Creek den. At 8:45 a.m. a new elk carcass north of Fisherman's Pullout in Lamar Valley had two black wolves on it, one had a studded collar on it, the other one was not collared. At 10:45 a.m. Rick M let me know a grizzly was in the Slough Creek Bowl. It was in view about twelve minutes before moving over to top of the ridge. At 12:30 p.m. we had three black wolves near the Slough Creek den. At 2:00 p.m. the large grizzly from yesterday was again in front of the Mixed Conifer Aspen Forest digging. Only in view for about thirty minutes as a herd of bison moved into the area. At 3:00 p.m. we had two gray wolves near the Slough Creek den. At 615 p.m. I watched a nice sized black bear just off the road at Phantom Lake. I had two pelicans fly over Slough Creek this morning.

Tuesday - April 20th

Tuesday April 20th. 28 degrees in Gardiner but 17 degrees in Lamar this morning warming up to a nice 43 degrees. I had two golden eagles flying together near Boulder Pullout this morning. Frank H walked down the Slough Creek road today and found that the golden eagle nest in the rocks near the Gravel Pullout in Slough was active. It has been a few years now since they have used that nest. At 6:20 a.m. a black wolf was on the elk carcass north of Fisherman's Pullout in Lamar Valley. At 7:30 a.m. four black wolves and one gray wolf moved west from near the Southern Round Tree. They were spotted at Boulder Pullout. At 7:40 a.m. I found a grizzly digging in the Lion Meadow at Slough Creek. I only watched it for a few minutes, but others said a few wolves fooled around with the grizzly later. At 8:00 a.m. two black wolves were sighted near the Slough Creek den. At 8:45 a.m. a lone black was spotted in the Buffalo Ford from Curve Pullout near Boulder Pullout. At 5:25 p.m. thirteen Junction Butte wolves left the den area heading west. They moved very slowly and were only near Junction Pass when I lost them and headed in for the evening.

People Seen

People seen this report: Wolf Watchers: From Montana: Rick M, Doug M, Taylor B, Reve and Susan C, Dan and Laurie L, Wendy B, Joe K, and Ilona P. From Missouri: Frank H. From Washington: Patrick J. From Utah: Paul H and Julia A. From North Dakota: Becky B. From South Dakota: Sam and Ginny G. Bear Watchers seen this report: From Louisiana: Bruce P. From Montana: Linda K and Shari S. From Idaho: Jon and Karen E. From Colorado: Tanner H and Sarah. Others seen this report. From Montana: Cliff B, Evan S, Carl S, Jim H, Josh W, Will M, and Ken S. From Colorado: Jim and Bobbie F. From Idaho: Rick E and Cody K. From the Netherlands: Jort V. From Florida: Mark L. From Indiana: Jeff and Terry B. And from Wyoming: Kevin M and Paul B.

Yellowstone National Park

Lamar Valley Map - Yellowstone National Park