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Yellowstone National Park 2023 Trip Reports





Trip Report ~ Bear & Wolf Sightings ~ by Bill Hamblin

12 through 15 May 2023
Yellowstone National Park




Beautiful Mountain Lion ~ Lamar Valley ~ April 10th, 2023 ~ Photo by Linda Rudge Carney ~ All Rights Reserved

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 ~





Yellowstone Grizzly Bear taken Spring 2014 ~ © Copyright John William Uhler All Rights Reserved

Friday - May 12th


33 degrees in Silver Gate this morning warming up to 53 degrees. I watched a cow moose at Elk Creek this morning. At 5:40 a.m. Randi M found a grizzly seventy-five yards from us watchers just south across the road at the Slough Creek Restroom. It sat and watched us, then stood and watched us, then decided to run across the road going to the north. The wolf watchers were spread out down the road to watch wolves and he passed behind all of them continuing on his way. At 6:30 a.m. Dennis R had a grizzly digging west of the Slough Creek den. At 6:30 a.m. I watched two black and one gray wolf near the den site at Slough Creek. At 6:45 a.m. I found the grizzly sow with two two-year-old cubs on Specimen Ridge viewed from Coyote Overlook. At 6:55 a.m. Dean D found a grizzly digging on the A-Z Meadow. At 7:15 a.m. Randi M found a second grizzly joining the first grizzly on A-Z Meadow. For the next thirty minutes they played, wrestled, chased each other and play fought. Our opinion was they were two sub adult grizzlies who enjoyed a little bear company. At 8:00 a.m. Bruce P found a sub adult grizzly north of Picnic Pullout. Close enough for pictures and a large bear jam. Later it disappeared but then crossed the road to the south side near Confluence. The grizzly remained in sight from near Hitching Post for most of the time until dark. At 8:25 a.m. I found the grizzly with two two-year-old cubs on Calfee. A long look but better from the Confluence than where I sighted them from Trashcan Pullout. At 9:20 a.m. Gary G found 1228F southeast of Footbridge Pullout. This wolf is the alpha female of the new Shrimp Lake Pack and is the only pack member that is collared. Kind of strange in that she should have puppies back at the den and was out hunting by herself. A 10:30 a.m. I found a dark grizzly digging in the Bowl viewed from Midpoint Point but could be seen all the way to the old Buffalo Ranch. At 10:00 a.m. Randi M found a large dark grizzly where the sow and two two-year-old cubs were earlier on Calfee. We have noticed that this time of year a large boar is around and following sows with two-year-old cubs. At 4:15 p.m. I found a grizzly digging high to the south of the #1 finger on Norris viewed from Footbridge. At 4:45 p.m. I found a small grizzly digging on the #2 finger on Norris also viewed from Footbridge.


Yellowstone Black Bear Cubs ~ © Copyright All Rights Reserved John William Uhler

Saturday - May 13th


37 degrees this morning in Silver Gate warming up to 59 degrees out in the park. I viewed a moose just a little way off the road at the west Soda Butte Bridge. Early on we watched two black and one gray wolves near the Slough Creek den area. At 5:40 a.m. Gary G found the grizzly sow with two two-year-old cubs on Middle Ridge south of Slough Creek. At 6:00 a.m. Randi M found a large dark grizzly following/chasing at a distance the grizzly family. At 6:10 a.m. I found a large grizzly traveling southwest of the Slough Creek wolf den area. At 6:50 a.m. Margaret P found the grizzly sow with one yearling north near the Confluence. About 7:10 a.m. it crossed the road from north to south. At 6:55 a.m. Bruce P found a grizzly digging southeast of Confluence East Pullout. Later the grizzly sow and yearling chased this bear away. At 7:00 a.m. I found a black bear viewed on #3 finger on Norris. At 7:35 a.m. Randi M made the spot of the week finding a grizzly sow with three cubs of the year (coys). Our first sighting of cubs of the year this year. They were high almost skyline northeast from Footbridge. The family looked in good shape with the coys often playing around. At 8:00 a.m. Dean D found a large dark grizzly in the tree line southwest of Footbridge. At 9:30 a.m. Gary G found the grizzly sow with two two-year-old cubs on Calfee viewed from the Confluence. I missed it but later a large dark grizzly followed the trail of the grizzly family. At 11:50 a.m. we had a small grizzly digging on the # 2 finger on Norris. At 12:10 p.m. we watched a small colorful grizzly digging on the # 1 finger on Norris. At 12:40 p.m. another grizzly was seen digging on the # 3 finger on Norris. At 2:50 p.m. Paul H found, and I watched the grizzly sow with two two-year-old cubs high above the Slough Creek den. At 4:30 p.m. the grizzly sow with two two-year-old cubs were seen on Bear Meadow viewed from the old Buffalo Ranch (they traveled quite a way from Middle Ridge in Crystal Drainage this morning. At 5:45 p.m. looking for the grizzly family in Bear Meadow I found two gray wolves on the skyline. They soon sat down in the snow, so I was able to point them out to a few people. At 6;00 p.m. Gary G found a nice sized colorful grizzly northeast of Coyote Overlook. At 6:25 p.m. Gary G showed me a large dark grizzly on Calfee (I had not seen this grizzly when it was following the grizzly family this morning).

