Yellowstone National Park 2023 Trip Reports
Trip Report ~ Bear & Wolf Sightings ~ by Bill Hamblin
4 through 7 May 2023
Yellowstone National Park
Beautiful Mountain Lion ~ Lamar Valley ~ April 10th, 2023 ~ Photo by Linda Rudge Carney © All Rights Reserved
Mountain Lion ~ also known as the Cougar, Puma, Panther, or Catamount ~ Puma concolor
~ May 2023 ~
Thursday - May 4th
42 degrees in Silver Gate but only 32 degrees in Lamar Valley this morning warming up to 69 degrees. Both ospreys were on the nest in Lamar Canyon this morning. At 5:40 a.m. we had a grizzly near the bison carcass in the tree line on Amethyst Bench. At 5:45 a.m. Randi M found two other grizzlies that were on the bison carcass in the tree line on Amethyst Bench. At 6:10 a.m. Bruce P had a grizzly on the really old bison carcass at Hitching Post. At 9:30 a.m. Frank H had a grizzly digging in the Slough Bowl. At 3:00 p.m. I viewed a black wolf near the Junction Butte wolf den at Slough Creek. At 3:35 p.m. Randi M found the grizzly sow with one yearling northeast of the Cone in Soda Butte Valley. This grizzly family was on the # 3 finger on Norris but crossed the road around noon as seen by others. They were digging at about five hundred yards from the road. Later the sow nursed the cub and then they napped. At 7:00 p.m. this grizzly family crossed the road back to the south between the Hitching Post and the Footbridge Pullouts. I later had Tanner P tell me that at 8:30 p.m. they recrossed the road to the north at the Confluence. At 4:40 p.m. a small dark grizzly came to eat on the bison carcass in the tree line on Amethyst Bench. At 5:35 p.m. I had a black and gray wolf moving around at the Slough Creek den site. At 6:15 p.m. we had a big grizzly on the backside of Ski Slope from Lamar Canyon East. He was traveling slowly to the south and stopped often to dig. At 6:55 p.m. I found a grizzly digging high north of Picnic Pullout. Nice to see since most of sightings of grizzlies have been only to the south.
Friday - May 5th
37 degrees in Silver Gate but only 34 degrees in Lamar Valley this morning warming up to 58 degrees. I saw two adult moose bedded north of Round Prairie tonight on the way back to Silver Gate. At 5:50 a.m. a small grizzly was on the bison carcass in the tree line on Amethyst Bench. At 6:20 a.m. Randi M found a grizzly digging in the rendezvous area viewed from Midpoint Pullout. At 8:00 a.m. I found the grizzly sow and one yearling in a clearing under the Moosehead viewed from Picnic Area. Unfortunately, I was the only one to see them today as the fog rolled in soon after and when the fog lifted the grizzly family was not in sight. At 9:10 a.m. Frank H had a large grizzly in the ravine east of the Slough Creek den and way high up. The large grizzly was digging and remained in sight for quite a while. At 9:50 a.m. Doug M found the grizzly with the two two-year-old cubs on Middle Ridge viewed from the western pullout at the Lamar River Bridge. They went out of sight as I arrived, but Doug hiked up a hill and refound the family. Poor viewing as they were digging in an area with logs and trees. Fortunately, later the family came out in a lower clearing providing one and one-half hours of great viewing from Slough Creek all the way to Crystal Pullout. At 10:10 a.m. Frank H showed me the grizzly digging again in the Slough Bowl (second day). At 10:00 a.m. Mark L found a grizzly crossing the road north to south between Hitching Post and Confluence East Pullout. It slowly moved south then began to dig. It later napped and remained in view until past 6:00 p.m. I think this was the same grizzly we watched for eight straight days last October. It would cross the road from the north between 8:00 and 10:00 a.m. and remain in sight most of the rest of the day. Next day the same behavior, always returning north after dark. At 1:00 p.m. I spotted a black bear grazing high north of the Picnic Pullout. From 2:30 through 4:00 p.m. I watched two blacks, and two gray wolves mill around the Slough Creek den area. The grizzly family was in view to the south at the same time.
