Yellowstone National Park 2023 Trip Reports

Trip Report ~ Bear & Wolf Sightings ~ by Bill Hamblin

05 through 08 June 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

~ June 2023 ~

Monday - June 5th

45 degrees in Silver Gate this morning warming up to 76 degrees. At 5:10 a.m. Randi M found a courting pair of grizzlies near the Hitching Post. Apparently, they had crossed the road north to south at 9:00 p.m. and were still there this morning. The boar was a big one with a collar. He also had a white patch on his right rear leg, probably an old injury. After a few minutes, the boar abandoned the sow and headed south for the safety of the tree line. At 5:20 a.m. Gary G found a courting pair of grizzlies in the Bowl viewed from Footbridge. A long spot but we later went west and got a good view of them from the old Buffalo Ranch. At 5:25 a.m. I found the grizzly sow with three cubs of the year again northeast of Footbridge. They were in view several times today and I watched them in the evening with the cubs playing in a large snow field while the sow continued to dig for roots. At 5:35 a.m. I found two black bears near Ski Slope from Footbridge. We tried to get a better look to the west later, but we never saw them again. At 5:45 a.m. Gary G found a small grizzly digging on the # 2 finger on Norris. At 6:00 a.m. Gary found a courting pair of grizzlies on Penny Lane. Great view as they sat for a long time then moved over the ridge with the sow leading like usual. At 6:40 a.m. we had a large black bear north of Picnic Pullout. At 7:00 a.m. Randi found two more grizzlies on Penny Lane. They were separated at first but got together later. These were sub adult grizzlies who kept their distance from the courting pair. At 8:15 a.m. from Slough Creek I found a grizzly sow with two dark yearling cubs. They were near the mixed conifer aspen forest but later in the day had moved higher near the skyline still digging for food. At 10:35 a.m. I found a Brindle colored wolf on Specimen Ridge moving towards Middle Ridge. Wolf sightings have really fallen off since the pups have been moved and are no longer at the Slough Creek Den. To my knowledge no one has found where they moved the two puppies. At 11:05 a.m. Gary G found a cinnamon black bear sow with two black cubs of the year high northwest of the Slough Creek den area. At 12:15 p.m. Gary G found a large black bear high on Specimen Ridge. At 12:25 p.m. a small black bear in the Slough Bowl was seen. At 12:55 p.m. we had a cinnamon black bear grazing in the Slough Bowl. At 2:00 p.m. I found a courting pair of grizzlies high in Bear Meadow. Others had seen this pair earlier, and the boar in this pair was much smaller than the pair viewed earlier in the morning. At 5:15 p.m. Scott P showed me a small grizzly feeding just under the grizzly sow with three cubs of the year. The smaller grizzly with a nice Yellowstone Stripe approached the grizzly family and the sow with the cubs watched the smaller grizzly. The smaller grizzly moved off and the sow continued to dig, and the cubs continued to play. I assume that the sow may have known or encountered this small grizzly before, maybe a cub of hers from before. Anyway, both continued on as if nothing happened.

Tuesday - June 6th

43 degrees in Silver Gate this morning warming up to 75 degrees with a few afternoon showers. I finally saw the two red tailed hawk chicks in the rock formation south of Lamar Canyon East Pullout today. I saw my first this year's mountain goat kid. I also had two foxes today but no wolves so no three dog day today. I had a moose near dark just east of Silver Gate. At 5:20 a.m. Bob W found the courting pair of grizzlies on the ridgeline of Norris viewed from Footbridge. A good view on the skyline and later they bedded for a while before moving out of sight. At 5:30 a.m. Randi M found a small colorful grizzly on the # 2 finger on Norris. At 5:45 a.m. I found the grizzly sow with three cubs of the year again northeast of Footbridge Pullout. At 6:00 a.m. we had a black bear high near the snow cornice viewed from Footbridge. At 6:30 a.m. I found a grizzly digging near the skyline north of Picnic Pullout. At 6:40 a.m. I found a courting pair of grizzlies in a clearing west of the digging grizzly also north of Picnic Pullout. At 6:55 a.m. Randi M found a courting pair of grizzlies in the Bowl viewed best from the old Buffalo Ranch. At 7:10 a.m. Rick H found the two Specimen Ridge sub adults in Bear Meadow. At 9:10 a.m. Randi M found a big grizzly on the snow cornice of Specimen Ridge. It was running down into the deadfall trees and out of sight, we guessed it was running from something, but never saw what. At 12:40 p.m. Randi M found a cinnamon black bear on # 3 finger on Norris. At 12:55 p.m. we watched a black bear spotted on the # 6 finger on Norris. At 1:15 p.m. we had a black bear in the tree line south of the old Buffalo Ranch. At 5:30 p.m. Gary G found a grizzly family consisting of the sow and two large two-year-old cubs. They were near the skyline south of the Bell. Not sure which family this was, but my guess is that they were the same family we found on K-2 Meadow on May 21st.

