Yellowstone National Park – Syndication Server

As Yellowstone bears sleep, park warns of another dangerous critter

Yellowstone National Park elaborates that just because bears are hibernating, visitors should keep bear spray handy.

Yellowstone National Park this week cautioned that while most bears are hibernating, winter visitors should still carry bear spray.

That’s because mountain lions, or cougars, are active year-round in the park.

“Though these big cats are extremely elusive and averse to human activity, you should always take care when recreating in the park — even in the winter,” the park explained via Instagram. “Carry bear spray and keep it handy, not inside your pack.

“If you see a cougar, ACT BIG! Yell, show your teeth, and make eye contact.”

Yellowstone cougar keeps watch from tree. Photo: NPS/Connor Meyer

Biologists estimate that as many as 42 cougars inhabit the park’s northern range, and that other cougars enter the park sporadically.

MORE OUTDOORS: Yellowstone grizzly bear makes snow angels

For comparison, the park is home to about 125 wolves, which are also active year-round.

But wolves, although they can be elusive, reside in packs and are more predictable, in terms of revealing their locations, than mountain lions.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CZ7wIOxjgIl/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again

From the park website: “Wolves are not normally a danger to humans, unless humans habituate them by providing them with food. No wolf has attacked a human in Yellowstone.”

Cougar encounters, while extremely rare, do occur.

In February 2022, Yellowstone Wolf Tracker shared distant footage showing a large cougar rising from its resting spot and exiting the frame. (Video posted above.)

The ecotour company exclaimed: “Low-quality video but a high-quality sighting!”

Cougars prey mostly on deer and elk, but also small mammals such as marmots.

According to the park’s website, bears and wolves sometimes displace cougars from their kills, and wolf packs have been known to kill adult cougars and cougar kittens.

The park adds that “very few documented confrontations between cougars and humans have occurred in Yellowstone.”

But it’s best to be prepared.

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Watch: Hibernate? Yellowstone grizzly bear would rather make snow angels

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.)

https://www.facebook.com/USInterior/videos/251214426379835

Weary Yellowstone bear shown ‘tucking self in’ for hibernation

Footage shows a very sleepy black bear gathering extra bedding material before resuming its long winter nap.

The Yellowstone Safari Company on Saturday shared heartwarming footage showing a sleepy black bear gathering material just outside its den before resuming its long winter nap.

“Have you ever seen a bear tuck themself in for their winter hibernation?” guide Grant T. Johnson asked via Instagram. (Footage posted below.)

Johnson explained that his group was “very lucky” to have encountered the bear Friday as it emerged to seek extra insulation material in the form of twigs and other debris.

https://www.instagram.com/p/DDE-_BCp3Yn/

The guide explained: “Bears aren’t true hibernators, in the most technical sense of the term, but rather enter a state of torpor, or extreme inactivity, in the winter. Still, it’s unusual to see them emerge from their dens at all once they tuck in during autumn.

“Sleep well, little buddy, and we’ll see you in the spring.”

According to Yellowstone National Park, most bears have entered their dens by mid-November, “although some males remain active through December before hibernating.”

Bears in the Greater Yellowstone area typically begin to emerge from their dens in early February, and most bears have left their dens by early May.

Male bears tend to abandon their dens much earlier than female bears with cubs.

Can you spot Yellowstone grizzly bear family on the move?

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.)

Can you spot the grizzly bear and three cubs? Photo: ©Pete Thomas

The bears had been grazing on both sides of the highway and creating sporadic traffic jams, or “bear jams,” whenever they were been visible.

MORE OUTDOORS: Mystery animal near Yellowstone likely one of area’s rarest creatures

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.

Same grizzly bears in different image. Photo: ©Pete Thomas

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.

Grizzly bear family circled in red. Photo: ©Pete Thomas

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Mystery animal near Yellowstone likely one of area’s rarest critters

Dash-cam footage shows the animal – likely a wolverine – bounding across a snowy road just outside Yellowstone National Park.

A Montana photographer on Tuesday shared blurry dash-cam footage showing a low-profiled animal bounding across a snow-covered road just outside Yellowstone National Park.

Trent Sizemore, based in West Yellowstone, theorized via Facebook that the critter was a wolverine:

“It was dark in color, had a noticeable tail, was the size of a small wolf, but much lower to the ground. It loped across the road more like a wolverine than a wolf.”

(Click here to view footage if video player doesn’t appear below.)

https://www.facebook.com/sizemorefineart/videos/457324234047166

That would represent one of the rarest animal sightings to occur in or near Yellowstone National Park.

