Yellowstone National Park 2025 Trip Reports
Trip Report ~ Bear & Wolf Sightings ~ by Bill Hamblin
8th through 11th May 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
~ May 2025 ~
May 8th - Thursday
29 degrees in Silver Gate this morning warming up to a nice 72 degrees. I had a THREE DOG (coyote, fox, wolf) DAY today. The road down to Slough Creek, all the way to the second restroom, is now open for the year. At 5:40 a.m. I found a dark grizzly low on Specimen traveling to the east. At 5:50 a.m. I found the three two- and one-half year-old sub adults in the Slough Bowl. We did not see the sow. Kevin M later walked high to the north from Lamar Canyon East and found a courting pair. So, a boar joined the sow last night and now the three sub adults are on their own for the future. We are hoping they stick around so we can watch them. Today they were wrestling and playing before going over the hill and out of sight. At 6:15 a.m. I found five black Junction Butte wolves on the west end of Jasper Bench. Later they entertained a large crowd as they tried to get a bison calf from the herd just across the Lamar River viewed from Fisherman's Pullout. The bison soon swam across the Lamar River leaving the wolves on the wrong side of the river. At 6:15 a.m. Randi M found a grizzly above the Amethyst Drainage traveling to the east. At 8:30 a.m. I found a dark grizzly in the Bowl near the old bison carcass. At 8:40 a.m. a black bear was spotted on the Southern Divide Ridge. At 9:10 a.m. Dean D found a small colorful grizzly digging on the Salad Bowl, also called Southern Divide Ridge. At 9:35 a.m. I found a grizzly with two yearlings on Middle Ridge. Today they were high and on the far east part of the ridge. At 11:00 a.m. Randi M found the grizzly sow with one yearling on Ski Slope. At 1:30 p.m. the mixed family of the sow, one large two-year-old cub, and one small yearling size cub on # 2 finger on Norris. At 2:00 p.m. we had a large black bear grazing on the K Meadow. At 3:20 p.m. the grizzly sow with two yearlings were high on Specimen Ridge viewed from Boulder Pullout. At 3:55 p.m. there was a large black bear in the Slough Bowl. At 5:15 p.m. I found a medium sized brown grizzly high on Norris viewed from the Confluence. At 5:40 p.m. we had a black bear high on the # 2 finger ln Norris. At 6:20 p.m. we watched a black bear low in the # 2 finger on Norris. At 6:40 p.m. Gary G found a large brown, black bear across the creek south of the Cone. This brown bear has been called incorrectly a grizzly several different times. It is a large brown, black bear.
May 9th - Friday
29 degrees this morning in Silver Gate warming up to a nice 67 degrees. I had several kestrels today; they like to perch on the orange and yellow snow markers on the side of the road. At 5:50 a.m. Randi M found a grizzly in the creek corridor basically south of the Institute. It would come out of the corridor and was charged by a bison cow. After several times of the chasing, the grizzly grabbed the bison calf it had killed and moved across the creek. The bison cow moved on. At 6:00 a.m. Gabriel M found two separate small dark grizzlies on the Salad Bowl. One was following the other, the other stayed ahead of the first. Just two small grizzlies traveling west. At 6:05 a.m. I found the grizzly with two yearlings on Specimen Ridge viewed from Coyote Pullout. We moved to Lamar Canyon West and better viewing, but when they laid down, they almost disappeared from our view. At 6:15 a.m. we had a black bear grazing on Amethyst Bench. At 6:35 a.m. Gabriel M found the second set of grizzly sows with two yearlings on Bear Meadow. We occasionally find both sets of grizzly families the same day. Last year we watched both families for lots of days, but last year one had three and the other two cubs, how difficult it is to tell apart. Randi M has figured it out, slightly different in the color of the cubs as well as the sow. Today best viewed from Hobard Hill. The wolf watchers had the Mollies on a carcass south of Trashcan Pullout this morning. We counted four gray wolves and 1090F moving away to the east later. The wolf watchers had more in view earlier. At 7:30 a.m. Gary G found the brown, black bear again south of the Soda Butte Cone. At 7:50 a.m. Paul S found the mixed family of sow, large two-year-old size cub and small yearling size cub on # 1 finger on Norris. They were seen often and at different times of the day. At 8:50 a.m. I found a dark grizzly digging in the Bowl. At 10:40 a.m. a guide from Nat Geo showed us the grizzly sow with one yearling on Ski Slope. At 1:50 p.m. the grizzly sow with one cub of the year was briefly seen on the # 5 finger on Norris; in fact, my friends down the valley did not have enough time to come to Footbridge Pullout to see them. But this evening the family was in view of Gary G and others for about one hour, with the cub of the year racing around the sow for a long time.
