Yellowstone National Park 2024 Trip Reports
Trip Report ~ Bear & Wolf Sightings ~ by Bill Hamblin
4 through 7 May 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
~ May 2024 ~
May 4th - Saturday
A cold 19 degrees getting out of the sleeping bag in Silver Gate this morning warming up to 62 degrees. I had to stop for a cow moose standing in the road before daylight this morning, boy are those things tall. Blake M found a cottontail rabbit at the Institute this morning. At 6:20 a.m. Rachel M found a grizzly southwest of Fisherman's Pullout. At 6:50 a.m. five gray and four black wolves of the Mollies Pack who had been viewed from Slough Creek on the Northern Divide Ridge came over the hill into Lamar Valley. They ran into the grizzly who was still digging away. Two or three chases from the wolves. A little biting of the grizzly's hind end happened too. At 7:40 a.m. Dean D had a grizzly digging in the BFM Clearing above the east end of Jasper Bench. At 7:50 a.m. Randi M had a black bear in a small clearing above Amethyst Bench. At 8:45 a.m. a large black bear in the old Druid rendezvous area. At 9:50 a.m. we had a black bear across the road from the Slough Bowl. At 10:55 a.m. the grizzly with the two yearlings was bedded to the north of the road at Phantom Lake, I only got to see the sow as the two cubs were bedded behind her and out of sight. At 11:30 a.m. I found the 3 and a 1/2-year-old female sub adult on the west face of Junction Butte viewed from Elk Creek. At 11:40 a.m. I viewed two black bear yearling cubs as I passed the Specimen Ridge trailhead, the sow was near but out of view. At 2:00 a.m. Hayden G found a small grizzly digging in the A-Z Meadow viewed from Coyote Overlook, in sight for quite a while. At 3:00 p.m. Paul H showed me a gray wolf bedded in front of the 890 tree at the Slough Den. At 5:20 p.m. a black bear just east of the Horizonal Forest at Slough. At 6;00 p.m. two black and two gray wolves had a brief rally near the Slough Den. At 7:30 p.m. the Mollies wolf pack traveled up the Lamar River. Ten in view tonight four black and six grays. It is assumed that the black alpha female not being seen here, because she is a den in Pelican Valley.
May 5th - Sunday
37 degrees this morning in Silver Gate warming up to 60 degrees with storms in the afternoon and 20 degrees colder. I looked at the bald eagle nest across the Lamar River viewed from Coyote Overlook, they have a least one chick. I had a THREE DOG DAY (coyote, fox, wolf) today. At 4:40 a.m. I saw a grizzly standing by the side of the road just east of Ice Box Canyon. Gary G and Kate J had the grizzly walking east on the road before and after I saw it. At 6:15 a.m. Kate J, Silver Gate Guides, found us a grizzly on the Northern Divide Ridge best viewed from Coyote Overlook. At 6;20 a.m. Blake M found a second grizzly a little higher on the Northern Divide Ridge. At 6:30 a.m. Randi M had a grizzly closer and north of the road from Fisherman's Pullout. At 7:15 a.m. we had a large black bear in the old Druid rendezvous area. At 7:35 a.m. I headed over to Rick's Pullout west of Tower Junction where Kevin M had four grizzlies in sight. The first one I saw was a large dark grizzly with his nose to the ground. Then Kevin M showed me the grizzly sow with two three-year-old cubs running ahead of the following boar grizzly. We all repositioned to near Long Pullout in Little America because they were traveling east and out of sight from Rick's. Great viewing as they stayed ahead of the boar finally ending up in the yellow grass meadow east in Slough Creek where they decided to dig a little since the boar did not follow. Later in the afternoon Paul H found them again bedded just above the yellow grass meadow. When we started watching from near Long Pullout someone pointed out the 3 1/2-year-old female sub adult grizzly digging in a meadow two hundred and fifty yards away. At 10:00 a.m. we had two gray wolves in view around the Slough Den. At 1:10 p.m. I had a large cinnamon black bear near the tree line south of Soda Butte East Pullout. At 3:30 p.m. 907F was sitting near the Sage Den (she has been in that den, while a black has been in the Natal Den, hopefully two litters of pups). At 3:35 p.m. we had a large black bear above the Horizontal Forest. At 5:40 a.m. Gary G had a small grizzly sleeping behind a tree northeast of the Institute. At 6:10 p.m. Gary had a small grizzly moving to the west in the tree line east of Chalcedony Fan. At 6:15 p.m. Gary G found a large dark grizzly scent trailing the small grizzly who quickly disappeared into the tree line.
