Yellowstone National Park 2024 Trip Reports
Trip Report ~ Bear & Wolf Sightings ~ by Bill Hamblin
30 April through 3 May 2024
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
~ April 2024 ~
April 30th - Tuesday
36 degrees in Gardiner this morning warming up to 43 degrees out in the park this afternoon. Today was my quick trip home to Idaho Falls to get my camping gear. The rest of the year I will be camping for a while at Silver Gate. The roads were not bad going home but the people out in the park had very bad roads in the morning with ice and slide offs. At 2:45 p.m. we had a cinnamon black bear with a slightly darker cinnamon yearling cub near Geode Creek. At 6:15 p.m. we had a grizzly high up in ravine to the east of the Slough Den. At 6:20 p.m. 907F was visible near the Slough Creek den. At 6:50 p.m. the brown rear grizzly was on the old bison carcass south of Dorothy's Pullout. At 8:00 p.m. a grizzly was seen north of Soda Butte East Pullout. I had a moose in Silver Gate tonight. I had a THREE DOG DAY TODAY (coyote, fox, and wolf).
~ May 2024 ~
May 1st - Wednesday
33 degrees in Silver Gate but 26 degrees at Lamar Valley this morning warming up to 40 degrees. It was snowing in the morning and windy all day. Several flocks of rosy finches were seen today. At 5:50 a.m. Gary G found a grizzly crossing the road north to south near Fisherman's Pullout. At 6:15 a.m. Michael S found a grizzly in the tree line in the old Druid rendezvous area. At 6:20 a.m. Michael S showed me a grizzly with snow still on its back in the sagebrush near the new growth forest. At 7:25 a.m. Doug M (bear watcher) found the Mollies wolf pack this morning six grays and three black wolves in Lamar Valley. At 7:40 a.m. Doug M (bear watcher) found a grizzly just north of Fisherman's Pullout. It was really close and in view for several hours, once bedded for a nap. At 8:35 a.m. I found a large dark grizzly high north of Aspen Pullout. At 11:25 a.m. I found a large grizzly north of Fisherman's Pullout viewed from Long Pullout in Little America. At 11:45 a.m. Randi M found the 3 1/2-year-old sub adult female grizzly on Junction Butte. Good viewing as she was low down on the east side viewed from Boulder Pullout. At 12:15 p.m. Kevin found the courting pair of grizzlies again northwest of Boulder Pullout. At 3:50 p.m. we had a cinnamon black bear the center of a bear jam in Lamar Canyon. At 6:25 p.m. I found a dark grizzly high in the Divide Ridge viewed from Dorothy's Pullout.
May 2nd - Thursday
28 degrees in Silver Gate and Lamar Valley this morning warming up to 50 degrees out in the park, windy in the morning but nice in the afternoon. I had a ruddy duck in Floating Island Lake today. At 5:55 a.m. Gary G found a large grizzly south of Dorothy's Pullout. At 6:20 a.m. Dean D found a large grizzly in the Slough Bowl pretty close and in view for quite a while. At 8:40 a.m. Randi M found the courting pair in about the same place as yesterday northwest of Boulder Pullout. At 12:15 p.m. Cara M found a colorful grizzly digging south of YES Pullout that was in view for a long time. At 12:55 p.m. I found a small grizzly digging low in A-Z Meadow that was in view the rest of the day digging away. At 2:00 p.m. 1479F a yearling black wolf with a lot of brown bedded in the Slough Den area. At 5:30 p.m. I watched four black and one gray hunt and chase bison around near the den area. A couple of wolves singled out a yearling, but it got back to the cow and the herd came to the rescue. At 6:45 p.m. Gary G showed me a big dark grizzly in the tree line south of the Soda Butte Cone. At 6:50 p.m. Gary G showed me two separate grizzlies in the old rendezvous area viewed from Footbridge Pullout. There was an old carcass in the area, and we think they were checking for scrapes. At 7:00 p.m. Rachel M found a second grizzly south of the Soda Butte Cone, right above the large one. At 7:30 p.m. Scott B had a black bear south of Picnic Pullout near the tree line. At 7:45 p.m. Gary G found a large grizzly high to the north from Picnic Pullout.
