Yellowstone National Park 2022 Trip Reports

Trip Report ~ Bear & Wolf Sightings ~ by Bill Hamblin

29 March through 01 April 2022
Yellowstone National Park

~ March 2022 ~

Tuesday - March 29th

41 degrees this morning warming up to 48 degrees out in the park. This season the snowpack is unusually low. Usually, the pronghorn antelope are still by the Northeast Entrance now but this year they are already way up into Little America. I viewed five moose in Round Prairie this morning. I saw a golden eagle in Lamar Valley and two trumpeter swans in Little America in the lake below the Three Peregrine Hills in Little America. The bald eagle nest south of Coyote Overlook now has eagles sitting on the nest. At 6:15 a.m. until 7:05 a.m. we had 8 Mile wolves (six gray and three black) near Blacktail Ponds (I left just after dark, and others counted nine grays and three blacks). About 6:45 a.m. 1329M a black collared wolf from the Wapiti Wolf pack came to the carcass there. Taking quite a chance with the 8 Mile wolves so close. At 7:35 a.m. the black bear sow was at the den entrance viewed from the Petrified Tree Pullout. At 6:45 a.m. the Junction Butte wolves (today all fifteen, nine black and six grays) were spotted near Junction Lake viewed from Petrified Tree Pullout. I later went for a better view to Rick's Pullout and counted all fifteen wolves at two miles plus.

Wednesday - March 30th

25 degrees with no clouds this morning in Gardiner warming up to 55 degrees out in the park. At 6:15 until 7:00 a.m. we had thirteen 8 Mile wolves near the Blacktail Ponds (ten greys and three blacks). A few were still eating on the carcass before daylight. When I passed the ponds tonight at least six wolves were still in the area of the ponds. At 10:00 am I hiked up Geode Creek and found Rick M watching the entire Rescue Creek wolf pack of twelve wolves (eight blacks and four grays). Great viewing for almost an hour as they were bedded a half mile away.

Thursday - March 31st

40 degrees with light snow in the morning but roads were fine all day warming up to 40 degrees. We had storms moving though all-day making visibility a problem off and on. I had a cottontail rabbit run across the road at Mammoth this morning and a golden eagle flying at Hellroaring today. From 6:15 a.m. to 6:45 a.m. we watched the 8 Mile wolf pack bedded at Blacktail Ponds. Low clouds made watching difficult. I counted seven grays and three black wolves today, Rick M had an eleven count. At 7:00 a.m. the black bear sow was visible at the den entrance viewed from Petrified Tree Pullout. From 6:30 a.m. thru 8:00 a.m. we watched ten of the 8 Mile wolfpack bedded at the Blacktail Ponds. The count today was seven gray and three black wolves. At 9:00 a.m. the black bear sow had her head in the den entrance viewed from Petrified Tree Pullout.

~ April 2022 ~

Friday - April 1st

25 degrees this morning in Gardiner but 15 degrees out in the park warming up to a windy 43 degrees. People had 6-7 wolves this morning at Slough Creek. I did not get there to see them. They moved out of sight towards Lamar Valley on the north side of the road. At 10:00 a.m. Margaret L found a black wolf on the skyline north of Coyote Overlook. I moved back to Little America and Long Pullout and found a total of seven wolves high above Coyote. They were in snow but at four miles plus. I stopped at the black bear den and the sow was in the hole again at Petrified Tree Pullout.

People Seen

Wolf Watchers: From Montana: Reve and Susan C, Rick M, Doug M, Taylor B, Jeremy S, and Claire L. Bear Watchers seen this report: From Louisiana: Bruce P. From Montana: Doug M, and Margaret L. Others seen this report: From Montana: Michael S, Linda K, Bob L, Grant J, Quinn H, Linda C, Nathan V, and MacNeil L. From Wyoming: Kevin M.

Yellowstone National Park

Lamar Valley Map - Yellowstone National Park