Yellowstone National Park 2022 Trip Reports

Trip Report ~ Bear & Wolf Sightings ~ by Bill Hamblin

18th through 21st April 2022
Yellowstone National Park

~ April 2022 ~

Monday - April 18th

29 degrees in Gardiner this morning but only 23 degrees at Slough Creek warming up to 57 degrees. I had a large badger just east of the Yellowstone River Picnic area this afternoon. At the Slough Creek den today we watched, on and off, four black wolves including the alpha male and female plus two grey wolves around the den area. At 7:20 a.m. eight wolves crossed the road north to south in Little America. We had seven Junction Butte wolves and a Wapiti male1336M. The regular wolf watchers noticed a lot of flirting between 1276F and unfamiliar black wolf. Jeremy S happened along and told everyone that unfamiliar wolf was a Wapiti male. Probably got away with the meeting because the alpha wolves were at the den area this morning. The colors this morning were five black and three gray wolves. At 8:25 a.m. Chris H hollered that he had a grizzly in Crystal Drainage from the Slough Creek restroom. I hurried to him, and he pointed out a nice sized grizzly slowly, very slowly moving towards the trees just across the Lamar River. The grizzly even stopped for a few minutes to ponder this path forward by sitting down. At 9:00 a.m. a collared gray Junction Butte wolf was spotted south in Crystal Drainage. I spent the afternoon on Dave's Hill with Paul H at Slough Creek watching for bears and the wolf den. Over three hours we watched three black and two grays occasionally plus the alpha female come out of the den for a few minutes then duck back into the natal den.

Tuesday - April 19th

45 degrees in Gardiner but 35 degrees at Slough Creek this morning warming up to 41 degrees with storms moving through the park bringing some low visibility. At 6:25 a.m. I found a large grizzly above the Slough Creek den moving uphill and out of sight after ten minutes. From 6:25 a.m. for the next hour or so we had a black wolf and the black alpha male Junction Butte wolves around the Slough Creek den. At 7:00 a.m. two black and one gray Junction Butte wolves were found low in Crystal Drainage south of the Slough Creek restroom. At 7:20 a.m. I found a lone Junction Butte black wolf south of Long Pullout. At 7:25 a.m. Paul H found a large grizzly in the aspen drainage east of the Slough Creek den high in the snow near the skyline. At 8:35 a.m. 1048M, 907F, 1229F, and 1340M Junction Butte wolves were south of Footbridge Pullout traveling to the east. They were relocated by Rick M from the Confluence but soon disappeared in the tree line. At 11:30 a.m. Paul H showed me a gray wolf and a black wolf (I saw the black this morning) bedded near the Slough Creek den.

Wednesday - April 20th

33 degrees in Gardiner but 25 degrees at Slough Creek this morning warming up to a nice 46 degrees. I had a jack rabbit run across the road this morning still half white and half gray. The ospreys are back at the nest in Lamar Canyon. At 7:00 a.m. the Junction Butte wolves were found on a new carcass south of the Institute. I viewed them several times today on the carcass and later bedded around the area. My big count was six blacks and four grays. They remained in the area all day. I spent the afternoon in the company of Tyler R. We drove around together looking for wildlife and viewing some of the best meadows for summer grizzly watching.

Thursday - April 21st

40 degrees this morning in Gardiner but 30 degrees at Tower Junction warming up to 52 degrees. I had two trumpeter swans at Slough Creek this afternoon. A nice big horn ram died above the Confluence. The park service cut off the head, so it could not be stolen and tested for it for pneumonia before taking it away. I heard that four big horn rams have died in that area this winter. At 5:45 a.m. I found the smaller grizzly in front of a snowbank near the carcass site south of the Institute. It stood for a long time before moving on. Soon the larger grizzly moved up onto Amethyst Bench and after a couple of half returns to the carcass he disappeared moving up and into Amethyst Drainage. I left the area to go to Slough Creek and after finding a bedded black Junction Butte wolf near the den, Frank H called saying the small grizzly had reappeared moving east. I returned to Lamar to see him in the light since my only view before was in the near dark. At 6:45 a.m. a black wolf was spotted near the carcass south of the Institute that was now bear free. At 1:35 p.m. a "coco puff" light brown colored wolf was bedded east of Amethyst Bench. It was still asleep at 4:50 p.m. when I checked on it. At 2:40 p.m. Paul H had two gray and two black Junction Butte wolves return to the Slough Creek den area coming in low on the yellow grass meadow from the east. A few more appeared so in addition to the bedded black from the morning who was still there we ended up with three black and four grays. Most checked out the Sage Den before bedding most of them out of sight. At 3:55 p.m. Hayden G found a dark grizzly above the mixed conifer aspen forest moving south viewed from Slough Creek. Later Kevin M watched him from Boulder Pullout and tonight at 6:35 p.m. Hayden G had him again this time closer from Wrecker Pullout.

People Seen

Wolf Watchers: From Montana: Rick M, Doug M, Dan and Laurie L, Melba C, Wendy B, Jeremy S, and Reve and Susan C. From Utah: Paul H. From Arizona: Steve J. From Missouri: Frank H. From South Dakota: Sam and Ginny G, Peter D. Bear Watchers seen this report: From Louisiana: Bruce P. From Montana: Doug and JoAnn M, and Greg, Kyle, and Tyler R. From Oregon: Larry and Char. From Utah: Hayden and Doug G. Others seen this report. From Montana: Cliff B, Quinn H, Michael S, Chris H, Evan S, MacNeil L, Claire L, Bob L, Bonnie M, Audra C, and Grant J. From Wyoming: Kevin M. From Colorado: Jim and Bobbie F. And from the Netherlands: Jort V.

Yellowstone National Park

Lamar Valley Map - Yellowstone National Park