May 3rd - Friday
28 degrees in Silver Gate this morning but only 24 degrees in Lamar Valley warming up to 43 degrees but with a chilly wind all day. I had a THREE DOG DAY today. At 6:10 a.m. I found a dark grizzly north of Picnic Pullout not too far away; I think it may have been the one Gary had high last night. At 6:45 a.m. Randi M found a grizzly in the willows east of the Horizontal Forest traveling east. I got to Slough just in time to see it, but later it came out and we watched for ten or fifteen minutes. At 6:50 a.m. Michael S had a dark grizzly traveling north just above the creek corridor. I was on the road and had to wait for five minutes until it got higher towards the Horizontal Forest for me to see. It was quite crowded at Slough Creek this morning. Randi M called to say she had four grizzlies in view, so after searching the parked vehicles I found her. She was watching the grizzly sow with two three-year-old cubs. Great view and they traveled to the west above the Slough den then they picked up the scent of the other grizzlies and began to run further to the west. Stopping on the rocks for a better view then over the hill and out of sight. We believe that the two separate grizzlies did not follow them further. With courting season almost upon us it will not be long until she throws out the two cubs and mates. At 7:10 a.m. pausing from watching the grizzly action, I saw the alpha male meeting and greeting 907F, who has been in the den a few days and had come out for brief periods of time. Also, a black wolf was bedded nearby. At 7:15 a.m. Dean D found a grizzly to the south on the Southern Divide Ridge moving to the east. We later went to Lamar Valley to see it again but had no luck. Further to the east Gary G had been watching grizzlies. Gary G had found the grizzly sow with three yearlings near the Moosehead Tree from Footbridge Pullout. When I arrived, they were bedded. Gary said the sow had dug a bed out of the grass, while the cubs were in a lump all together under the trees. They got up sensing something to the west. Another grizzly was sighted by Dean D at the top of the rock formation who moved west out sight. I left for my oil change and shower day, but another grizzly, a boar, showed up and that was the reason for the sow with three yearlings to run off to the east and out of sight. At 9:30 a.m. I found a dark grizzly digging in The Bowl viewed from the Institute, others had viewed it earlier and told me where to look. At 2:30 p.m. I found the three-and-one-half-year-old female sub adult grizzly on the west side of Junction Butte viewed from Elk Creek. It was cloudy this afternoon, so she is not glowing like she normally does in the sun. At 4:15 a.m. I found the courting pair of grizzlies again northwest of Boulder Pullout, Randi M had them earlier in the day, and I found them easy as they were in the same area.
People Seem
Wolf Watchers: From Montana: Kriztina G, Melba C, Wendy B, Rick M, Doug M, Jeremy S, and Dan and Laurie L. From Utah: Paul H. From Colorado: Bob P and Dennis R. From California: Glenda M and boyfriend Rick. From Missouri: Frank H. And From Washington: David and Stephanie O. Bear Watchers seen this report: From Washington: Randi M and Steve L. From Mississippi: Gary G. From Idaho: Terry and Marsha J, Jon and Karen E, and Blake and Rachel M. From Montana: Doug M and Jack G. From Louisiana: Bruce P. From Wyoming: Kevin M. From Utah: Dean and Jeri D. From Missouri: Fred and Linda. And From Ohio: Jim and Tywla E. Others seen this report: From Montana: MacNeil L, Carol B, Sandy K and Duffy P, Ashea T, Scott B, Kate J, Dan and Cindy H, Audra C, Michael S, Quinn H, Bob L, Pete B, Cliff B, and Cara M. From Vermont: John K. From Florida: Mark L. From British Columbia Eric and Debbie. From Washington: Aaron M. 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
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