Saturday - May 6th
33 degrees this morning in Silver Gate warming up to 47 degrees. I viewed a golden eagle flying in Slough Creek today. I had four vultures flying on the south side of the road from Peregrine Pullout. Both ospreys were sitting in the tree off the nest today in Lamar Canyon. The red-tailed hawk is on the nest in the rock formation viewed from Lamar Canyon East Pullout. At 6:35 a.m. Randi M found a small grizzly near the old bison carcass on Amethyst Bench. At 7:30 a.m. Randi found the gray male, 1228F, and the black female yearling of the Shrimp Lake Pack north of Picnic Area. A great spot as she saw the black wolf while driving by the pullout. At 8:50 a.m. Dan L found a large grizzly near the Marge Simpson Tree in Slough Creek. At 9:20 a.m. I found two equal sized grizzlies on the west flank of Ski Slope viewed from Lamar Canyon East; Randi and I agreed that these were the two sub adult grizzlies. At 9:50 a.m. Quinn H found a young colorful grizzly northeast of Picnic digging for roots. He also had in view the grizzly sow with one yearling cub further to the west. Good viewing for hours on the young colorful grizzly. The sow and yearling went out of sight quickly. Meanwhile, the three wolves had made a kill, a bison calf was my guess. Later the young colorful grizzly came close to the carcass but was still digging when the sow and cub came to the carcass causing the young grizzly to run off to the west. When I passed by this evening the sow and yearling were still eating on the carcass. Earlier this morning Doug M (bear watcher) had a grizzly in the old rendezvous area moving to the west. At 11:00 a.m. I found the large grizzly still going west south of Midpoint. He made it all the way to Amethyst Bench where he rubbed on three different trees and then visited the carcass briefly before disappearing. At 11:15 a.m. I found a dark grizzly in the snow on the top of Bear Meadow viewed from Midpoint. It was moving back and forth in the snow then moved off out of sight after fifteen minutes (I am guessing just out of the den and didn't know which way to go). At 12:15 p.m. two black wolves were in view at the Slough Creek den. Then in view again from 12:30 p.m. through 3:00 p.m. and again from 3:20 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. I found and watched the grizzly sow with two two-year-old cubs in a clearing south of Peregrine Pullout. They were digging for roots until 3:00 p.m. then disappeared for twenty minutes but came back then the sow nursed them, and they bedded. They were still sleeping when I left them at 4:30 p.m. I had a moose in downtown Silver Gate late tonight.
Sunday - May 7th
33 degrees this morning in Silver Gate warming up to only 55 degrees with a cool breeze in the afternoon. At 7:00 a.m. Gary G found a black bear in the tree line south of the Old Buffalo Ranch. At 7:20 a.m. I heard from MacNeil L that the grizzly sow with two two-year-old cubs were in view south of Peregrine Pullout. The family (the Specimen Ridge family) was lower on the slope and closer to view this morning. Being a little closer than previous sightings several watchers noticed a collar. Around noon I relocated the grizzly family from Peregrine Pullout in a higher clearing. Good viewing for over one- and one-half hours. After about forty-five minutes Randi M relocated the family now viewed from Slough Creek for another full hour of viewing. At 7:45 a.m. Randi M found the 4 1/2-year-old female on the flats east of Amethyst Bench digging. The large dark grizzly soon joined her. We also watched them in the area yesterday. He obviously had courting on his mind but not her. Later they moved off crossing the Big Flat Meadow above the east end of Jasper Bench. The sub adult was leading with the boar four hundred yards behind. Not sure about this, but as I have read the sows become sexually active at about five to six years old. Time will tell. At 8:00 a.m. we had a grizzly digging high north of Picnic Pullout. Later in the morning it was seen again a little lower north of Picnic Pullout, digging all the time. At 8:45 a.m. the grizzly sow with one yearling was seen only four hundred years across the river south of the Confluence. Lots of photographers. Later they moved south, and the sow found something to dig out. The guess was a coyote den since one coyote was really upset. The sow continued to dig with the yearling cub not knowing what to do. Several times it had a face full of dirt as the sow continued to dig quite a hole. How it ended is unknown as a brief rain/sleet storm made viewing impossible. After the storm ended, the grizzly family was observed moving further to the south. At 12:30 p.m. I watched one gray and one black Junction Butte adults around the Slough Creek den site. At 3:10 p.m. I found a grizzly sow with two two-year-old cubs high north of Slough Creek moving to the east; They were in the ravine just to the east of the Slough Creek den. Only about a ten-minute sighting and Randi M did not get to see them. These should be the Slough Creek sow which we watched last year with the then two yearlings
People Seen
Wolf Watchers: From Montana: Rick M, Dan and Laurie L, Doug M, Jeremy S, and Ilona P. From Missouri: Frank H. From Utah: Paul H, and Pam and Denny D. From Mississippi: Wynette M and her daughter. From Washington: David and Stephanie O. From Michigan: Dan and Susan W. From Colorado: Bob P, Karol B, and Jim and Elizabeth L. From Idaho: Roger and Lynda S. From Wyoming: Larry and Linda H. Bear Watchers seen this report; From Louisiana: Bruce P. From Wyoming: Kevin M. From Washington: Randi M. From Montana: Shari S, Jack G, Scott M, and Doug M. From Utah: Bill and Chris M. From Ohio: Jim and Twyla E. From Missouri: Fred and Linda. From Mississippi: Gary G. And from Illinois: Chicago Bob and Margaret. Other people; seen this report: From Montana: Chris H, Michael S, Evan S, Bob L, Quinn H, Nate U, MacNeil L, Audra C, Dan H, Carl S, Dennis R, and Cliff B. From Virginia: Big John B. From Rhode Island: Mark L. From Florida: Bill L, and Rick K. From California: Carol and Tim Z. From Idaho: Tanner P and Ellie, and Wes W. From Washington: Ed M. From Vermont: John K. From British Columbia: Eric and Debbie. And from Colorado: Jim and Bobbie F.
Beautiful Mountain Lion ~ Lamar Valley ~ April 10th, 2023 ~ Photo by Linda Rudge Carney © All Rights Reserved
Mountain Lion ~ also known as the Cougar, Puma, Panther, or Catamount ~ Puma concolor
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