Yellowstone Up Close and Personal

11 - 13 July 2008 Trip Report

Bear and Wolf Sightings ~ Trip Report ~ by Bill Hamblin

Friday - July 11th.

I left work a little early, about 11:15 a.m. and made Dunraven Pass about 2:15 p.m. I saw a nice cinnamon black bear one mile south of Dunraven Pass. Surprised, but got a campsite at Tower Campground, for the weekend. At 3:15 p.m. a black bear jam at Rainly Lake. At 5:30 p.m. a small blond grizzly east of Footbridge Pullout. At 8:15 p.m. a grizzly north of Coyote Overlook. At 8:50 p.m. a black and a gray wolf south of Fisherman's Pullout. The big news in Lamar occurred at 5:30 p.m. Thursday July 10th. With no wolf watchers around, one adult lead thirteen pups across the road east of Footbridge and across the Soda Butte Creek and into the trees east of Dead Puppy Hill. One guy from Canada taped the crossing and showed the wolf people when they arrived. Weather was great for the weekend, low's in mid 30's to high 20's in the valley, and highs in the high 60's and 70's with a slight breeze to help with the mosquitoes.

Saturday - July 12th.

At 5:30 a.m. a grizzly in the clearing west of A-Z Meadow. At 6:15 a.m. three black wolves near the Slough Creek den site. At 9:30 a.m. a nice sized blond grizzly at Mae West turnout at Antelope Creek. At 11:15 a.m. a black bear crossed the road near the exit to the Gut Road near Antelope Creek. (Note: the black bear with the coy cinnamon cub that was near here last weekend is now back at Calcite). From 5:00 p.m. to 7:15 p.m. a black wolf mousing south of Fisherman's Pullout. Later in the evening I inadevertly passed Frank and Diane B, from Michigan. There turned around and tracked me down at Hitching Post. They have been in the park for 10 days or so and plan to move down to Norris Campground for a few days before leaving. Nice to see old friends.

Sunday - July 13th.

After slow nights and days Friday and Saturday, I headed for Antelope Creek Sunday morning Nothing. So headed for Hayden Valley. Found a large collared grizzly east of the Grizzly Pullout just after the sun came up (lighting was terrible). Later at Trout Creek found a grizzly sow with one yearling cub fairly close to the road. Later while watching the two grizzlies, on and off, found another grizzly sow with a yearling cub back in Trout Creek (this one was collared). Bob L. was there and thinks this bear just got collared as he hasn't heard of a collared grizzly with a yearling in Hayden.

Other news: Strange, Friday night all the campgrounds filled, Saturday night both Norris and Tower didn't fill. Lots of bear jams from Elk Creek thru Tower Junction and up to the store plus the one at the exit to Gut Road. Osprey two chicks getting bigger. The Yellowstone and Lamar rivers are down finally and starting to clear. But the Soda Butte Creek is high and brown yet. A few more fishermen about, Frank B. had the good action up at the first Slough Creek meadow. There was a cinnamon bear on a carcass at Phantom Lake, I missed it. A grizzly crossed near Roosevelt Junction and another one in the middle of the day crossed up at Antelope Creek. It appears that the Druid's took the pups up Cache Creek (no viewing from the roads). Still one pup near the den site in Slough, surprised they haven't moved to the rendezvous area yet. Antelope Creek remains dead, both for bears and wolves.

by John William Uhler

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