Yellowstone National Park 2024 Trip Reports
Trip Report ~ Bear & Wolf Sightings ~ by Bill Hamblin
19 through 23 October 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
~ October 2024 ~
October 19th - Saturday
Saturday October 19th. It was 40 degrees leaving Idaho Falls this morning driving through Yellowstone to get to north of Gardiner where it warmed up to 52 degrees. I saw thirteen grizzlies tonight north of Gardiner: three different grizzly sows with two cubs of the year, a grizzly sow with two yearlings, and a grizzly in deep aspens tonight. I saw a great horned owl late in the evening. I camped tonight north of Gardiner.
October 20th - Sunday
34 degrees this morning north of Gardiner warming up to 65 degrees out in Yellowstone National Park this afternoon. I had a skunk walking across the road in front of me this morning near the campground. I hiked up to the Rose Creek den site north of the Institute with Kim and Joyce C, and Geoff, Luc, Kate F and Tenile. This evening, I stayed out to watch the comet and watched Venus and Saturn too. I viewed fifteen grizzlies this morning north of Gardiner: two grizzly sows with two cubs of the year, a grizzly sow with one cub of the year, two grizzly sow with two yearlings, and a single dark grizzly. At 9:45 a.m. I watched the black bear denned below Petrified Tree Pullout. Between 4:00 - 4:40 p.m. we watched a medium sized grizzly digging in the skyline clearing east of Penny Lane viewed from Footbridge Pullout.
October 21st - Monday
28 degrees this morning in Silver Gate warming up to 59 degrees out in the park. At 9:30 a.m. I had a nice sized black bear in a clearing near the snow cornices viewed from Footbridge Pullout high to the south and west. At 10:45 a.m. Chris H told me about a grizzly moving south high to the south of the # 1 finger on Norris. After Chris left the small dark grizzly was found slowly moving uphill through rocks and talus. I assume looking for a den site for winter. Not sure of course. Chris H had also had a grizzly moving across the # 2 finger on Norris about this time in the morning, well at 6:10 p.m. I finally found the grizzly crossing the # 2 finger from top to bottom.
October 22nd - Tursday
A warm 47 degrees this morning in Silver Gate warming up to 51 degrees out in the park. From 8:55 through 9:20 a.m. I watched a grizzly sow with a nice Yellowstone Stripe with two cubs of the year in the high clearing above The Bell viewed from near the Institute. At about 11:00 a.m. the wolf watchers had the Rescue Creek wolf pack bedded west of the Nature Trail on the Blacktail. I only identified eleven black and one gray wolf, but the entire pack was there today. Seventeen blacks and four grays, which accounts for all fourteen adults and seven pups. Today I again moved outside the park to the north to watch for grizzlies. Seven grizzlies tonight: a grizzly sow with two cubs of the year, a grizzly sow with two yearling cubs, and a single dark grizzly. I camped north of Gardiner tonight.
October 23rd - Wednesday
29 degrees north of Gardiner this morning. Five grizzlies this morning: a grizzly with two yearling cubs, and two separate but fairly close together grizzlies. This will be my last report for the year as I headed home for the winter.
Wolf News
Here is some information on the other wolf packs in the Northern Range, as explained to me by the wolf watchers, people who watch every day and can identify most on sight. The Junction Butte pack currently has fifteen: ten adults and five pups, the Junction's were fifteen but 1477F a black two-year-old female has joined a new group including 1437M from the Hawks Rest pack from down in the Tetons and 1341F a gray female originally from the Junction Butte pack. Also, 1384F has a group of seven all gray wolves, two smaller and assumed to be pups.
People Seen
Wolf Watchers: From Montana: Kristina G, Rick M, Jeff A, and Dan and Laurie L. From North Dakota: Sandy H. From Tennessee: Stacy A. From Kansas: Calvin and Lynette H. From Wyoming: Dale and Faye B, and Ron B. From Connecticut: Geoff, Luc, and Kate F, and Tenile. From Utah: Charlie M and family. From Florida: Edd and Carrie P. From California: Jim and Wendy R. And from Washington: David and Stephanie O. Bear Watchers seen this report: From Montana: Doug M. From Idaho Kim and Joyce C. Others seen this report: From Montana: Michael S, Quinn H, Chris H, Dan and Cindy H, Hunter G, and Grant J. From Idaho: Scott B.
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
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