Yellowstone National Park 2025 Trip Reports
Trip Report ~ Bear & Wolf Sightings ~ by Bill Hamblin
26th through 29th April 2025
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 2025 ~
April 26th - Saturday
38 degrees in Gardiner this morning but only 33 degrees at Slough Creek warming up to 64 degrees out in the park. I had a THREE DOG DAY (coyote, fox and wolf) today. At 7:40 a.m. Kevin M found the grizzly sow with one cub of the year (coy) on finger #3 on Norris. They were in sight a lot of the day with a lot of play between the sow and the cub. At 9:45 a.m. we had a black wolf north of Straight-away Pullout moving east. There was a fresh bison carcass south of Aspen Pullout, which this wolf was heading for. At 11:15 a.m. Kevin M had a grizzly in the clearing south of Trashcan viewed from Footbridge Pullout. I was late and missed it, but Kevin showed me where it was and which direction it was traveling. Fifteen minutes later it appeared crossing a snow bound clearing and stopped on the edge for five minutes of viewing. At 12:50 p.m. the grizzly sow with three big 2 1/2-year-old cubs were seen north of Soda Butte Midpoint I arrived late but they reappeared and bedded for over an hour in sight. She nursed them and a lot of napping while we all watched. At 1:10 p.m. the grizzly sow with two yearlings was southwest of Fisherman's Pullout. They were all digging most of the time with some naptime.
April 27th - Sunday
36 degrees in Gardiner but only 28 degrees passing Tower Junction this morning warming up to 61 degrees. I had two bull moose with about 12" velvet anthers crossing the road at Round Prairie this morning. I had two vultures and a cottontail rabbit today. At 5:50 a.m. Frank H showed me a grizzly on the bison carcass south of Aspen Pullout. At 5:55 a.m. Paul H showed me three gray and four black Junction Butte wolves waiting on the grizzly leaving the carcass. At 7:25 a.m. Randi M found a black bear in heavy timber north of the Institute. At 8:00 a.m. I found a large dark cinnamon black bear on the top of Dead Puppy Hill. The black bear was grazing. At 8:45 a.m. we had a black bear on the west end of Jasper Bench. At 8:50 a.m. I found a medium sized grizzly north of Coyote. At 9:20 a.m. Valerie B found a medium sized dark grizzly digging southwest of Fisherman's Pullout, it was in view a long time. At 10:15 a.m. Joe K called with the grizzly sow with one coy digging on the # 3 finger on Norris. They were in sight most of the day with a lot of play between the sow and the cub. A few times the sow lifted the cub up in the air with her mouth. I have never seen that in a coy family. At 10:45 a.m. someone found the mixed grizzly family, one large cub, one small cub and the sow near the road at Confluence. They were in sight between the road and the willows for almost five hours, this family has absolutely no fear of the road. Huge bear jam for hours. At 11:45 a.m. a black bear was seen south of Lamar Canyon West. At 3:00 p.m. Dean D and Randi M found the grizzly sow with two yearlings digging southwest of Fisherman's Pullout. There were in view for quite a while.
April 28th - Monday
40 degrees in Gardiner but only 35 degrees in Lamar Valley this morning warming up to 55 degrees out in the park. I had two kestrels flying off the snow poles along the side of the road in Lamar Valley today. At 5:55 a.m. Frank H showed me the grizzly on the bison carcass south of Aspen Pullout, the carcass is completely used up. At 7:10 a.m. five gray and two black wolves of the Mollies wolfpack were near a carcass south of Picnic Pullout. Two wolves missing this morning, a black and a gray. At 7:35 a.m. we had a grizzly digging southwest of Fisherman's Pullout. The grizzly was still in view at 9:25 a.m. At 10:40 a.m. MacNeil L found the grizzly sow with one coy again on # 3 finger of Norris. In view most of the day with a lot of play between the sow and the cub. At 1:15 p.m. we had two separate large black bears grazing on Amethyst Bench. From 1:45 p.m. to 2:50 p.m. the grizzly sow with two yearlings were digging southwest of Fisherman's Pullout. It seems that a single grizzly digs there in the morning, and the grizzly sow with two yearlings digs there in the afternoon. We had a lot of napping with the family today, and they were bedded on a large boulder when we left the area. At 4:00 p.m. we had a large light cinnamon black bear just off the road at Geode Creek.
