Yellowstone National Park 2024 Trip Reports
Trip Report ~ Bear & Wolf Sightings ~ by Bill Hamblin
8 through 11 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 8th - Wednesday
28 degrees and three inches of snow this morning in Silver Gate warming up to 42 degrees but clear roads out in the park. But it snowed all day in Silver Gate with about 6-8 inches by evening, with 8-10 inches in Cooke City. Low clouds and poor visibility until four p.m. this afternoon. I had a THREE DOG DAY (coyote, fox, wolf) today. At 6:15 a.m. Rick M called with a grizzly going to the carcass in the Lamar River viewed from the Enclosure. A nice sized grizzly had crossed the road and swam the river to get to the carcass. This was a cow bison that had been wounded by the Mollies Wolf Pack three days ago. Because it was in the water it did not create a scent. But this morning the grizzly found it. It only stayed for a little while before leaving for the tree line but returned around dark to the carcass. At 8:40 a.m. Bruce P found the 3 1/2-year-old female sub adult to the north in Little America. She entertained for quite a while, moving to the east, and being seen again from there. At 1:40 p.m. a large brown colored black bear swam Slough Creek across from the Gravel Pullout down the Slough Creek Campground Road. At 4:15 p.m. 1479F the brown looking black female yearling of the Junction Butte pack made a brief appearance near the den at Slough.
May 9th - Thursday
32 degrees with two more inches on the car in Silver Gate warming up to 51 degrees out in the park. The roads were bare once we got into the park. I had a cow moose at Elk Creek today. I had a THREE DOG DAY today, and I had two foxes near the church outside Silver Gate this evening. At 5:30 a.m. the grizzly was back on the carcass near the Lamar River viewed from Enclosure. At 6:10a.m. 907F and three black wolves were around the Slough den area. At 6:40 a.m. Gary G found a dark grizzly digging west of Amethyst Bench. It was in view for the next hour, finally disappearing in the tree line on the east side of Amethyst Bench around 8:00 a.m. At 2:50 p.m. Randi M found a colorful grizzly in a green meadow under the western basalt cliff viewed from Boulder Pullout. At 4:00 p.m. I found a colorful grizzly in the Buffalo Ford Meadow viewed from Boulder Pullout. The dark grizzly was again in view at 6:10 p.m. digging on Amethyst Bench. At 6:30 p.m. I found a small grizzly digging in A-Z Meadow. This evening, I went up to Cooke City to shave at the Visitor Center. On my way back to Silver Gate I had two grizzlies in the middle of the road. One dark and big and one smaller and colorful. The small one crossed the road to the north while the darker larger grizzly turned back into the woods on the south side of the road. I veered over to see the dark one when it charged the car. I immediately left the area, although I wanted to view them from a distance. With the aggressive nature of the large grizzly, I did not want to slow their movement across the road and out of sight. I am still not clear as to whether this was a courting pair of grizzlies which made sense with the smaller one crossing the road first. Or a sow with a large two-year-old cub. Either way it was in a bad mood. The first time a grizzly ever charged me, and fortunately I was in a car.
May 10th - Friday
28 degrees with two inches of fresh snow in Silver Gate this morning but warming up to 51 degrees with bare roads in the park. I had a snow goose again this morning in Slough Creek, it was following a pair of Canadia geese, I think it is lost. I have only had four sightings in the park of a snow goose. There is a coyote den in Lamar Valley where I saw four puppies, others had up to seven. The eagle nest south of Coyote Overlook now has two chicks in the nest. I had a cow moose with last year's calf at Warm Creek this evening. I had a THREE DOG DAY today. At 5:15 a.m. the grizzly was again on the carcass in the river corridor south of Enclosure Pullout. At 5:45 a.m. I had a grizzly north of Fisherman's Pullout best watched from a little west of there. In view for a good amount of time and then reappeared heading west. At 7:00 a.m. Gary G found the grizzly sow with two three-year-old cubs in the Slough Bowl. A few low clouds hampered the viewing, but this was the closest we have seen this family, always preferring to stay in high meadows away from the roads. At 8:15 a.m. Gary G found the 3 1/2-year-old female sub adult on the top of Junction Butte. At 8:20 a.m. 907F, 1478F both collared gray wolves and two black wolves were seen around the Slough Creek den area. At 8:25 a.m. I found a large black bear between the Horizontal and Diagonal Forests in Slough Creek. At 12:40 p.m. I found a black bear in the tree line on Amethyst Bench. At 7:15 p.m. Gary G found a grizzly sow with one yearling cub of the year on the # 5 finger on Norris. I am a little worried because the grizzly we viewed numerous times last year in the area had two cubs of the year. At 7:45 p.m. I found a grizzly digging on the # 2 finger on Norris.
