Tag: yellowstone

Can you spot the Yellowstone critter spying the coyote?

While stuck in a bear jam last May in Yellowstone National Park, I spotted a coyote that was being closely watched by a potential prey. Can you spot the smaller critter?

Last May in Yellowstone National Park I observed more bears in three days (14) than I observed during all prior trips later in the season.

I spent hours in “bear jams,” standing outside my vehicle while trying to spot and photograph bruins at various safe distances.

During one sighting, involving a cinnamon-colored black bear and two cubs, I looked back across the highway and spotted a coyote trotting behind the mass of cars and people.

Coyote bypassing a Yellowstone bear jam, closely watched. Photo: ©Pete Thomas

I snapped a photo before turning back to face the bears. It wasn’t until hours later, while checking my images, that I noticed another critter closely watching the coyote.

The image is posted above and a question for readers: How quickly can you spot the critter? (Answer below.)

Most photographers expressed only a passing interest in the coyote; they were laser-focused on the bears.

Cinnamon-colored black bear. Photo: ©Pete Thomas

Momma bear was large and her coat lustrous. She napped briefly while her cubs scampered up a tree and hid in the branches.

Some argued that she was a grizzly because she was not black like most black bears. Others noted that she had the face and pointed ears of a black bear, and lacked the telltale grizzly bear shoulder hump.

Almost all spectators were outside their vehicles and some were in violation of the park’s 100-yard distance rule.

Momma black bear with cubs. Photo: ©Pete Thomas

As more people crept closer for better photo opportunities, the bear management team shut down the viewing session and ordered everyone to leave.

The tourists complied. But as often happens in Yellowstone, many returned within minutes after the bear management team had departed. I saw the new jam forming after turning around and driving past the sighting area, then continued east toward Tower-Roosevelt.

My good fortune continued when another momma black bear (with black fur) and two cubs emerged along the side of the road, where they foraged on grass.

Likely ground squirrel watching the coyote. Photo: ©Pete Thomas

I photographed them for several minutes before a crowd began to gather, then I continued east into Lamar Valley.

The coyote remained an afterthought until I was back in my hotel room in Gardiner. I almost disregarded the image but noticed the ground squirrel at the top of the frame,  intently watching the squirrel-eating coyote.

The squirrel is circled in red in the image posted above.

A true survivor, Yellowstone wolf pup issues ‘adult-like howl’

This year’s lone surviving pup from a popular Yellowstone National Park wolf pack has expressed herself as a survivor and a force.

This year’s lone surviving pup from a popular Yellowstone National Park wolf pack has expressed herself as a survivor and a force.

Taylor Rabe, a Yellowstone Wolf Project researcher, shared the accompanying footage showing the young wolf issuing an “adult-like howl” before continuing across the wintry landscape.

Rabe stated via Instagram: “Extra sassy + extra cute — featuring the Junction Butte pack’s one and only surviving puppy this year. This female pup is about 7 months old, and not too small anymore (listen to her new adult-like howl).”

The Junction Butte pack inhabits the park’s northern range.

Life is difficult for all park wolves, which are vulnerable to attacks by other wolves and the large critters wolves prey upon in order to survive – and by hunters and trappers if wolves wander beyond park boundaries.

Rabe explained that the Junction Butte pack produced two litters this year and that researchers “had visuals on multiple puppies born, but we’ll never know why she was the only one that survived.”

Rabe’s post has two click-through portions: one featuring the howl and the other showing the the wary predator on the move sporting a thickening winter coat.

Stated Rabe: “She’s quite beautiful now, and continues to grow like a weed.”

Yellowstone wolves react to first big snow; park issues advisory

Winter appears to have arrived early in Yellowstone National Park, affecting tourism and signaling a major seasonal change for wolves.

Yellowstone National Park on Wednesday cautioned tourists to postpone travel to and inside the park because of a “significant winter storm” that created hazardous driving conditions.

At the same time, researcher Taylor Rabe was afield in the park studying the Lupine Creek wolf pack.

“Yellowstone’s Northern range had its first very big snow today, and it was not kind to us,” Rabe, who conducts research for the Yellowstone Wolf Project, stated via Instagram. “Shutting down most of the park roads at one point or another this morning, the snow continues to fall. Winter is here.”

Rabe’s post shows wolves standing in the snow as if struck by the realization that a major seasonal change had just occurred.

However, viewers who click to her fourth slide will see wolf pups playing with one another as driving snow obscured the scene.

Rabe continued: “The Lupine Creek pack gave me a brief sighting in the snow flurries, providing me with the first opportunity since denning season to see some of this year’s new pups from the ground. It’s always exciting watching these little satellite packs grow each year. I’m very fond of these guys!”