April 29th - Tuesday
39 degrees in Gardiner but only 30 degrees in Slough Creek warming up to 55 degrees with a cool afternoon wind out in the park. I had a golden eagle flying over the Confluence this morning, maybe a nest in the area. At 5:50 a.m. I found a medium sized grizzly digging in the Slough Bowl, my first sighting in the Slough Bowl this year. At 6:35 a.m. Dean D found a small colorful grizzly digging on Middle Ridge. We think this grizzly is the 4 1/2-year-old female that we have seen twice this year and multiple times last year. Often a female cub stays close to her sow's territory. At 7:30 a.m. east of Footbridge a black and a gray Mollies wolfpack members crossed the road north to south. Others had seen these with maybe two of three others on Dead Puppy Hill. At 8:15 a.m. I found a medium sized colorful grizzly digging north of Picnic Pullout. The grizzly was digging in a group of trees, and the bear was in and out of sight for about fifteen minutes. At 8:25 a.m. a black wolf was running along the skyline north of Picnic Pullout. A brief sighting but wolf watchers were sure it was 1410F. She was a member of the Mollies but is now traveling by herself. Last evening friends watched her get a bison calf, so it appears she is doing well. Yesterday, others saw 1410F chased by the seven Mollies wolf present yesterday. She escaped by crossing the river and fleeing to the north of the road, the Mollies did not follow her. At 8:40 a.m. Paul H found an uncollared gray Mollie wolf south of Picnic. She was losing her winter fur and looked ragged. At 8:50 a.m. Jeri D found a black bear grazing on Amethyst Bench. At 9:15 a.m. we had a single grizzly again digging southwest of Fisherman's Pullout. At 10:15 a.m. Randi M and I found the grizzly sow with one coy digging on the # 3 finger on Norris. Randi was at Soda Butte East, and I was watching from Footbridge. Some play today but the sow was digging more which means she is getting something to produce the milk for the coy. At 11:00 a.m. I found a gray collared Mollies southwest of Dead Puppy Hill who soon walked out of sight. From 11:45 a.m. through 1:00 p.m. we watched the mixed family, grizzly sow, one large cub and one small cub on the face of Norris viewed from Trashcan Pullout. Lots of play between the unequal sized cubs and a lot of moving around by the family. They really seemed to like to run and play in the snow. At 1:45 p.m. Scott P found the grizzly sow with two yearlings on Specimen Ridge. We all moved to Lamar Canyon West for better viewing. They were digging just below three bull bison, neither bison nor bear appeared to notice each other. Towards the end of the viewing, they climbed up a snow cornice and were post holing into the snow on some steps. At 3:20 p.m. we had a large black bear jam with the bear just off the road near the one-way entrance to the six-mile Blacktail Road.
People Seen
Wolf Watchers seen this report: From Montana: Rick M, Kristina G, Joe K, Taylor R, Melba C and Jeremy S. From South Dakota: Sam and Ginny G. From Missouri: Frank H. From Utah: Paul H and Julie S. From California: Bruce and Maryjean Mc and Glenda M. From Colorado: Bob P. From Oklahoma: Robert and Pam W. From Washington: David and Stephanie O. From Sweden Jacob B And from Idaho: Warren B. Bear Watchers seen this report: From Louisiana: Bruce P. From Utah: Dean and Jeri D, and Mark and Liz H. From Washington: Randi M. From Idaho: Terry and Mascha J. From Montana: David B, Margaret L, Jeff and Valerie B, Doug M, Shari D and Val. And from South Carolina: Scott P. Others seen this report: From Montana: Grant J, Brad B, Michael S, Mike S, Pete B, MacNeil L, Andrea B and Jim H. From Washington: Aaron M. From Texas: Matt L. From British Columbia: Eric and Debbie. And from Idaho: Willie and Shelly D.
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
Lamar Valley Map - Yellowstone National Park
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