Yellowstone National Park 2025 Trip Reports
Trip Report ~ Bear & Wolf Sightings ~ by Bill Hamblin
05 through 08 June 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
~ June 2025 ~
June 5th - Thursday
34 degrees in Silver Gate this morning warming up to 69 degrees out in the park. I watched Limby the Coyote today near Trashcan Pullout. The golden eagle nest down the Slough Creek Campground Road has at least on chick on the nest. At 5:20 a.m. Gary G had the two sub adult grizzlies on Amethyst Bench weaving through the bison herd toward the tree line. At 5:30 a.m. I found the grizzly sow with three two-year-old cubs. The sow had just caught an elk calf. They were in deep sagebrush and mostly out of sight, once in a while the sow was look up towards the road. Us bear watchers had the scope on the sight but it was ten minutes or so before we counted the sow and all three cubs. We did not notice until they appeared in the scope that six black and two gray wolves ran into the scope. The sow chased one then another until the wolves tired of being chased and realized the grizzlies were not going to share. The eight moved off then two more black wolves came into the area and were dispatched by the sow. So, we had eight blacks and two gray Junction Butte wolves, only missing 1478F who is assumed to have a den somewhere in western Lamar Valley. Around 6:30 a.m. Doug M called with a grizzly sow with two yearlings (Middle Ridge family) on the western slope of Middle Ridge. The best viewing according to Doug was Crystal Pullout. At 7:00 a.m. Gary G had a black bear in the Bowl. At 7:30 a.m. Gary G found a pair of sub adults on Calfee. At 8:00 a.m. we watched the grizzly sow with two yearlings (Pebble Creek family) northeast of Pebble Creek, today the midpoint pullout in Soda Butte Valley was the best spot to watch them. At 8:15 a.m. Doug M came to the rescue and found the grizzly sow with three cubs of the year, low on # 4 finger on Norris. At 9:45 a.m. Chris H called with two grizzlies bedded on Norris. We watched for over thirty minutes until they got up, hoping it might be the mixed family of grizzlies we had not seen in a few days, but it turned out to be a courting pair of grizzlies. At 10:40 a.m. Dale and Faye B had a brown grizzly north of Hobard Hill, a huge bear jam with limited parking on both sides of the road. At 10:50 a.m. a cinnamon black bear was high north of the Institute. At 11:05 a.m. Terri W found a dark cinnamon black bear sow with a really light cinnamon bear yearling cub. At noon, a black bear crossing the meadow behind the eastern end of Jasper Bench. At 1:30 p.m. we had a black bear sow with one yearling black cub in the Crystal Drainage. At 3:25 p.m. I found a medium sized colorful grizzly digging north of Picnic Pullout. At 4:30 p.m. we had a cinnamon black bear on #1 finger on Norris. At 5:00 p.m. we had a black bear on the eastern flank of Ski Slope. At 5:50 p.m. my last sighting of the day was a black bear way over on Calfee.
June 6th - Friday
33 degrees in Silver Gate this morning warming up to 73 degrees out in the park. I watched a bull moose at Pebble Creek, a fox near the northeast entrance and a harlequin duck at the Confluence today. At 5:15 a.m. I found the grizzly sow with two yearling cubs (Institute grizzly family) north of Coyote Overlook. They were digging away and were in view for a long time this morning, At 5:25 a.m. I found a grizzly with two yearling cubs (Middle Ridge family) on No Bear Meadow. Not in view long as they soon went over the ridge and skyline and disappeared. At 5:45 a.m. I found a small colorful grizzly digging in the Bowl. At 6:30 a.m. Gary G found the grizzly sow with three cubs of the year high south of # 3 finger on Norris. At 6:35 a.m. Gary G found a colorful grizzly digging on the # 1 finger on Norris. At 8:20 a.m. Gary G found the grizzly sow with three two-year-old cubs (Druid Peak family) north of YES Pullout. They were tough viewing in the shade, but they glowed when in the sun. At 10:45 a.m. Paul H had a small colorful grizzly on the A-Z Meadow. Soon after Paul and I noticed a large black bear appearing to follow the small grizzly. The grizzly would look back and then run away. At 5:15 p.m. remembering a text I had from Blake M who had the grizzly sow with two yearlings (Specimen Ridge family) on Middle Ridge at 8:45 a.m., I searched the area and found them on Middle Ridge (only the second time we have had all three families with two yearlings each we know about on the same day). At 6:55 p.m. Steve K showed me a courting pair of grizzlies' high south of # 1 finger on Norris. The boar was following the sow intent on not letting her move down the hill. Soon they disappeared over the skyline and out of sight. At 7:10 p.m. Steve K pointed out a black bear sow with three black cubs of the year low on the # 1 finger on Norris.