The stocky carnivores are solitary and extremely elusive, and only a handful are believed to reside in a greater Yellowstone region that includes vast swaths of Montana and Wyoming.

A verified wolverine sighting was documented inside the park in March 2022, also in the snow, by the tour group Yellowstone Insight. (Click here to view images from that encounter.)

In January 2021, the park shared month-old trail-cam footage showing a wolverine loping across the snow.

The park stated: “Park biologists were excited to find one of Yellowstone’s rarest mammals triggered a remote trail camera outside the Mammoth Hot Springs area!”

That was the first wolverine footage captured by a trail camera inside the park.

Generic wolverine image courtesy of Wikipedia

West Yellowstone is just outside the park’s West Entrance. Sizemore told the Cowboy State Daily that he was driving his wife to work at 7:30 a.m. when the animal crossed in front of their vehicle.

“My first thought was it was either a coyote or a black wolf,” Sizemore said. “But it was loping across the road, too low to the ground to be a wolf, and I realized it might be a wolverine.”

Sizemore shared the footage with Cat Wood, a biologist who studied wolverines in Alaska. She told the Cowboy State Daily that the animal is likely a wolverine.

“It’s called a loping gallop,” Wood said of a gait that is “very specific to wolverines.”

If, in fact, it was a wolverine, it would represent a once-in-a-lifetime sighting. But Sizemore, of course, would love to get a another look at the animal in more favorable conditions.

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Yellowstone tourist rolls down window, bison noise resounds inside car

The visitor pulled over just short of a bridge in Yellowstone to allow a herd of bison to pass. He was thrilled to see and hear them.

A couple of weeks ago, Jeremiah Frick pulled over just short of the bridge in Lamar Valley in Yellowstone National Park to allow a herd of bison to pass.

As the herd approached, Frick rolled down his window to get the full effect, and when he did, the sounds of clacking hoofs on the cement resounded inside the car. Grunting could also be heard.

Frick shared his video with ViralHog. On some servers, you’ll have to click on the video link to hear the striking noise. (Warning for a minor expletive at the end.)

“Oh boy, here come the buffalo,” Frick told ViralHog in his short description of the video.

Most of the bison went around his car, but some went in front of the car before joining the rest of the herd in the valley.

Frick was obviously thrilled over what he had witnessed.

Photo courtesy of ViralHog.

Bison fight showcases ‘strength and resilience’ of iconic critters

On National Bison Day comes a video reminder, courtesy of Yellowstone National Park, of the awesome power of these legendary beasts.

The U.S. Department of the Interior on Saturday informed social-media followers that National Bison Day is a time to “celebrate this majestic symbol of strength and resilience.”

With that in mind, below is an extraordinary clip that showcases the strength of one adult male bison – and resilience of another – as it clears its rival from a highway by knocking him briefly airborne. (Keep in mind that adult male bison can weigh 2,000 pounds.)

https://www.facebook.com/YellowstoneNPS/videos/335962277579050

The footage, captured during mating season through a vehicle window, was shared by Yellowstone National Park in 2020, along with the warning: “Remember to always keep your distance — 25 yards from bison and elk; 100 yards from all other wildlife.”

(Click here if video player does not appear above.)

While commemorating National Bison Day, the U.S. Department of the Interior boasted that, in a collaborative effort with tribes and states, the agency manages 11,000 bison in 19 herds across 12 states. (Yellowstone is home to nearly 5,000 bison.)

https://www.instagram.com/p/DB3ucq2xXJk/

The department continued: “This magnificent animal joins the ranks of the bald eagle as the official symbol of our country — and much like the eagle, it’s a symbol of our American identity and one of the greatest conservation success stories of all time.”

The department concluded with its own humorous warning to tourists, alluding to the unpredictability of massive animals that are not always as docile as they appear to be: “And as a reminder: Don’t pet the fluffy cow.”

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Can you spot the Yellowstone elk in striking ‘moonset’ image?

Photo shared by Yellowstone National Park features a lone elk that may or may not be easy for viewers to locate.

Yellowstone National Park, five years ago this month, shared a striking image captured at sunrise, showing the moon setting behind a barren slope, informing Facebook followers that they’d earn “bonus points” if they could spot the elk.

Can you spot the elk in the accompanying image? (Answer below.)

The image was captured in late October, when as many as 20,000 elk inhabit the park, before the winter migration.

Can you spot the elk in this autumn sunrise image? Photo: Yellowstone National Park

The time frame coincides with the end of the rut, or mating season, which occurs primarily in the park’s northern range.

