Yellowstone National Park 2018 Trip Reports
Trip Report ~ Bear & Wolf Sightings ~ by Bill Hamblin
28 June through 02 July 2018 - Yellowstone National Park
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~ June 2018 ~
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Thursday - June 28th
46 degrees this morning warming up to 83 degrees. I watched coot chicks at Floating Island Pond this afternoon. I also spent a little time watching the two golden eagle chicks down the Slough Creek road while the adults soared above. At 5:20 a.m. I spotted the grizzly sow with one coy (cub of the year) were on the ridge south and behind Ski Slope. They were in view again at 8:15 a.m. and 6:25 p.m. in the same area. At 5:25 a.m. I found the grizzly sow with one yearling on Ski Slope. At 5:30 a.m. I spotted a light brown grizzly under the tree line on the west end of Jasper Bench. At 5:40 a.m. we had a dark grizzly just east of the top of A-Z Meadow viewed from Coyote Overlook. At 9:50 a.m. 1048M the black male from the Junction Butte pack was seen on Jasper Bench moving east into Amethyst Drainage and then out of sight. At 10:15 a.m. we had a small light grizzly digging on the skyline in the Bowl viewed from the Institute. This grizzly was in view again in the Bowl at 7:00 p.m. At 3:25 p.m. we had a cinnamon black bear with green ear tags at Elk Creek (large bear jam). At 3:30 p.m. we had a black bear further up the road at Elk Creek (another bear jam).
Friday - June 29th
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41 degrees this morning with late morning and early afternoon rain warming up to 51 degrees. At 5:30 a.m. I found two dark shapes moving into the Chalcedony Fan viewed from Coyote Overlook. I thought probably two dark wolves but when I relocated to Picnic Pullout I was delighted to find the grizzly sow with one yearling almost to the tree line. At 5:45 a.m. we had three black wolves of the Junction Butte pack south east of Dorothy's Pullout on Jasper Bench. At 5:50 a.m. I spotted the grizzly sow with one coy on the first meadow behind and south of Ski Slope. At 6:45 a.m. a grizzly sow with two yearlings low on Norris moving south already past the Cache Creek trail when I found them from the Confluence. At 8:00 a.m. I spotted a small grizzly under the snow cornice high south and west of Footbridge Pullout. At 8:30 a.m. I found the Slough Creek grizzly sow with two coys back north of the road between Dorothy's and Coyote Pullouts. This family was in view again this evening about 6:35 p.m. At 8:35 a.m. we watched a medium light grizzly on the skyline in the Salad Bowl viewed from Dorothy's Pullout. This grizzly was back in view at 6:00 p.m. this evening. At 11:30 a.m. we had a black bear north of Lamar Canyon East. At 11:35 a.m. we had a cinnamon black bear north of Fisherman's Pullout. I had been hearing of a courting pair of black bears near the Lamar Canyon, so I think the courting is now over.
Saturday - June 30th
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43 degrees this morning warming up to 58 degrees. I had a badger hunting with a coyote north of Dorothy's Pullout this evening. At 5:45 am. I spotted the grizzly sow with one yearling on Ski Slope. At 5:50 a.m. I found a lone grizzly north and between Coyote and Dorothy's Pullouts. At 6:50 a.m. I spotted a large dark grizzly high on Ski Slope but below the grizzly sow with the yearling. The sow and yearling sat sensing the dark grizzly as it slowly fed and moved to the east and out of sight. At 7:05 a.m. I spotted a dark grizzly digging in the Bowl from the Institute. At 7:10 a.m. we had a grizzly on Norris viewed from the Confluence. At 7:20 a.m. the grizzly sow with two yearlings was seen on Penny Lane viewed from the Confluence. At 9:45 a.m. I was surprised to see the grizzly sow with two coys north and between the pullouts of Coyote and Dorothy's. I was sure that with the 5:50 a.m. grizzly they would not stay around. At 7:00 p.m. I found two small black bears below the A-Z Meadow viewed from Coyote Overlook. At 7:20 a.m. I spotted a small grizzly digging on the top of Ski Slope. I had a THREE DOG DAY today. At 8:45 p.m. I found the three Lamar Canyon wolves north of Trashcan Pullout viewed from Coyote Overlook. Wolf watchers Becky and Chloe, Dorothy and Linda followed me down to Picnic pullout to watch all three still in view. They were trying to cross the road but the traffic was just too much. Pretty good views at fairly short distance, they all looked good.