May 11th - Saturday
30 degrees with clear skies this morning in Silver Gate warming up to a nice 70 degrees, first time in a while I took off my sweatshirt. At 5:00 a.m. the grizzly was again on the carcass south of Enclosure, but the carcass is looking pretty cleaned up now. At 6:00 a.m. I had a grizzly north of Picnic Pullout. It was traveling to the west and disappeared into the ravine not to be seen again. At 6:15 a.m. I had a large dark grizzly digging on Calfee viewed from the Confluence. At 7:00 a.m. Josh A called with a grizzly family north of the Institute. People had told me this morning that last night the grizzly sow with three yearlings had been seen in the area. Today they were back on Ranger Hill, the first hill to the west of the Lamar Ranger Station. Great viewing as they were digging away with the whole family feeding themselves, no play by the cubs. She nursed them once before disappearing. At 7:15 a.m. Jeff and Val B showed me a grizzly to the east approximately north of Hobart Hill moving away to the east. At 9:50 a.m. 907F, the black alpha male and the black that has a lot of brown 1479F were around the Slough Creek Den. At 10:30 a.m. Frank H called with a grizzly family in view from Bob's Knob at Slough Creek. MacNeil L made a great spot of a grizzly sow with three either two or three-year-old cubs. They were far east of the Yellow Grass Meadow. This family too was all business on digging this morning with no play between the cubs. My friends and I have not seen this family before. I also have not heard of a grizzly family with three cubs that age around this area. At 11:10 a.m. we had a small colorful grizzly digging one hundred yards off the road near the Tower Ranger Station. It was in sight most of the day, lots of people got a good look. At 11:30 a.m. the grizzly sow with two yearlings was again on the really old cow bison carcass at the Blacktail Ponds.
People Seen
Wolf Watchers: From Montana: Rick M, Doug M, Jeremy S, Taylor R, Melba C, Josh A and Kriztina G. From Missouri: Frank H. From South Dakota: Sam and Ginney G. From Utah: Paul H. From Colorado: Bob P, Dennis R, and Karol. From California: Glenda M and her boyfriend Rick. From Texas: Carl L and Carol S. And From Washington: David and Stephanie O. Bear Watchers seen this report: From Montana: Margaret L, Doug M, and Howard A. From Missouri: Fred and Linda. From Utah: Dean and Jeri D. From Louisiana: Bruce P. From Wyoming: Kevin M. From Idaho: Rob M, Karyn deK, Carma and Jennings S, and Terry and Marsha J. From Mississippi: Gary G. From Washington: Randi M, Steve L, and Hank L. From Colorado: Tanner H and girlfriend Joey. From Illinois: Chicago Bob and Margaret P. From Ohio: Jim and Twyla E. From Virginia: Big John B. And from Oklahoma: Paul S. Others seen this report: From Montana: Kate J, Hunter G, Carolyn G, MacNeal L, Michael S. Quinn H, Andrea B and Cliff B. From Vermont: John K. From Washington: Aarron M. From California: Carol B. From Wyoming: Dick P. And From Idaho: 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
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Lamar Valley Map - Yellowstone National Park
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