Yellowstone National Park 2021 Trip Reports

Trip Report ~ Bear & Wolf Sightings ~ by Bill Hamblin

09 through 12 May 2021
Yellowstone National Park

~ May 2021 ~

Sunday - May 9th

25 degrees in Silver Gate this morning warming up to 50 degrees with afternoon breezes. We watched a badger from Footbridge Pullout today trying to get rid of its winter fur by spending minutes on its back scratching its back. At 5:10 a.m. the one eared grizzly was on the newer bison cow/calf carcass south of YES Pullout. At 5:35 a.m. he left the carcass traveling over Amethyst Bench and trough the first sliver meadow heading south. At 6:05 a.m. I found a large grizzly digging southwest of Coyote Pullout. This grizzly was in view for over thirty minutes, it finally moved west over the hill. In late afternoon Chris C found the same grizzly in about the same place digging again, a nice spot from Dorothy's Pullout. At 7:45 a.m. 1048M a black Junction Butte wolf came from the east to feed on the bison/calf carcass. At 8:15 a.m. the 3 1/2-year-old Slough Creek sub adult grizzly was in the Slough Creek Bowl. Great and relatively close sighting and was in sight for almost an hour. This grizzly reappeared in Lamar Valley around noon north of Fisherman's Pullout. At 8:45 a.m. I found the grizzly sow with two cubs of the year (coys) again on Middle Ridge viewed from Fisherman's Pullout in Lamar Valley. They were out again at 11:45 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. tonight. At 9:15 a.m. Bruce P found a large black bear in the tree line south of the Institute. At 12:15 p.m. a small colorful grizzly was seen high north of Coyote Overlook. At 2:00 p.m. I was talked into watching wolves at the Slough Creek den by Frank H. After a while the female mother 907F came out of the den and walked down a small hill. A gray yearling appeared next on the porch and then a pup or two. After also going down the hill this yearling went out of sight. Finally, a black yearling bedded on the porch and a pup or two were seen. My puppy count was two blacks and one gray puppy (others have been seeing up to three blacks and two grays recently). At 2:45 p.m. John G found a large grizzly digging in K Meadow viewed from Footbridge Pullout. About the same time John G found the grizzly sow with two coys on K-2 Meadow. I arrived around 3:45 p.m. and got to see them. That now means we have at least two grizzly families with cubs of the year (in 2020 we could only find one family all summer).

Monday - May 10th

29 degrees in Silver Gate but 19 degrees in Lamar Valley this morning warming up to 50 degrees but a brief snowstorm late this afternoon. I had a THREE DOG DAY today. At 5:20 a.m. I spotted a large grizzly on the bison cow/calf carcass south of YES Pullout. This morning the one ear grizzly was not there, but a large grizzly was on the carcass and headed for the woods at 5:35 a.m. At 7:40 a.m. Rita R found a nice sized grizzly digging in and out of trees west of Dead Puppy Hill viewed from Footbridge Pullout. I arrived a little late but with Rita's help I did see the grizzly for about five minutes until it went over the hill to the south. At 7:55 a.m. I found the grizzly sow with two coys again on K-2 Meadow. Lots of running and playing by the cubs as mom devoted her time to digging for breakfast. The cubs really like to race around in the remaining snow patches. About 8:30 a.m. I found the grizzly sow with two coys of the year again on Middle Ridge viewed from Fisherman's Pullout. Later they were better seen from Lamar Canyon West and Slough Creek. The coys did a lot of running and wrestling this morning. They were out for a little while at 12:30 p.m. too. About 9:00 a.m. we heard of a grizzly being seen in Slough Creek. The grizzly was in the Lion Meadow before I arrived but with Rick M's help, we got to see the grizzly east of the Horizontal Forest. At 9:40 a.m. an un-collared black Junction Butte yearling wolf visited the old bison cow/calf carcass south of YES. The carcass is pretty much gone so do not expect any activity tomorrow. At 10:30 a.m. we had a large black bear north of Soda Butte East Pullout. At 10:45 a.m. John G made a great spot on a small blond grizzly digging in a small yellow grass patch on Finger # 7 (Actually we only count six fingers, but this sighting was on the next rock formation east of finger # 6).

