Yellowstone National Park 2023 Trip Reports

Trip Report ~ Bear & Wolf Sightings ~ by Bill Hamblin

24 through 27 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 ~

Wednesday - May 24th

44 degrees in Silver Gate this morning warming up to 64 degrees. I had a THREE DOG DAY today. At 5:40 a.m. I found a grizzly southwest of Footbridge Pullout. At 5:45 a.m. the Iowa Boys found a grizzly near the new growth forest southwest of Footbridge Pullout. At 6:00 a.m. I found a small grizzly digging on the # 2 finger on Norris. At 6:10 a.m. Gary G found a small dark grizzly on the # 1 finger on Norris. At 6:30 a.m. Randi M found some of the Junction Butte wolfpack in Lamar Valley south of trashcan. They were hunting bison calves and the wolf watchers eventually counted fourteen or fifteen today. I was at Footbridge and only counted four black and two grays at this time. At 7:40 a.m. I found the two sub adult grizzlies (Specimen Ridge family) on the skyline south of the old Buffalo Ranch. They were both looking down a ravine from their rock edge, then then ran off to the west. We wondered what made them run, but they reappeared later in Bear Meadow. At 7:55 a.m. Quinn H found a black bear in the tree line of the large meadow behind the eastern edge of Jasper Bench. At 8:45 a.m. Chris H found the reason for the sub adult grizzlies running away, a large dark grizzly appeared but turned away and disappeared over the skyline. At 9:45 a.m. the Middle Ridge sow and two two-year-old cubs were on Specimen Ridge. It is tough to tell the families apart, but the Specimen Ridge sow has been collared and we saw no collar this morning plus we now know that the Specimen Ridge sow has kicked the two sub adults away and has been seen with a large boar. If fact the large boar seen going over the ridge that was following the Specimen Ridge sow at about 4:00 p.m. I had both the sow and the large dark boar in sight on the skyline south of the old Buffalo Ranch. At 9:50 a.m. 1276F and a gray adult and one black pup were seen at the Slough Creek den. It now appears that only two puppies have been seen recently, one black and one gray. At 11:05 a.m. I passed by Picnic Area and the wolves were seen moving around hunting bison calves. My count at this time was eleven, so four of the fifteen in Lamar Valley I did not see today. At 11:35 a.m. Mike F found a black bear family consisting of a black sow, one black cub and one cinnamon cub high on # 3 finger on Norris. At 4:55 p.m. Tim found a colorful grizzly above the river corridor southeast of Footbridge (note the colorful grizzly was still on the finger # 2 at the time). At 5:20 p.m. I found a nice sized cinnamon black bear north of the Soda Butte East pullout.

Thursday - May 25th

41 degrees in Silver Gate this morning warming up to 67 degrees. I had a THREE DOG DAY today. I watched a beaver walking up the Soda Butte Creek this morning from Footbridge. At times, the beaver looked like a submerged rock as the creek was deep and the current strong. We also saw a pair of mating harlequin ducks in the Soda Butte Creek from Footbridge. At 5:30 a.m. I found nine wolves of the Junction Butte wolfpack moving south on the east side of the Lamar River. They moved quickly and the wolf watchers got to see them a little longer by climbing the hill above the Confluence. At 5:40 a.m. I found two grizzlies in the clearing on the skyline east of Penny Lane. A brief view but I assumed two sub adult grizzlies. My friends stayed longer and the two came back into view. They were a courting pair and mated for over one-half hour. At 5:45 a.m. Don P coming in from the east told us about the colorful grizzly above the river corridor to the southeast. The same grizzly as yesterday and it remained in view on and off the entire day. At 5:50 a.m. the regular grizzly had crossed the road north to southwest of Hitching Post and was heading south towards the willows. At 8:00 a.m. Randi M found the two two-year-old (Specimen Ridge) sub adults in Bear Meadow. Good viewing from anywhere between Midpoint Pullout and the old Buffalo Ranch. At 6:15 a.m. Gary G found a dark grizzly above the eastern end of Jasper Bench. This grizzly disappeared but was seen traveling higher through the top of A-Z Meadow. Early this morning Bob H found a dark grizzly traveling the tree line southwest of Footbridge. At 7:10 a.m. I finally saw this grizzly still moving to the west viewed from the Confluence. At 7:30 a.m. Gary G found the (Specimen Ridge) sow with a large dark boar (courting pair) high on the Divide Ridge (also called the Salad Bowl). At 8:10 a.m. from the Slough Creek bathroom I had two small grizzlies running east to west on and over Junction Butte. Five minutes after they disappeared, I found two larger grizzlies moving that way up and over Junction Butte. I think that the sow was trying to keep a grizzly, slightly larger than her, away from the cubs. The other grizzly was not a large grizzly (and tomorrow Evan S had the sow with the two two-year-old cubs). This was the Middle Ridge family and were still a family as of May 26th. At 8:15 a.m. I watched two black and one gray adult and one black and one gray puppy at the Slough Creek den area. At 10:10 a.m. we had a black bear with a little cinnamon brown color in the tree line south of the old Buffalo Ranch. At 12;00 noon Karel B found a black bear on the # 2 finger on Norris. At 3:35 p.m. I had a nice sized black bear south in the clearing at Lower Baronette. At 3:35 p.m. I had a colorful grizzly on the # 2 finger on Norris. At 6:30 p.m. I found a colorful grizzly digging on K-3 Meadow viewed from Footbridge.