Yellowstone Black Bear Cubs ~ © Copyright All Rights Reserved John William Uhler

Sunday - May 14th


40 degrees in Silver Gate this morning warming up to 66 degrees. At 5:40 a.m. Gary G found a large dark grizzly on the skyline of Specimen Ridge slowly moving over the ridge. At 5:50 a.m. Blake M found a grizzly further to the south traveling through a snowbank. At 5:55 a.m. Kim and Joyce found a big grizzly traveling south in the meadow behind the Crystal Rock. At 6:15 a.m. a gray wolf came out of the Sage Den at Slough Creek. Earlier in the morning Doug M (wolf watcher) found a large grizzly in the Slough Creek bottoms. By 6:15 a.m. the grizzly had traveled uphill towards the Horizontal Forest so we could see him from the main road. At 6:35 a.m. I came on a large bear jam at Trashcan Pullout. It was the grizzly sow with two two-year-old cubs only three hundred yards north of the pullout. It appeared that they wanted to cross the road to the south but with the crowd they could not. They were in view for quite a while then disappeared, moving east and north out of sight. This evening they were seen again to the north of Hitching Post, apparently being followed by a large dark grizzly. At 6:55 a.m. others told me that the grizzly sow with three coys was in view. They were in the same clearing as yesterday and we had great light to watch them this morning. At 7:05 a.m. Brenda C pointed out a small grizzly sitting under a tree north near the Confluence. A brief view at that time for me, but it soon crossed the road and was in view until the afternoon in the willows. At 7:30 a.m. Blake M found a nice sized grizzly on the west side of Amethyst Bench. At 7:30 a.m. Gary G found our first courting pair of grizzlies on the skyline straight south of the old Buffalo Ranch and above The Bell Clearing. Long viewing for a long time. At 8:00 a.m. Doug M (bear watcher) showed me the grizzly sow with two two-year-old cubs again on Middle Ridge. Good light this morning as they fed slowly up hill and soon crossed the top of Middle Ridge, and we viewed them from Coyote Pullout in Lamar Valley. At 9:00 a.m. I found a nice sized grizzly with a silver Yellowstone stripe around its midsection south of Fisherman's Pullout viewed from Coyote Overlook. At 9:10 a.m. Gary G showed me a dark grizzly moving east high north of Coyote Overlook. At 12:15 p.m. I came across a new bear jam just west of Hitching Post. A nice sized colorful grizzly decided to cross the road north to south. Doing it slowly the bear jam on the road took its time to move on. Later Kim and Joyce noticed the small grizzly from this morning running and crossing the road back to the north. It was assumed that the larger grizzly had something to do with the smaller grizzly leaving the area. At 12:45 p.m. we had a black bear low in the A-Z Meadow. At 2:15 p.m. one black wolf moved and then bedding near the Slough Creek den. At 4:00 p.m. Gary G had a small grizzly on the # 2 finger on Norris. At 5:00 p.m. a nice sized colorful grizzly crossed the road just west of the Hitching Post north to south (looked like the same grizzly as this morning but it had somehow got back to the north side.

