During the summer bears roamed the Yellowstone landscape, but weren’t always easy to see. Image will test your spotting skills.
*Editor’s note: A version of this post was published by ForTheWin earlier this year.
Bears in Yellowstone National Park are hibernating, but during the summer they were spread across the landscape and often visible from roads and trails.
But they weren’t always easy to see, and one Montana-based hiking guide used an image he captured from above the Lamar River to test his social-media followers’ spotting skills.
“I’ve been told my more recent ‘Find the Animal Friday’ posts have been way too easy,” Douglas Scott stated via X. “This one is a little more challenging.”
Can you spot the black bear? Photo: Douglas Scott
Scott allowed the use of his image for this post, so we’re also challenging readers: Can you spot the black bear in the images posted above? (Answer below.)
Hint: It’s a difficult quiz and there are several shadows that might be mistaken for the bear.
Scott, who runs The Outdoor Society, told me that he captured the image June 21 “on a perfectly clear day” in the park’s northern range.
“It was definitely a fun spot as my client was amazed I saw it so easily from so far away,” Scott recalled.
His X followers offered several guesses but in the hours after his post only one had pinpointed the bear’s location.
When I guessed, Scott informed me that I had found “the shadow of a tree.”
Another guess was met with the reply: “Unfortunately, you are incorrect. You most definitely found a non-animal shadow though!”
Yellowstone is remarkable in that visitors often see bears up close or in the distance, especially if they’re patient and use binoculars or spotting scopes.
They might also capture a landscape image and later realize that a critter is visible in the image.
In 2023, for example, I was watching bears on one side of a highway and turned to snap an image of a coyote in transit on the other side of the highway.
When I got back to my hotel room and began to inspect my images, I discovered that a smaller animal was visible, paying close attention to the coyote.
As for the black bear photographed by Scott, it’s much easier to spot in a zoomed-in version posted immediately below.
Zoomed-in version shows black bear’s location. Photo: Douglas Scott
Immediately below is an image with the bear pinpointed with an arrow.
Black bear location. Photo: Douglas Scott
As for Yellowstone bears, they’ll begin to emerge from hibernation as early as late March.
The Green Bay Packers lost defensive lineman Jonathan Ford to the Chicago Bears, who signed the 2022 seventh-round pick off the Packers’ practice squad on Wednesday.
The Green Bay Packers lost defensive lineman Jonathan Ford to the Chicago Bears, who signed the 2022 seventh-round pick off the Packers’ practice squad on Wednesday.
Ford, who injured his calf during the preseason and started the season on injured reserve, spent two days on the Packers active roster in late October before being released and re-signed to the practice squad, where he’s spent the rest of the season. Now, Ford — a 338-pound nose tackle — will get a chance to be on the active 53-man roster in Chicago.
According to Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune, Ford is taking the roster place of receiver DeAndre Carter, who was placed on injured reserve.
Players on practice squad can leave for any opportunity on another team’s 53-man roster.
Ford spent the better part of three seasons in Green Bay but never appeared in a regular season game. He showed flashes of a breakout this summer, when he produced four tackles and a stop during the preseason while looking explosive off the ball in Jeff Hafley’s new four-man front.
Footage shows a grizzly bear playing in the snow, albeit wearily, during hibernation season in Yellowstone National Park.
By now, almost all grizzly bears in Yellowstone National Park are denned up for the winter. But that doesn’t mean some won’t venture outside their dens between now and spring.
The accompanying footage, captured by Trent Sizemore, shows a grizzly bear happily – but wearily – rolling on fresh snow in January 2021.
The footage was shared by the U.S. Department of the Interior, which joked: “Are you having trouble losing those unwanted, extra holiday pounds? Then ask your doctor if hibernation is right for you.”
The agency added: “Winter is the time of year in Yellowstone National Park when bears hibernate, although, it’s possible to see one any time of year.”
With another holiday season upon us, and with Yellowstone aficionados wishing the bears a restful winter’s sleep, we’re sharing Sizemore’s timeless clip as a moment of seasonal joy. (Click here if video doesn’t appear below.)
San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan raved about Chicago Bears rookie quarterback Caleb Williams.
The 2024 season certainly hasn’t gone how Chicago Bears fans were hoping it might with rookie quarterback and recent No. 1 overall draft pick Caleb Williams taking over.
Chicago enters its Week 14 date at San Francisco sporting a disappointing 4-8 record and riding a six-game losing streak.
As Williams and the Bears navigate early turbulence in his career, San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan had plenty of good things to say about the young Chicago signal-caller.
