Yellowstone National Park 2024 Trip Reports
Trip Report ~ Bear & Wolf Sightings ~ by Bill Hamblin
21 through 24 June 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
~ June 2024 ~
June 21st - Friday
38 degrees in Silver Gate this morning warming up to 81 degrees. I viewed a moose in Silver Gate this evening. At 5:15 a.m. Gary G found the grizzly sow with one cub of the year again on Ski Slope. At 5:55 a.m. I found a grizzly walking the skyline on Norris traveling to the south. At 6:05 a.m. Hunter G, Silver Gate Guides, called with the grizzly sow with three cubs of the year on Middle Ridge. At 7:00 a.m. we had a small colorful grizzly digging in K-Meadow. At 7:40 a.m. Doug M (bear watcher) found the Mollies Wolfpack in the Soda Butte Valley. I arrived as five grays and two blacks were crossing Dead Puppy Hill. Some folks got to view as they headed south and were not seen again. At 8:15 a.m. Randi M and Gary G had two separate grizzlies on the clearing’s northeast of Pebble Creek. A long look and the light in the morning is not great. At 9:15 a.m. we had a colorful grizzly digging in the Bowl, probably one of the two sub adults. At 11:00 a.m. Gary G and Randi M found a black bear and cinnamon black bear high north of the Institute. At 12:35 p.m. I found a grizzly sow with two cubs of the year running down a steep eroded area above the one-half finger on Norris, it was the grizzly that had three cubs and now only has two. At 4:35 p.m. I found a dark grizzly digging in the second skyline clearing east of Penny Lane probably the reason for the sow with two cubs of the year were running earlier. At 4:55 p.m. I found the grizzly sow with two cubs of the year high northeast of Pebble Creek. We are getting a lot of action in that clearing this sighing made five grizzlies in those clearings today. At 6:10 p.m. Gary G found the grizzly sow with two cubs of the year on the top of A-Z Meadow.
June 22nd - Saturday
44 degrees this morning in Silver Gate warming up to the mid 80's out in the park. I was only in the park for a few hours this morning, making a round trip to Missoula today. At 5:10 a.m. I found the grizzly sow with one cub of the year again on Ski Slope. At 5:20 a.m. Gary G found the two sub adult grizzlies together today (sometimes they travel alone), in the Bowl. At 5:35 a.m. Gary G found the grizzly with the two cubs of the year on the high end of the Bowl. At 6:30 a.m. I found a large grizzly digging in the first skyline meadow east of Penny Lane. At 6:45 a.m. I found a sow with two cubs of the year under the snow cornices that are high southwest of Footbridge Pullout. Not sure which grizzly family this is. maybe a new family as Randi M had a grizzly with one cub of the year (could have missed one) in the meadow behind K Meadow a couple of days ago that I did not see. Or it could be the K-3 grizzly with two cubs of the year that had to re cross the Lamar River back to the west side. At 8:00 a.m. I had a gray Junction Butte wolf near the Slough den.
June 23rd - Sunday
53 degrees in Gardiner this morning as I returned late from Missoula to get to Silver Gate warming up to 88 degrees out in the park. Gary G found a bull moose in a strange place in the Bowl walking over the top. High hot winds this afternoon in the park. This morning, we saw nothing from our starting place in the dirt pullout northeast of the Institute. At 5:20 a.m.; we moved to Coyote Overlook, and I found the two sub adults again together high on the southern Divide Ridge. At 5:40 a.m. I found the grizzly sow with three cubs of the year high on A-Z Meadow. At 7:10 a.m. I found a grizzly digging on the #1 finger on Norris. The viewing was not good as we were late getting to the Soda Butte Valley due to a long bison jam at the Confluence and the sun was already up blocking any good viewing. At 9:10 a.m. someone told us that the grizzly sow with two cubs of the year had crossed the Southern Divide Ridge from west to east earlier this morning and we found them in a small clearing west of A-Z Meadow. Usually, the grizzly sow with two cubs of the year is always east of the grizzly sow with three cubs of the year, but not this morning. The two grizzly families were pretty close to each other, maybe two hundred yards, but these two sows have lived in the same area for over two years and are familiar with each other.
June 24th - Monday
46 degrees in Silver Gate this morning warming up to 86 degrees out in the park with a welcome afternoon wind. At 5:15 a.m. I found the grizzly sow with two cubs of the year high in the Bowl. The cubs were tucked in behind her really close and she often sat and looked behind. We never picked up what upset them. At 5:45 a.m. Gary G found the grizzly sow with three yearling cubs northeast of the Institute. This was our closest sighting of grizzlies in over a week but did not last too long as it went away when the sun came up. At 6:15 a.m. we had a small grizzly digging on the # 2 finger on Norris. At 6:25 a.m. Gary G found a dark grizzly on the #3 finger on Norris. At 6:25 a.m. Gary G found a black bear high south of the #1 finger on Norris. At 8:50 a.m. I found a large grizzly on the second skyline clearing east of Penny Lane. At 9:00 a.m. Gary G found a large grizzly digging on the first skyline clearing east of Penny Lane. At 9:35 a.m. I found a small colorful grizzly digging on the #1 finger on Norris. An unusual day with a lot of individual grizzlies and only a couple family groups; for the last few weeks we have viewed more family groups then individual grizzlies. I think the reason is that is now getting really hot. At 8:15 p.m. we had a black bear sleeping off the road east of Yellowstone Picnic Area. At 8:45 p.m. Gary G showed me a courting pair of grizzlies' high south of the #1 finger on Norris (pretty late for courting as the season ends in early July).
People Seen
Wolf Watchers: From Montana: Rick M, Doug M, Jeremy S, Ron and Linda, Kristina G, Don and Paula V, Wendy B, and Becky C. From Utah: Paul H. From Florida: Andy and Missy O. From Kansas: Lynette J. From Washington: Larry and Linda R. And from Virginia: Dez and Colleen C. Bear Watchers seen this report: From Washington: Randi M. From Mississippi; Gary G. From Montana: Doug M, From Idaho: Sidney H. And From Wyoming: Tom H. Others seen this report: From Montana: Michael S, Bob L, Grant J, Audra C, Mike S, Kate J, Cara M, Emil M, Scott B, Joann M, and Hunter G.
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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