May 6th - Monday
33 degrees and raining in Silver Gate warming up to 43 degrees. All the hills got a coating of new snow. The snow on the lower hills did melt off later today. I had two harlequin male ducks in the Lamar River this morning near the confluence. I had a medium sized white owl in the road this morning. I will ask around to determine what species it was. Slow day in the park today, except for the small birds. Flocks of rosy finches and a flock or two of blue birds all over today. At 6:30 a.m. Gary G found a grizzly walking near the Horizontal Forest in Slough Creek. At 8:30 a.m. the Mollies wolf pack was back in the area. I had four grays and two black wolves, after I moved on others had five grays and four blacks. There appeared to be a carcass that was out of sight in the river corridor, based on the number of ravens in the area. At 9:45 a.m. Dean D found the three- and one-half year-old sub adult on the north side in Little America. She had been seen earlier in the morning to the south. At 5:00 p.m. just after Paul H left for the day the wolves had a brief rally, 907F the gray alpha, 1477F a black two-year-old, 1478F a gray two-year-old, and1479F the only yearling of the Junction Butte pack was there. At 5:15 p.m. Gary G showed me a small grizzly northeast of Coyote Overlook. At 6:15 p.m. I had a big black year just off the road in Ice Box Canyon.
May 7th - Tuesday
33 degrees in Silver Gate this morning warming up to 49 degrees but with high winds all day long. I saw my first kestrel today at the Confluence. The workers have started repairing the Tower Gas Station roof that had partially blown off. They opened the road down to Slough Creek today. They are assembling a large yellow crane at the Yellowstone River Bridge now. At 5:40 a.m. Taylor R pulled into Coyote Pullout where I was parked telling me of a grizzly just off the road to the northwest. A big grizzly that spent a lot of time digging not too far away from the road. Bruce P said it was the same grizzly that he has watched several different days in the Slough Bowl. At 5:55 a.m. the Molles wolf pack was back in Lamar Valley. First spotted south of Hubard Hill they spent a couple of hours testing and hunting bison. The count today was six grays and five blacks. At 6:20 a.m. David O had a dark grizzly traveling west in Slough Creek, passing under the Slough Creek den area where the Junction Butte wolf pack is denned. At 7:10 a.m. Rick M had a small colorful grizzly near the tree line south of Hubard Hill. First one wolf then three wolves chased the small grizzly into the trees. Undeterred, the grizzly came back out and continued digging and slowly traveling to the west ending up on Amethyst Bench before disappearing into the trees. At 8:20 a.m. Gary G had a grizzly digging in the A-Z Meadow viewed from Dorothy's Pullout. At 11:10 a.m. on my way to Gardiner for supplies I encountered a large bear jam at the Blacktail Ponds. The "Phantom Lake" grizzly sow with two yearlings was on the three-week-old bison carcass. This was day three they had been there, the first time I saw them at the pond. At 4:50 a.m. the 3 1/2-year-old female sub adult was digging north of Aspen Pullout in Little America.
People Seeny
Wolf Watchers: From Montana: Rick M, Doug M, Wendy B, Dan and Laurie L, Kriztina G, Jeremy S, Josh A, and Taylor R. From Missouri: Frank H. From Utah: Paul H. From California: Glenda M and her boyfriend Rick. From Washington: David and Stephanie O. And From Colorado: Bob P, and Dennis R. Bear Watchers seen this report: From Washington: Randi M, and Steve L. From Montana: Jack G, Margaret L, Howard A, and Shari S. From Wyoming: Kevin M. From Utah: Dean and Jeri D, Hayden and Doug G, and Bill and Chris M. From Idaho: Blake and Rachel M, Rob M, and Karyn K. From Louisiana: Bruce P. From Illinois: Chicago Bob and Margaret P. From Mississippi: Gary G. From Missouri: Fred and Linda. and From Ohio: Jim and Tywla E. Others seen this report: From Montana: Evan S, Nate U, Grant J, Mike S, Scott B, Kate J, Hunter G, Michael S, Dan and Cindy H, and Emil M. From British Columbia: Eric and Debbie. From Vermont: John K. From Florida: Mark L and Ric K. From Washington: Aaron M. From the Netherlands: Jort V. From California: Carol B. And From Idaho: Adam B and 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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