“As talented as there is. The stuff that you saw in college, you can see in the NFL. As good of a thrower as there is, born to play the position, got the athletic ability to do whatever, he’s got the speed to do whatever.
“He’s gotten a lot of playing time, he’s getting better as this year goes, I think he’s getting a lot more consistent. I think he’s been playing his best ball probably here the last few weeks. He’s put them in a chance to win here in these last few games there,” Shanahan said of Williams.
Williams is completing 61.6% of his passes and has thrown for 2,612 yards and 14 touchdowns against five interceptions. Each of Chicago’s past three defeats have come against NFC North divisional foes and each have been determined by one score.
For Williams’ part, he says the early adversity in his career will help he and the Bears longterm.
“I think this is a stepping-stone of development, to be able to have all of this in my first year. I wouldn’t say that I’m happy for it. Having these moments is definitely something that will help me in the future.
“Having these situational moments that it’s hard to rep in practice, having some of these moments, having your coach fired or coaches fired, and people being promoted. You know, things like that all happening within a couple weeks of each other, you know I think it would help me in the long run being able to handle all of this, handle this first year and being able to grow from it,” Williams said.
Thomas Brown is serving as the Chicago Bears’ interim head coach.
As Williams and Co. stroll into town, San Francisco (5-7) is looking to snap its own three-game skid when the Bears come calling to Levi’s Stadium. Kickoff is set for 1:25 p.m. PT and the game will be televised on Fox.
Bleacher Report argues the New Orleans Saints have one of the least-attractive head coach openings after firing Dennis Allen:
The Chicago Bears fired Matt Eberflus after one of the most disappointing end of game sequences you’ll ever see. He may have been on the way out regardless, but it may have expedited the process.
This makes Chicago the third vacancy created this season. The New York Jets and New Orleans Saints moved on from Robert Saleh and Dennis Allen earlier this year.
Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox took those three teams and added the Dallas Cowboys, Jacksonville Jaguars, Las Vegas Raiders and New York Giants.
From there, Knox ranked those teams based on attractiveness. The only team less attractive than the Saints was the Jets. What separated the Big Easy from the Big Apple? The Jets have been a revolving door at head coach. Meanwhile, Sean Payton was a long-term coach in New Orleans.
Granted, that’s what happens when you hire a good coach, but we’ll take anything that keeps the Saints out of last.
What keeps them from being higher? They don’t have a quarterback to carry them into the future. The roster as a whole is viewed as average beyond a few foundational pieces. There’s enough to build around here, but maybe not enough resources to build with, and the Saints may struggle to attract the top candidates on the market come hiring season.
Trail-cam footage captured in Minnesota shows a black bear that is obviously ready for hibernation wandering through the forest.
A Minnesota group that studies wolves on Saturday shared trail-cam footage of an incredibly fat black bear that looked beyond ready for hibernaiton.
“Talk about a unit! This bear is clearly ready for the long nap,” the Voyageurs Wolf Project proclaimed via Instagram.
The footage was captured a month ago but only recently discovered as Voyageurs Wolf Project staff inspected footage. The bear has almost undoubtedly denned up by now.
In Yellowstone National Park, a distant view of grizzly bears can be as satisfying as an up-close roadside view – if you can spot them.
–Editor’s note: A version of this post was first published in June 2024, after the author’s annual spring trip to Yellowstone National Park.
In Yellowstone National Park, a distant view of grizzly bears can be as satisfying as an up-close roadside view because it requires a keen eye and the animals are in more of a natural setting.
Can you spot the momma grizzly bear and her three cubs in the image I captured in late May, from a hillside opposite the Lamar Valley? (Answer at the bottom of the post.)
Momma bear was with first-year cubs, or cubs of the year, born during the winter hibernation period. The curious little ones did not stray far from mom while I watched from a distance of 100-plus yards.
During this sighting the bears ascended a hillside opposite the valley after being run off by a bison herd in a meadow surrounded by sagebrush.
(Momma bear was so preoccupied with foraging, with her head down, that she did not seem to notice how closely she was leading her cubs to several bison and their newborn calves.)
The bears were too far for me to capture a detailed image with my 400-millimeter lens, but I’ve attached a cropped version of a different image from the same sighting that shows the bears in more detail.
The bears in the top images used for the quiz are circled below.
Listen to Wayne Larrivee and Larry McCarren react to the Packers’ blocked field goal to win the game against the Bears on Sunday.
Wayne Larrivee and Larry McCarren of the Packers Radio Network had the dramatic call of Green Bay’s blocked field goal to win Sunday’s rivalry game over the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field.