For some who posted in the comments section, locating the elk appeared to have been easy, while at least one person claimed success only after increasing the image size.

“Found the elk, but do you give bonus points if I had to blow it up to find it?” the follower joked.

The image was captured at Mammoth Hot Springs in the northwestern portion of the park.

The moon is setting behind Sepulcher Mountain (9,642 feet) between Electric Peak (10,969 feet) and Mammoth Hot Springs, a famous elk gathering spot.

If you haven’t already located the elk, the answer is provided in the image posted below.

Lone elk shown below mountain ridge at sunrise. Photo: Yellowstone National Park

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Yellowstone coyote clearly visible, but can you spot the other critter?

Coyote in Yellowstone National Park is being closely watched by another mammal. Can you spot the critter in the image?

Editor’s note: This is a version of a post first published by For The Win Outdoors in 2023.

A bit of advice for anyone visiting Yellowstone National Park: While searching for wildlife, always take a moment to glance behind you.

It could be rewarding even if you’re already observing large animals.

The accompanying images show a coyote that I photographed in May 2023 while standing near a road with other tourists watching a cinnamon black bear and two cubs.

The bears were down a forested slope, perhaps 80 yards from the road. The coyote was behind us, on the opposite side of the road, passing virtually unnoticed about 40 yards away.

Yellowstone coyote being watched by mystery critter. Photo: ©Pete Thomas

I didn’t realize until that evening that a smaller critter was also in the image, watching the coyote. Can you spot and ID the critter? (Answer below.)

While coyotes aren’t high on many tourists’ spotting lists, I found it interesting that this coyote was on the move so close to people who were looking in the opposite direction.

ALSO: Tiger, cobra square off in rarely witnessed encounter; video

On the same trip, also in Yellowstone’s northern range, I was with perhaps 30 tourists watching another black bear descending a slope toward the road.

Cinnamon-colored black bear in Yellowstone National Park. Photo: ©Pete Thomas

People jockeyed for spots from which to observe or photograph the bruin.

Directly behind us, high atop a rocky peak, mountain goats maneuvered in and out of sight.

Yellowstone black bear and cubs during close roadside encounter. Photo: ©Pete Thomas

On a different day, I was surprised at close range, while outside my vehicle, by a momma bear and two cubs. Momma bear gave me the stink eye until I slowly backed away, when she and her cubs resumed grazing.

Yellowstone coyote being watched closely by a ground squirrel. Photo: ©Pete Thomas

My sightings log for three days: 14 individual bears, the coyote and ground squirrel (see photo above), the mountain goats, and dozens of pronghorn and bison.

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Yellowstone releases body-worn camera footage of July 4 shootout

The suspect threatened to kill an employee and carry out mass shootings at Canyon Village in Yellowstone National Park.

Yellowstone National Park released body-worn camera footage from a July 4 shootout with a suspect who threatened to kill an employee and carry out mass shootings at the Employee Dining Room at Canyon Village.

The suspect was killed in the shootout, and an officer sustained a gunshot wound to a lower extremity and transported to a medical facility for treatment, the National Park Service reported Thursday.

The video, which can be viewed from the above link, describes what happened during the incident at the iconic park.

“Just after midnight on July 4, the Yellowstone Interagency Communications Center received a report that a concession employee had been unwillingly held by an individual for several hours on the late evening of July 3,” the video report states. “The individual, later identified by NPS law enforcement officers as Samson Lucas Bariah Fussner, also a concession employee, allegedly came to the employee’s residence in Canyon Village armed with a knife and handgun.

“The report also indicated that Fussner threatened to kill the employee and target the Employee Dining Room in Canyon Village the following day. The Employee Dining Room…is the primary food and beverage location for Canyon-based employees of Xanterra Parks and Resorts.”

The employee, who managed to escape, called for help and told officers that Fussner planned to carry out mass shootings at the Employee Dining Room and July 4 events outside the park.

Twenty National Park Service law enforcement officers, including the Yellowstone/Grand Teton Special Response Team, responded to the 911 call and began searching for the suspect in and around Canyon Lodge.

They found the suspect’s unoccupied and unlocked vehicle in the lodge’s main parking lot, and inside discovered an unsecured handgun.

At 8:05 a.m., Fussner emerged from the woods with a semi-automatic rifle and encountered an NPS law enforcement officer near the Canyon Lodge,” the video report states. “Fussner fired at Officer #3.”

Soon after, another officer shot Fussner, ending the shootout.

“This incident is still under investigation,” the NPS stated. “The investigation, which includes the actions taken by NPS law enforcement officers, is being led by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.”