May 10th - Saturday
37 degrees this morning in Silver Gate this morning warming up to a too hot 80 degrees. Chuck and Debbie confirmed that the golden eagle nest east of the gravel pullout down the Slough Creek Road is active this year. I was not in the park this morning, but Randi M reported the following sightings. The two 4 1/2-year-old Slough Creek sub adults were east and higher in the rocks east of the Slough Creek den. They were wrestling this morning pushing each other around. Chuck and Debbie saw them later in the evening and they were still wrestling. The 4 1/2-year-old female Junction Butte grizzly was seen high on Specimen Ridge today. The mixed family of sow, large two-year-old sized cub, and the small yearling sized cub on the # 2 finger on Norris. Bill and Chris M and Jeff and Val B showed me the family this afternoon. A young colorful grizzly was digging most of the day south of the Confluence in the willows, I did get to see it this afternoon. The grizzly sow with one yearling cub again on Ski Slope, I did get to see them this afternoon. At 11:00 a.m. there is a black bear on a carcass at Floating Island Pond; it has been there for a couple of days, but I usually do not go over that way. At 12:00 noon Jeri D showed me a black bear sow with two cinnamon yearling cubs in a clearing above Amethyst Bench. We remember seeing them last year when the cubs were cubs of the year. At 1:10 p.m. I found the grizzly sow with one cub of the year again on # 5 finger on Norris. A brief sighting for me today. At 1:45 p.m. there was a black bear in the tree line behind Amethyst Bench. At 5:05 p.m. I found the grizzly sow with two yearlings high on the Southern Divide Ridge, glowing in the sun made the viewing better. At 6:00 p.m. I found a new grizzly family for us this year, a grizzly sow with two yearling cubs' northeast of Pebble Creek, we now think this is actually the west flank of Barronette.
May 11th - Sunday
37 degrees this morning in Silver Gate warming up to the low 60's out in the park. Randi M found a white chick in the bald eagle nest south of Coyote Pullout today. At 5:50 a.m. Gary G called out wolves moving east from Amethyst Bench. It was the Junction Butte wolf pack, I saw six blacks and one gray, the wolf watchers had more. They found a carcass and were in good view for a long time, eventually traveling back to the west but disappeared behind Jasper Bench. At 6:10 a.m. Gary G found a grizzly with a little color digging in the Bowl. At 6:15 a.m. I found a small colorful grizzly digging on the north end of the Southern Divide Ridge also called Salad Bowl (for years the bear watchers called it Salad Bowl, but the wolf watchers named it more accurately as the divide ridge, since it divides the Crystal Drainage south of Slough Creek from the Lamar Valley). If an animal is on the apex of the Southern Divide Ridge, the animal can be seen at the same time from the west at Slough Creek as well as the east from pullouts like Coyote Pullout. At 7:25 a.m. I found a grizzly sow with two yearlings in a small clearing south and on the skyline of Bear Meadow. Lots be folks got to see them, and they were in view again at about 11:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. and then they moved to Bear Meadow. At 7:45 a.m. Gary G found a grizzly moving through A-Z Meadow. At 8:40 a.m. Michael S, Wolf tracker, called with a grizzly family in view from the Soda Butte Valley. It turned out to be the grizzly sow with two yearlings (some debate on maybe they are two-year-olds), they were high on the same ridge as yesterday, we now believe that to be Barronette. Michael S later called that they were in view from Round Prairie. Some still believe they are two-year-olds. At 8:55 a.m. I found the grizzly sow with one cub of the year on # 5 finger on Norris. In view a couple of times but ran off into the tree line and did not return as of about 3:00 p.m. this afternoon. At 10:25 a.m. Michael called with the grizzly sow with one yearling on Ski Slope. Good viewing from Dorothy's or Coyote Pullouts. This family can disappear and then appear right out in the open. At 11:00 a.m. Jeri D pointed out the black bear sow with two yearling cinnamon cubs in a small clearing above Amethyst Bench.
People Seen
Wolf Watchers seen this report: From Montana: Rick M, Melba C, Russ K, Jeremy S, Jeff A, Kriztina G, Mike and Jill B, and Jeff B. From Missouri: Frank H. From Washington: David and Stephanie O. From Texas: Carl L and Carol S. From California: Glenda M and RickT, and Bruce and Maryjean Mc. From Wyoming: Celica L. From Oregon: Michael and Deb O. From Colorado: Bob P. From Idaho: Roger and Lynda S. And from South Dakota: Sam and Ginny G. Bear Watchers seen this report: From Louisiana: Bruce P. From Washington: Randi M and Hank L. From Utah: Dean and Jeri D, and Bill and Chris M. From Wyoming: Terri W, Kevin M, Gabriel M, and Sandi R. From Florida: Chris C. From Georgia: Ken C. From Montana: Carolyn G, Doug M, Chuck W and Debbie H, Jack G, Kathy B, Jeff and Valerie B, and Scott B. From Oklahoma: Paul S. From South Carolina: Scott P. From Mississippi: Gary G. From Virginia: Daniel M. From Missouri: Fred and Linda. From Vermont: Don P. And from Iowa: Mark S, Terry N, Tom H, and Dan S. Others seen this report: From Montana: Quinn H, Andrea B, Alexander M, Kate J, Ashea T, Mike S, Michael S, Amanda E, and Hunter G. From British Columbia: Eric and Debbie. From Wyoming: Rick C and Debbie M. From Florida: Rick and Vicky K. From California: Jim and Amber H. From Wisconsin: John and Marie E. And from Washington: Aaron M.
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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