With the Packers leading 20-19 and three seconds to go, Bears kicker Cairo Santos lined up a 46-yard field goal from the left hash. The snap was good, the hold was good, but the Bears didn’t block Karl Brooks, who busted the protection and blocked Santos’ attempt.
The home announcers predictably went crazy.
From Larrivee: “Here’s the snap, placement made. The kick is…blocked! It is blocked! It is blocked! And the Packers have won! It is blocked! It comes up short, and the Packers have won 11 straight over the Bears, 20-19! Oh my godness, what a finish!’
All while Larrivee is making the call, McCarren is heard screaming “Blocked! Blocked! Beautiful! Beautiful!” in the background.
Here the call from the Packers Radio Network below:
Based on grades from PFF, here are the best and worst players from the Packers’ Week 11 win over the Bears.
The Green Bay Packers overcame a red-zone turnover and the defense’s second-worst performance by overall grade this season in a dramatic but frustrating 20-19 win over the Chicago Bears on Sunday at Soldier Field.
It took a miraculous special teams play from Karl Brooks to save the day.
By overall grade at Pro Football Focus, Sunday’s performance was the Packers’ best performance on offense this season. But the defense struggled across the board against a rookie quarterback and a reeling Bears offense.
Based on grades from Pro Football Focus, here are the best and worst players from the Packers’ Week 11 win over the Bears:
Watson caught all four of his targets, including two contested catches, and produced a career-high 150 receiving yards. He averaged 10.0 yards per route run, an incredible number. Tom allowed only two hurries and had the team’s highest run-blocking grade along the offensive line. Love had an adjusted completion percentage of 87.5 and hit all six throws over 10 yards in the air and all eight throws under pressure. Reed caught two passes for 23 yards and a score while running only 12 routes. Jacobs forced three missed tackles, created four plays of 10 or more yards and produced a season-high 58 receiving yards.
Gary produced a team-high five pressures, including a sack and quarterback hit, plus a team-high four run stops. Wilson made a run stop and earned a solid run defense grade overall. Alexander didn’t allow a completion into his coverage over 10 snaps before exiting with an injury. Walker had two stops and a pass breakup but also missed two tackles and wasn’t effective as a blitzer or against the run. McDuffie tackled well over 21 snaps.
Bottom5 offense
1. LG Elgton Jenkins: 48.4
2. TE Ben Sims: 50.3
3. WR Dontayvion Wicks: 53.1
4. TE Tucker Kraft: 54.4
5. WR Romeo Doubs: 56.5
Jenkins allowed two pressures, had a poor run-blocking grade and was penalized for being illegally downfield. Sims was only average as a run-blocker and didn’t have a catch over 17 snaps. Wicks ran only six routes and didn’t have a catch. Kraft ran a team-high 18 routes but didn’t have a catch. Doubs had a drop on third down.
Bottom 5 defense
1. DE Lukas Van Ness: 33.1
2. CB Keisean Nixon: 45.8
3. DE Kingsley Enagbare: 49.4
4. DL Devonte Wyatt: 49.6
5. DL Kenny Clark: 50.3
Van Ness played 25 snaps, including 10 as a pass-rusher, but didn’t have a tackle and managed just one hurry while also committing a penalty. Nixon allowed three catches for 39 yards and missed a tackle. Enagbare had three pressures, but he also missed a sack and struggled against the run. Wyatt missed a tackle and didn’t have a pressure over 35 mostly impactless snaps. Clark didn’t have a pressure for the third straight game.
Special teams
Karl Brooks blocked the field goal to win the game and earned an elite 93.5 special teams grade. Edgerrin Cooper and Corey Ballentine both had tackles covering kicks. The Packers didn’t have a special teams penalty. Brandon McManus made two extra points. Daniel Whelan’s lone punt was a 47-yarder inside the 10-yard line.
Quarterback play
Jordan Love: 73.7
Love sailed a throw to Tucker Kraft for a turnover, but he also hit both of his attempt over 20 yards and all six of his passes over 10 yards, completed 8-of-8 passes under pressure, scrambled three times, averaged 15.4 yards per attempt and had an adjusted completion percentage of 87.5. He threw one pass away and had one pass dropped. The turnover was bad. The rest was really good. Love’s general accuracy and mobility were great signs moving forward.
Stat to know
Bears quarterback Caleb Williams completed 20 of 26 passes when kept clean, and 22 of his 31 attempts came on passes under 10 yards. The Bears threw quick and short effectively, and the Packers struggled to find answers. When kept clean, Williams averaged only 2.35 seconds to throw the football.