Wednesday - June 7th

42 degrees in Silver Gate this morning warming up to a nice 79 degrees with a few afternoon showers again. We saw a beaver walking/swimming up the Soda Butte Creek from Footbridge this morning. I had a moose just east of Cooke City this afternoon. I finally found the golden eagle nest south of Footbridge Pullout to the south on the rock formation (a female and one small white head). I watched five fox kits in Cooke City this evening. I had a THREE DOG DAY TODAY (fox, coyote, wolf). At 5:20 a.m. Gary found a dark grizzly on Penny Lane who took his time traveling across the clearing, lots of people got to see it. At 5:40 a.m. Gary G found a small grizzly on the # 2 finger on Norris. At 6:20 a.m. I found a grizzly digging near the skyline north of Picnic Pullout. At 6:25 a.m. I found a grizzly sow with two two-year-old cubs on Calfee. Again, I am not sure which family this is (perhaps a new family we have not seen). At 6:40 a.m. Gary G found two black and two gray wolves going south into the trees at the Chalcedony Fan. We moved to the old Buffalo Ranch and were entertained by six grizzlies for the next hour or two. Emil M called and said that he had a courting pair of grizzlies on the skyline in Bear Meadow. I arrived too late to see them. Then I found the colorful sow running this way over the skyline. Next a small dark sub adult grizzly running as if his life depended on it to the east on the skyline for over one-half mile. Then another small sub adult grizzly was spotted running north and then west as if his life depended on it. Soon we picked up the boar of the courting pair moving east and then south and over the ridge. With both the boar and sow of the courting pair now apparently separated and traveling alone and both out of sight, me watched the two sub adults. Each had run off in different directions, but they circled around and after about thirty minutes they rejoined together. Later in the morning they moved down the longest of the snow cornices in the Bowl and wrestled a little before getting off the snow and started to dig again. Then Randi M spotted two grizzlies south of the Bell near the skyline. These were two different grizzlies that we had not seen. This was another courting pair of grizzlies that began to mate almost on the skyline for about twenty minutes. During the mating, a smaller colorful grizzly approached the courting pair. It appeared to be the sow from the first courting pair. It sat and watched the new courting pair, then bedded near the courting pair until they split apart. I have never seen this before. Soon the courting pair moved off and out of sight, followed by the sow grizzly who also went out of sight in the same direction. When we left the only two of the six grizzlies were the two sub adult grizzlies (Specimen Ridge family we think) who were back digging for roots, etc. At 7:40 a.m. Gary G found a black wolf on the South Divide Ridge. At 8:15 a.m. Gary G found an uncollared gray wolf and the Southern Divide Ridge. At 8:40 a.m. a collared gray was sighted moving west south of Hubbard Hill. At 9:20 a.m. Rick H found a large black bear on K-2 Meadow viewed from Footbridge. At 6:10 p.m. I found two black bears on K Meadow. Tonight, the boar, sow, sow threesome was still in view as well as the two sub adult grizzlies.

Thursday - June 8th

Thursday June 8th. 42 degrees in Silver Gate this morning warming up to 62 degrees with afternoon rain. I called it an early day. We had two badgers south of Footbridge today. The golden eagle was not on the nest this morning, but the one white chick was easy to see in the nest. While watching the two sub adult grizzlies near Junction Butte this morning, I watched the following birds in the pond: ruddy ducks, buffalo head ducks, lesser scaup ducks, and red head ducks and eared grebes. At 6:15 a.m. Gary G found the two Specimen Ridge sub adult grizzlies digging in the Bowl. Later around 11:00 a.m. we found them on a long snow cornice between A-Z Meadow and the Southern Divide Ridge. They chased each other up and down the cornice, often stopping to wrestle, this action lasted over fifteen minutes. At 6:40 a.m. Terri W found a cinnamon black bear with two cubs of the year low in the trees on the Southern Divide Ridge viewed from Coyote Overlook. At 7:00 a.m. Paul H showed me a bedded wolf south of Old Road Pullout. I heard that the Middle Ridge (Junction Butte) sub adults were on an elk carcass near Junction Butte. At 8:50 a.m. I arrived to see them just across the pond I always called the swan pond below Junction Butte. Both sub adults looked good but rough as they were wet and still had their winter fur. At 9:10 a.m. I was glassing around and found a grizzly sow with two two-year-old cubs high southeast of Slough Creek moving through sagebrush. A long distance and with them moving through the sagebrush it was not good viewing. At 11:05 a.m. Gary G found a large black bear above the Square Meadow viewed from Coyote Overlook. At 2:30 p.m. I found the boar, sow, sow threesome again in the same high clearing east and above the Bell Meadow. Still cannot figure that grouping out. At 2:50 p.m. I found a nice courting pair in the Bowl viewed from the old Buffalo Ranch near little tree, big tree. Good viewing for a while but afternoon rain came in and I made it a short day today.

People Seen

Wolf Watchers: From Montana: Rick M, Doug M, Wendy B, Chloe F, Becky C, Taylor R, and Jeremy S. From Wyoming: Larry and Linda H. From California: Kathie L and Bill W. From New York: Rick and Maureen B. From Colorado: Dale, Faye, and Ally B. From Mississippi: Chuck and Wynelle M. And From Utah: Paul H. Bear Watchers seen this report: From Mississippi: Gary G. From Washington: Randi M. From Wyoming: Rita R and Terri W. From Colorado: Kim H, Rick and Len H, and Rick and Tanner H. From Montana: Doug M and Sarah W, with mom and auntie. From New Mexico: Bob W. From California: Les W and his wife. And From Georgia: Sandi R. Others seen this report: From Montana: Bob L, Nate U, Mike S, Chris H, Michael S, Shauna B, Audra C, Cliff B and Nathan V. From Vermont: John K.

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