Tuesday - May 11th

28 degrees in Silver Gate warming up to 50 degrees. Low clouds until 10:00 a.m. and a snowstorm near dark made for a lot of low visibility. A bull moose crossed the clearing south of Footbridge around noon today. At 5:50 a.m. Don L found a large grizzly just south of the Exclosure in Lamar Valley. Unknown at the time there was a bison carcass just above the fencing on the north side of the road. This was a large grizzly and it moved east fairly close to the road for a long time until turning south and heading into the trees. At 6:10 a.m. another grizzly was seen already crossing the clearing southwest of the Confluence heading south. At 6:45 a.m. a black collared wolf crossed the road south to north near Trashcan Pullout. At 7:10 a.m. a grizzly was seen high northeast of Coyote Overlook heading east. At 8:00 a.m. Terry W found another grizzly, this one crossing north to south in the old Druid Rendezvous area. At 8:35 a.m. a black wolf with a large piece of meat in its mouth was heading south at Hitching Post. At 10:00 a.m. a brief minute sighting of the grizzly sow with two coys in a small clearing beneath K-2 Meadow. I watched all around that small clearing until 11:45 a.m. when they reappeared for a nice forty-five-minute showing. They were also out tonight around 6:00 p.m. in the same clearing. At 1:20 p.m. from Midpoint Pullout I found a grizzly with a yearling digging in Bear Meadow, good viewing for over an hour. At 3:00 p.m. John G found the grizzly sow with two coys on the Middle Ridge again viewed from Lamar Canyon West Pullout. Good viewing and quite the bear jam for well over an hour.

Wednesday - May12th

28 degrees in Silver Gate this morning warming up to a nice 55 degrees. I had a moose at Pebble Creek Campground tonight. I had a THREE DOG DAY today. At 5:20 a.m. Terri W showed me a dark grizzly leaving the new bison carcass at Exclosure. At 5:35 a.m. Randi M. had a grizzly on the old bison cow/calf carcass south of YES Pullout. It moved east slowly and was in sight for quite a while moving along the tree line. At 5:45 a.m. I found a small grizzly digging in Secret Passage north of Fisherman's Pullout viewed from Hubbard Hill. At 5:45 a.m. two black wolves were seen near the YES carcass. At 7:30 a.m. Terri W found what we believe were the two Slough Creek 3 1/2-year-old grizzlies close to road north of Fisherman's Pullout. One was bigger and the smaller one was quite blond. We have been seeing the smaller one above Coyote, across from the gravel pullout down Slough Creek Road and in the Slough Bowl. We assumed that they just got back together. The clearing they were seen in is a clearing that the Slough Creek sow brought here cubs of the year, yearlings and last year two-year olds. So, we assume no other bears would show up so close to the road. At 8:00 a.m. Paul S and John B found the grizzly sow with two coys on Middle Ridge viewed from Fisherman's Pullout. At 10:50 a.m. Bruce P found a small really blond grizzly to the south of Soda Butte East Pullout. What a jam. Cars parked in the road on both lanes taking pictures. I left the jam but later heard it did get across the road to the north. At 2:15 p.m. Grant J showed me a black bear sow with two brown cubs on the lower part of # 2 Finger on Norris. At 3:25 p.m. I found a grizzly coming over the top of K Meadow then digging in the meadow. Later he went into the trees below K Meadow and was seen in a few small open clearings. At 5:55 p.m. we had a black wolf just below Bob's Knob in Slough Creek. At 6:00 p.m. we watched a gray wolf just south of Crystal Pullout in Little America. At 6:05 p.m. I found a grizzly digging high north of Coyote Overlook from Straight-away Pullout in Little America. At 6:35 p.m. I found a grizzly with one yearling cub in the first large clearing south of Ski Slope. At 7:30 p.m. I found the grizzly sow with two coys in the same clearing as yesterday under K-2 Meadow (Margaret L had found them earlier, but I did not arrive in time to see them then).

People Seen

Wolf Watchers: From Montana: Rick M, Reve and Susan C, Doug M, Janice and Cindy H, Jeremy S, Taylor B, Claire L, Audra C, and Wendy B. From Missouri: Frank H. From Colorado: Karol B. From Utah: Jerry and Julia C, Paul H, and Denny and Pam D. From South Dakota: Sam and Ginny G. From Washington: Froane and Judy S. From Idaho: Ray L and Kathy, and Roger and Lynda S. From Virginia: Big John B. From Texas: Carl L and Carol S. Bear Watchers seen this report: From Wisconsin: Don L. From Washington: John G, Randi M, and John B. From Montana: Doug M, Mike and Kathy W, Jack G, Shari S, Chuck and Debbie, and Margaret L. From Wyoming: Richard and Rita R and Terry W. From Oklahoma: Paul S. and From Ohio: Jim and Twyla E. From Georgia: Ken C. From Florida: Chris C. And from Utah: Bill and Chris C. Others seen this report: From Idaho: Jennings and Carma S. From Iowa: Jim B. From Colorado: Brian and Diane A and Jim and Bobbie F. From Wyoming: Kevin M and Ross G. From Missouri: Fred and Linda. From Indiana: Jeff and Terri B. From Montana: Bob L, Cliff B and Will S, Grant J, and Carl S. From Vermont: John K. From Mass: Ed S. And from Idaho: Ray T.

Yellowstone National Park

Lamar Valley Map - Yellowstone National Park