Packers 20, Bears 19: Here’s what went right, what went wrong and what it means for the Packers moving forward.
The Green Bay Packers avoided a nightmare scenario coming out of the bye week, using a late Jordan Love touchdown drive and a blocked field goal as time expired from Karl Brooks to escape Soldier Field with a 20-19 win over the Chicago Bears on Sunday.
Instead of watching a makeable field goal kick fly through the uprights and falling to 6-4, the Packers got an incredible block from Brooks and an 11th straight win over the Bears.
Now 7-3, the Packers are in a prime playoff spot, but no one doubts that Matt LaFleur’s team needs to get better fast to survive the final seven games of 2024.
Here’s what went right, what went wrong and what it means for the Packers moving forward:
What went right
— The Packers were explosive in the passing game. Jordan Love averaged 20.0 yards per completions, and he found Christian Watson for three plays of 25 or more yards and Josh Jacobs for two plays over 20. The 60-yarder to Watson late set up the go-ahead touchdown.
— The special teams finally made a game-altering play under Rich Bisaccia. Karl Brooks’ blocked field goal saved the day.
— Watson exploded for a career-high 150 receiving yards. He had a 17-yard catch on 3rd-and-11 and three catches of at least 25 yards, including a 48-yarder and a 60-yarder in the second half.
— Josh Jacobs turned 21 touches into 134 total yards. He had two runs of at least 10 yards and two catches over 20 yards, plus a 7-yard touchdown run.
— Love got a free-play touchdown with too many men on the field and a first-down conversion from an offsides penalty using his cadence. The former quarterback would be proud.
— Rashan Gary made his biggest play of the season when he powered through Braxon Jones and sacked Caleb Williams on the final drive, setting up 3rd-and-20. The Packers need more. A lot more. But it’s a start.
— The Packers had three players with a run of 10 or more yards: Jacobs, Love and Emanuel Wilson. Love’s 15-yard scramble set up his 1-yard go-ahead touchdown, while Wilson’s run came one play before Love’s free-play touchdown pass to Jayden Reed.
— The Packers had only three penalties for 25 yards, although one came in the red zone before Love’s interception.
What went wrong
— The Bears were 9-for-16 on third down and 3-for-3 on fourth down. Not surprisingly, the Bears dominated by number of plays (68-43) and time of possession (36:31 to 23:39). On the final possession, the Bears converted from 3rd-and-20 to extend the drive and set up the field goal try.
— The Packers scored three red-zone touchdowns, but they also had two completely empty trips inside the 20 — one on an interception thrown by Love, and another on a turnover on downs when the Packers went for it on 4th-and-goal from the six.
— The Packers gave up 179 rushing yards, including a career-high 70 yards by Caleb Williams and a 39-yard rushing touchdown from D’Andre Swift.
— Green Bay’s defense didn’t have a takeaway. Two of the team’s three sacks came on the final drive. Jeff Hafley’s group lacked disruptive plays and often suffered death by a thousand paper cuts.
— Safety Xavier McKinney missed a pair of tackles, including one as the last line of defender on Swift’s touchdown run.
— Linebacker Quay Walker failed time and time again to make stops in big spots.
— The Packers only had seven total drives, so going 1-for-5 on third down and 0-for-1 on fourth down made a big impact.
— Cornerback Jaire Alexander left the game with a knee injury and didn’t return. He was clearly not 100 percent to start the game. Will he be available for next week?
What it means
The Packers avoided what would have been a terrible, potentially season-altering loss coming out of the bye and scored another ugly win to improve to 7-3. Matt LaFleur’s team still hasn’t played anything resembling their best game, and the unrealized potential is both encouraging and worrisome. Clearly, the Packers can play better. Their “A” level stuff could be as good as anyone’s. But we’re now 10 games into an 18-game schedule, and it’s fair to be concerned if all the inconsistency will either keep the Packers from getting to their top level or come back to bite them in a big spot in January. It’s mid-November and we just haven’t seen long stretches of consistently high-level play from the Packers. This team is 7-3 and still capable of winning 10-12 games. But the Packers must be better, especially with a particularly difficult stretch coming up over the next three weeks.
Highlights
What’s next
A visit from the San Francisco 49ers. While at Lambeau Field, the Packers can’t expect to play a “C” level game and beat the 49ers next Sunday. It’s time for the Packers to prove their status as a legitimate contender, and there’s no better way of showing it than beating the reigning conference champs. The 49ers have been the class of the NFC for years. The Packers could get a signature win in 2024 with a victory on Sunday.
