Yellowstone National Park 2022 Trip Reports

Trip Report ~ Bear & Wolf Sightings ~ by Bill Hamblin

14th through 17th April 2022
Yellowstone National Park

~ April 2022 ~

Thursday - April 14th

12 degrees in Gardiner but a chilly 1 degree at the Blacktail Plateau this morning warming up to 35 degrees. I had a bull moose, a cow moose and a cow and calf moose at Round Prairie today. On the way home I had two moose on the eastern end of Phantom Lake. At 8:15 a.m. we watched twelve of the Junction Butte wolfpack return from the east probably from a trip up Slough Creek staying for a little while near the Slough Creek den. 907F was seen later and the entire pack now thirteen wolves moved west and out of sight. At 5:00 p.m. tonight I found them from Boulder Pullout hunting through Buffalo Ford and proceeding towards Wrecker Pullout. About then the snow and low clouds came back in and we lost them. Kevin M and I looked again from Boulder as the visibility was improving. I decided to go to Elk Creek to watch from there. Just after I left Kevin M found a light grizzly in the Buffalo Ford. I heard that he had a bear and rushed back to find the weather had made seeing the Buffalo Ford impossible. After thirty minutes I headed for home. Later the weather cleared, and Kevin M watched the grizzly until dark. I was disappointed but as I pasted Blacktail Ponds on the way back to Gardiner the large grizzly was back looking around for scraps from the last carcass or seeing if one more carcass may be still be under the remaining ice. This looked like the same grizzly we watched several days and nights at the ponds.

Friday - April 15th

15 degrees this morning in Gardiner with about one inch of new snow but 7 degrees on the Blacktail Plateau and about four new inches on the road there warming up to 37 degrees. The snow hit the middle and south part of the park harder and the road from West Yellowstone that was supposed to open to Mammoth, Canyon and Old Faithful did not. Later in the morning they got the road from West to Old Faithful and as far as Norris open and this afternoon they got the road from West all the way to Mammoth open. No grizzlies for me today and I did not hear of anyone else finding any. The Junction Butte wolves had a carcass (out of sight) at Wrecker Pullout this morning. Fourteen of fifteen were seen there. At 9:00 a.m. I found a black wolf at the Slough Creek Den. People later identified the wolf at the alpha male who was the one wolf not seen from Wrecker. I did not go to Wrecker until noon and then only saw one black bedded wolf. At 3:00 p.m. I returned to Wrecker and with the help of Wendy B I viewed two black and two gray wolves bedded in sight. At 5:15 p.m. I checked the Slough Creek den and one gray, and one black wolf had returned from the carcass at Wrecker.

Saturday - April 16th

23 degrees this morning in Gardiner warming up to 49 degrees out in the park. I had a THREE DOG DAY today all from one location. A fox near the tree line from Enclosure Pullout in Lamar Valley, along with two coyotes with one chasing the second into the Lamar River, and 1292F a Beartooth wolf from outside the park. I also had a golden eagle circling over the location. On the way back to Gardiner tonight I had a calf moose at Geode Creek (the cow as out of sight). This morning the Rescue Creek wolf pack was again seen near Tower Junction. I arrived late and was told that the wolves had gone over the hill to the east called Vader Hill. I then went to Wrecker Pullout and found five black wolves checking out a large bison herd. At 10:00 a.m. the Wolf Project had the alpha male of the Junction Butte pack bedded near the Slough Creek den. He finally raised his head so I could see him around 10:55 a.m. At 12:00 noon with the help of Paul H I found the Beartooth wolf 1292F from Enclosure Pullout. At 1:45 p.m. I was back at Slough Creek and found a gray wolf around with a black wolf who I assumed was the alpha male. The Wapiti Lake wolf pack had been seen most of the day at Boiling River just inside the North Entrance. On the way back to Gardiner, Jort V pulled me over to watch two blacks and a brindle brown wolf near the skyline. On his advice I moved down to Boiling River and observed a total of eight wolves, five black and three grays so the count was nine wolves since the brindle was not in sight from the Boiling River.

Sunday - Easter - April 17th

29 degrees this morning in Gardiner but 19 degrees at Slough Creek warming up to 40 degrees out on the park. I viewed a vulture flying over Slough Creek this morning. I had the cow and calf moose on the eastern end of Phantom Lake tonight. At 6:05 a.m. I had a uncollared black wolf cross in front of my car at Curve Pullout in Little America. At 7:20 I found a black wolf near the mixed conifer aspen forest who eventfully made its way to the Slough Creek den area At 8:45 a.m. a brief sighting of a black wolf at the Slough Creek Den.

People Seen

Wolf Watchers: From Montana: Rick M, Jeremy S, Reve and Susan C, Dan and Laurie L, Wendy B, Melba C, and Doug M. From Oklahoma: Robert and Pam. From Washington: David and Stephanie O. From California: Bill and Karen M, and Bill W. From Arizona: Steve J. From Utah: Paul H. From Switzerland: Peter D. Bear Watchers seen this report: From Louisiana: Bruce P. From Montana: Doug M, David B, and Greg, Tracie, Megan, Kyle, and Tyler R. From Utah: Larry M. Others seen this report: From Montana: Carl S, Quinn H, Bob L, Linda C, Evan S, Shauna B, Grant J, Chris H, Ken S, Michael S, MacNeil L, Steve B, Dan and Cindy H, and Bryon F. From Colorado: Jim and Bobbie F. From Wyoming: Kevin M. And From the Netherlands: Jort V.

Yellowstone National Park

Lamar Valley Map - Yellowstone National Park