Yellowstone Wolf Pup ~ © Copyright All Rights Reserved

 

Monday - May 15th


40 degrees in Silver Gate this morning warming up to a nice 71 degrees. I watched two river otters running on the bank of the Soda Butte Creek today. At 6:05 a.m. Rita R found an uncollared black wolf south of Picnic Pullout traveling east. Later from Footbridge we viewed the wolf still traveling east going past Dead Puppy Hill. At 6:10 a.m. I found a dark grizzly traveling east from southwest of Picnic Pullout. At 6:30 a.m. I watched the grizzly sow with two two-year-old cubs along the Soda Butte Creek going west. They remained in the area of the willows south between the Confluence and the Hitching Post most of the day. At 6:35 a.m. I found the grizzly sow with three cubs of the year (coy) in the same high clearing northeast of Footbridge Pullout. Good early light as we watched the cubs playing in the snow while the sow was digging for breakfast. At 7:35 a.m. the smaller grizzly was in the willows near Confluence East on the north side of the road less than ten yards off the road. The grizzly crossed the road to the south as I approached. At 8:15 a.m. I was watching from coyote Overlook with Scott M when I found a dark grizzly above the river corridor south of Fisherman's Pullout. While scoping with Scott, he noticed three other grizzlies. It was the grizzly sow with two two-year-old cubs in the same area as the larger dark grizzly who had a nice stripe of silver around its middle. Soon the grizzly family moved off with the larger grizzly following. However, the grizzly family turned on the larger grizzly and ran him off to the north. The family eventually moved over the hill and out of sight leaving the grizzly sitting on its behind watching them leave. After the family left, the grizzly found a snowbank and laid on it back and moved around with all four legs and feet in the air. Before leaving the snowbank, the grizzly head planted into the snow several times. Not sure the idea of this but have seen wolves do the same to clean the face and head. At 9:50 a.m. Bruce P had a small grizzly digging on the # 2 finger on Norris. At 10:00 a.m. Kevin M called with the grizzly sow with one yearling crossing the road north to south between the pullouts of Hitching Post and Footbridge. They moved to the creek area hoping to dine on a very old bison carcass near the creek. Numerous bison in the area forced the grizzly family to the west. Now we had six grizzlies in the area just west of Hitching Post (the lone grizzly, the sow with two two-year-olds and the sow with the yearling). They remained in the area all day and I was told that often five or six were in view quite close to each other without any problems. Tonight, on the way back to Silver Gate the grizzly sow with the yearling finally made it to the old bison carcass near the creek. At 1:00 p.m. we watched two black wolves near the Slough Creek Den. At times in the next couple of hours we viewed up to five grays and blacks in the area. From 2:00 p.m. through 4:00 p.m. we watched the sow with the two two-year-old cubs high above the Slough Creek den. They bedded for forty-five minutes but were digging the rest of the time. Randi M found the family just after a brief rain shower and the lighting was excellent.


People Seen


Wolf Watchers: From Montana: Rick M, Taylor R, Wendy B, Doug M, John and Carolyn G and Jeremy S. From Missouri: Frank H. From Colorado: Karel B, Bob P, Mark and Carol R. From Utah: Paul H and Pam and Denny D. From Texas: Carl L and Carol S. From Idaho: Roger and Lynda S. From Mississippi: Chuck and Wynelle M. Bear watchers seen this report: From Louisiana: Bruce P. From Arizona: Gene and Margaret. From Utah: Dean and Jeri D, Larry M, CD and Brenda C, and Bill and Chris M. From Washington: Randi M, Hank L and Steve L. From Mississippi: Gary G. From Montana: Howard A, Linda K, Jeff B and Kathy M, Shari S and Scott M, and Sarah W with mother and aunt. From Wisconsin: Don L. From Missouri: Fred and Linda. From Wyoming: Rita R and Kevin M. From Tennessee: Mike and Donna F. From South Carolina: Margaret P. From Minnesota: Virgil, Marlene and Kelly. From Idaho: Blake M and Kim and Joyce C. Others seen this report: From Montana: Cliff B, Bob L, MacNeil L, Michael S, Mike S, and Quinn H. From Washington: Matt P. From Rhode Island: Mark L. From California: Carol B. And from Vermont: John K.

Beautiful Mountain Lion ~ Lamar Valley ~ April 10th, 2023 ~ Photo by Linda Rudge Carney ~ All Rights Reserved

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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