~ July 2018 ~
Sunday - July 1st
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53 degrees this morning warming up to 69 degrees. I watched a moose at Lower Barronette today. The grass is still green all over the valley and getting really tall in places. I sometimes have bears in view but disappear in the high grass. At 5:45 a.m. I spotted a grizzly digging on the skyline west of A-Z Meadow (it was still digging at 8:00 a.m. later this morning). At 6:30 a.m. Rick M called with a sow and two coys on Specimen Ridge viewed from Lamar Canyon West. I was excited, a new family for me, until the radio called in that they were black bears. We finally saw them from Coyote Overlook as they were high enough on Specimen Ridge to see them. The coys were really small. At 7:00 a.m. I found a dark grizzly digging on Penny Lane. At 7:45 a.m. we had a colorful grizzly in the Bell viewed from Coyote Overlook. At 7:50 a.m. we watched a grizzly north of Coyote Overlook. At 8:10 a.m. I found the Slough Creek grizzly sow with two coys north of Coyote Overlook (the single bear had moved over the skyline). At 9:15 a.m. Andy and Missy O called in two grizzlies in Slough Creek. A grizzly sow with one large yearling in the large drainage west of the Slough Creek den. At 11:00 a.m. Chris H pointed out a black bear near the golden eagle nest down the Slough Creek road. Emil M had viewed the grizzly sow with two yearlings on Penny Lane early today, so I was delighted when at 12:30 p.m. I glassed Penny Lane from the Confluence and found them. Larry and Linda R past by me so I asked them to pull into Hitching Post. I set up my scope for Larry and Linda and hurried back to lock my car (Footbridge Pullout is closed and filled with sand for the chip seal project for the Lamar Road after July 4th, therefore Hitching Post was crowded). When I returned to my scope Larry insisted that there were two large grizzlies and two yearlings in Penny Lane. He was right. Apparently, another sow without cubs that knew the sow with the two yearlings had decided to dig really close, less than ten yards, from the sow with two yearlings. The sow and two yearlings eventually moved one way and the other "sow" moved slightly the other way. Then the dark 7:00 a.m. grizzly slowly dug his way above the four grizzlies digging below him. The sow and yearlings and the sole sow detected him and ran out of the clearing, while the dark grizzly never sensed them and proceeded to move into the trees higher up. At one time, we had all five grizzlies in the scope at one time.
Monday - July 2nd
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This was to be my last day in Yellowstone until September. The crowds and people and the large amount of bison in the Lamar make staying any longer not enjoyable. 49 degrees this morning. I headed home just after 8:00 a.m. this morning. At 5:20 a.m. I spotted a grizzly in the top of A-Z Meadow. At 5:50 a.m. I found the grizzly with the two yearlings on the # 1 Finger on Norris. At 6:00 a.m. 1047M, 969F and 907F of the Junction Butte pack were seen below the eastern end of Jasper Bench. They chased and caught an antelope fawn this morning. At 6:10 a.m. I spotted a colorful grizzly low in A-Z Meadow moving west. At 6:15 a.m. we had the grizzly sow with one yearling in the Bowl and moved to the top of A-Z Meadow. At 7:15 a.m. my last sighting for this trip was a grizzly sow with one coy in the clearing just east of the Bell viewed from Coyote Overlook.
People Seen
Other People, non-wolf and bear watchers seen this trip June 14th thru July 2nd. From Montana: Evan S, Dan and Cindy H, Cliff B, Lish, Leo L, Rick E, Chris H, Pastor Don and Audrey, Bob L, Steve B, Ken S, Cara M, Carl S, Nathan V, MacNeil L, and Emil M. From Utah: Julie A. From Pennsylvania: Ray and Darlene R. From the Netherlands: Jort V. From Vermont: John K. From Arizona: David and Phyllis. And finally from Utah: Bob B.
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