Friday - May 26th

39 degrees this morning in Silver Gate warming up to 65 degrees. I encountered an animal jam near the northeast entrance tonight. I saw a moose but believe that it had this spring's calf with her (Bruce P and others have seen the pair in that area in the last day or two). At 5:40 a.m. I found the colorful grizzly again above the river corridor southeast of Footbridge. Good viewing most of the morning as it continued to dig for roots and tubers with lots of bison around it. At 6:15 a.m. I found a nice sized cinnamon black bear grazing north of Picnic Pullout. At 6:35 a.m. I found a nice sized grizzly on Norris approaching the Cache Creek trail and moving to the south. At 6:50 a.m. Randi M found a grizzly (the regular grizzly) on a bison carcass south of the Confluence. Quite the bear jam for most of the morning. At 6:55 a.m. Rita R found a small grizzly on the # 2 finger on Norris. At 7:45 a.m. from Coyote Overlook I found the (Specimen Ridge) two sub adult grizzlies on Middle Ridge. They were In and out of view but later in the day Randi R found them again still on Middle Ridge but viewed from Slough Creek restroom. This morning the Junction Butte wolfpack was on a fresh carcass just across the Lamar River best viewed from Fisherman's Pullout. At 8:00 a.m. I found the carcass from Coyote Overlook and only one black and one gray were around the carcass (the wolf people had ten or twelve earlier). At 9:00 a.m. I found a black bear in the K Meadow viewed from Footbridge Pullout. At 9:20 a.m. Randi M made the spot of the day. She found the grizzly sow with three cubs of the year (Coys) about 3/4 a mile west of the last sighting near the skyline. They looked good since we had not found them the last two days. At 10:15 a.m. Chris H had a small colorful grizzly on # 1 finger on Norris. It was constantly running around and the only thing else on the # 1 at the time was a small black bear. At 11:45 a.m. we had a medium sized grizzly crossing the snow cornice on Specimen Ridge into the Crystal Drainage. Randi guessed it was the Specimen Ridge sow grizzly, but at that distance we could not confirm. The appearance did get the two sub adult grizzlies on Middle Ridge's attention. Both looked back to the west, then stood on small boulders for a better view, and disappeared over the ridge going away to the east.

Saturday - May 27th

43 degrees in Silver Gate this morning warming up to 63 degrees. I had a THREE DOG DAY today. We watched two moose south in the Soda Butte Valley this morning. An eager beaver was walking up the Soda Butte Creek from Footbridge Pullout today with the rushing water almost covering its head. At 5:10 a.m. I could see a grizzly about forty yards west of the bison carcass that is across the river from the Confluence. At 5:30 a.m. Hayden and Doug G found a grizzly digging in the second skyline clearing east of Penny Lane. At 5:45 a.m. I found a small colorful grizzly near the river corridor moving south from Footbridge. Later it changed directions and moved west across the large sagebrush meadow and disappeared in the tree line. At 6:05 a.m. Hayden and Doug G found a small colorful grizzly digging on the # 1 finger of Norris. At 7:20 a.m. Rick and Len H found the two Specimen Ridge sub adult grizzlies low on Specimen Ridge viewed from Dorothy's Pullout. They were in view again this afternoon and left going over the snow cornice on Specimen Ridge heading west. At 7:30 a.m. we had a black bear on Square Meadow south of the old Buffalo Ranch viewed from Dorothy's Pullout. At 7:55 a.m. Hayden and Doug G found two sub adults digging on Calfee viewed from Picnic Pullout. Large sub adults, so Randi M thought they may be the Norris sow cubs which would now be 3 1/2-year-olds now. At 8:00 a.m. Hayden and Doug G found the grizzly sow with the three cubs of the year (Coys) on the east end of Druid Peak. Good viewing from Picnic, Trashcan, and Footbridge Pullouts. At 10:00 a.m. I found a large black bear on K-2 Clearing viewed from Footbridge. At 10:15 a.m. Randi M pointed out a medium sized colorful grizzly near the top of # 1 finger on Norris. In the early afternoon we watched two blacks and one gray adult wolf and one black puppy at the Slough Creek den. At 3:30 p.m. the Specimen Ridge sow accompanied and followed by a large dark boar grizzly came over the Specimen Ridge into view. The boar is a large grizzly. At 4:50 a.m. Gary G found a dark grizzly in the Square Meadow south of the old Buffalo Ranch viewed from there.

People Seen

Wolf Watchers: From Missouri: Frank H. From Montana: Rick M, Doug M, Dan and Laurie L, Janice and Cindy H, Wendy B, Josh A, and Jeremy S. From New York: Rick and Maureen B. From Colorado: Mark and Carol R, and Karel B. From Mississippi: Chuck and Wynelle M. From Vermont: Don P. From Wyoming: Larry and Linda H. From California: Bob H and Bill and Karen M. And from Oregon: Bruce and Kelly H. Bear watchers seen this report: From Louisiana: Bruce P. From Wyoming: Rita R, Terri W, Kevin M, Tyler B and Jessica. From Mississippi: Gary G. From Montana: Mike and Kathy W, Scott M, and Doug M. From Colorado: Rick and Len H, and Kim H. From Tennessee: Mike and Donna F. From South Carolina: Margaret P. From Illinois: Wayne K. From Iowa: Terry N, Mark S, Tom H and Dan S. From Washington: Randi M. From Utah: Hayden, Doug, Kathy and Ashey G, Mark and Liz H, and Kevin and Rosie N and family members. Others seen report: From Montana: Bob L, Quinn H, Chris H, Cliff B, Mike S, Michael S and Cara M. From Washington: Matt P. From Vermont: John K. From Colorado: Brian and Diane A. And from the Netherlands: Jort V.

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

Yellowstone National Park

Lamar Valley Map - Yellowstone National Park