June 7th - Saturday
43 degrees in Silver Gate this morning warming up to 74 degrees out in the park. Today we noticed that the coyotes have a den at Ranger Rock, a red rock northwest of the Lamar Ranger Station, at least five puppies have been seen. I passed two large bull moose at Lower Baronette this afternoon. At 5:25 a.m. Cara M pointed out two sub adult grizzlies digging in the Bowl. At 6:10 a.m. we had a small colorful grizzly on the # 1 finger on Norris. At 7:30 a.m. I got to see the two grizzlies Brent W had seen earlier in the morning. It was a pair of courting grizzlies first high on A-Z Meadow, then in the Bowl, and finally on Ski Slope. The sow was making the boar travel a lot this morning. At 8:15 a.m. I had a medium sized grizzly travel across the A-Z Meadow from east to west. At 9:30 a.m. we had a large black bear on the skyline north of Trashcan Pullout. At 9:35 a.m. Randi M found a small colorful grizzly running on the skyline south of Trashcan Pullout followed by a large black bear. Same thing as yesterday, I have no idea what is going on there. At 6:00 p.m. I found the grizzly sow with three cubs of the year really high, way above the # 1 finger on Norris. This morning Randi M and others had seen this family on the south end of # 3 finger on Norris, they had traveled a long and uphill path to end up there. I hope that they did not go over the skyline, we may not get to see that family again. At 6:30 p.m. we had a grizzly digging in the Inverted Triangle Clearing below Druid Peak. Kevin and Pam A had also watched the grizzly sow with three two-year-old cubs (Druid Peak family) in the same area; I did not see them.
June 8th - Sunday
52 degrees in Silver Gate this morning warming up to the mid 70's out in the park this afternoon. The big news was that two pups were seen near the Mollies wolf den above the new growth forest south of Hitching Post. Paul H got to see them and reported one black and one brown pup. No adults were seen with them, so maybe the pups just walked over the ridge to check out the area. At 5:55 a.m. I found a large grizzly digging on top of the dome north of Picnic Pullout. It was in view for quite a while. At 6:05 a.m. I found a medium sized grizzly digging near the skyline north of the Picnic Pullout and well west of the large grizzly on the dome. At 6:30 a.m. Kate J, Silver Gate Guides, called with a courting pair of grizzlies on Norris. They were in view for well over one- and one-half hours. At 6:50 a.m. I found the grizzly sow with two yearlings on Middle Ridge (Middle Ridge family). In view briefly but I and others went west to Lamar Canyon West Pullout and watched some more. At 7:00 a.m. Bob W found a large grizzly traveling uphill and south on the A-Z Meadow. It was in view for a long time. At 7:20 a.m. I found a grizzly sow with two yearlings (Specimen Ridge family) on the second large clearing south of Ski Slope. A long way to watch but the light was pretty good this morning. At 11:40 a.m. Randi M found the first and Terri W found the second of two sub adult grizzlies traveling to the east on Druid Peak. At 5:35 p.m. I found the grizzly sow with two yearlings (Institute family) north of the Institute. It was nice again today to see all three families that have two yearlings on the same day. Around 7:00 p.m. we noticed that the courting pair had split up, the boar traveled south then we noticed that the sow had a new large dark boar with her on the skyline of Norris.
People Seen
Wolf Watchers seen this report: From Montana: Rick M, Wendy B, Russ K, Dan and Laurie L, Jeremy S, Taylor R, and Kristina G. From Utah: Paul H and Charlie M. From Colorado: Mark, Carol and Roc R. From Wyoming: Dale and Faye B, and Christy G. From New York: Rick and Maureen B. From Minnesota: Scott W. And from California: Kathie L. Bear Watchers seen this report: From Mississippi: Gary G. From Washington: Randi M and John G. From Wyoming: Terri W, Tom H, and Gabriel M. From Colorado: Dave S. From Montana: Doug M, Jeff and Val B, Margaret L. From Virginia: Big John B. From Idaho Blake M. From New Mexico: Bob W, And from Utah: Brent W and family members, and Kevin and Pam A. Others seen this report: From Montana: Chris H, Quinn H, Hunter G, Alexander M, Kate J, MacNeil L, Jayen A, Jamie and Michelle H, Scott B, Cara M, Jim H, and Mike S. From Vermont: John K. And from Wisconsin: John and Marie E.
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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