The park announced temporary road closures as a winter storm warning was in effect until 6 p.m. Thursday night. It was not clear when the roads would reopen.

Prospective visitors were also reminded that most roads will close to automobile traffic Nov. 1, as usual, as the park prepares for the snowmobile and snow-coach season beginning Dec. 15.

The only roads open to automobile traffic year-round in Yellowstone, weather permitting, are between the North Entrance in Gardiner, Montana, and the Northeast Entrance in Cooke City/Silver Gate, Montana.

That stretch includes Lamar Valley, one of the premier locations from which to observe wolves in the winter.

Rare footage shows massive Yellowstone bison stampede

A photographer in Yellowstone National Park has captured rare footage showing a bison stampede that involved hundreds of animals and lasted several minutes.

A photographer in Yellowstone National Park on Wednesday captured rare footage showing a bison stampede that involved hundreds of animals and lasted several minutes.

“I’m not sure what spooked these bison, if anything at all, but there was a legitimate stampede of hundreds of them today in Lamar Valley!” Trent Sizemore boasted via Facebook. “There were many more behind us coming from over the ridge as well.”

Bison have existed in what’s now Yellowstone National Park continuously since prehistoric times. Stampedes are not new, but park visitors rarely observe stampedes involving so many animals.

“I’ve seen some smaller herds running before, but not anywhere near that many,” Sizemore told ForTheWin Outdoors. “We watched them for probably five or six minutes before they settled down.”

Sizemore, a West Yellowstone-based wildlife photographer and workshop guide, said he captured his footage from 3/4-of-a-mile with an iPhone.

Yellowstone National Park is home to about 5,000 bison. They are the largest land animals in North America and adult males can weigh 2,000 pounds.

Lamar Valley, often referred to as the ‘Serengeti of North America,’ is one of the park’s top locations for observing bison and other large critters.

Bison, moose provide restroom humor at Yellowstone, Grand Teton

Footage showing a moose strolling past a restroom in Grand Teton National Park is a reminder that large animal encounters can occur just about anywhere.

A guide on Friday shared footage of a moose strolling just inches from a restroom in Grant Teton National Park and asked his Instagram followers: “Can you imagine walking out of this bathroom at this moment?”

Bo Welden was leading an excursion for Jackson Hole Eco Tour Adventures and his footage helps to illustrate that large animals can materialize just about anywhere.

Welden stated, “Turns out there are many bathrooms in both Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks BUT you might have to wait to get out of the car until a HUGE bull moose walks past first.”

The clip is reminiscent of a more dramatic (embarrassing?) situation that occurred in Yellowstone in July. In that case, the critter was a massive bison and the man hoping to exit the restroom smartly chose to hold up inside.

Click here to view that footage and note the amusing reaction from tourists in the parking lot, including a child who observes, “The guy is peeking out.”

Both clips show that interesting animal encounters sometimes occur where you least expect them to occur.

–Image is a video screenshot

Watch: Yellowstone grizzly bear runs for its life, but from what?

What animal causes an adult grizzly bear to flee? A guide who works in Yellowstone National Park provided the answer in a recent video.

A photographer has shared footage of a grizzly bear sprinting for cover while being chased by another critter in Yellowstone National Park.

Bo Welden, a naturalist and guide for Jackson Hole EcoTour Adventures, asked Instagram followers last week to identify the other critter before it appears in his footage (posted below).

The answer, as many might have guessed, is a bison. More precisely, a momma bison protecting a calf near the Lamar River.

“A mother bison showed this grizzly bear that he is not the biggest baddest beast on the landscape,” Welden wrote. “It was truly AMAZING to be able to witness this role reversal while on tour with Jackson Hole EcoTours guests! We were stunned to see this moment in real time.”

What stands out is the speed of both animals.

Grizzly bears can attain a top speed of nearly 40 mph, while a sprinting bison maxes out at 35 mph.

It’s rare, however, to witness both animals running at full or nearly full speed.

Welden told FTW Outdoors that the bison herd, with other mommas and calves, was just “around the corner from the bear.”

He added that while the bear was chased away, it stayed in the vicinity and was later spotted feasting on the carcass of a 2- to 3-year-old bison that it had discovered nearby.

“A wise choice,” Welden said, “compared to attempting to kill a red dog that still had a protective mother around.”

Welden captured his footage in early summer when first-year bison calves still boasted their “red dog” coloration and were extremely vulnerable to predation from bears and wolves.

–Generic grizzly bear image atop this post is courtesy of Yellowstone National Park

Yellowstone bison perceived as ‘people and dogs’ by Teslas

Bison in Yellowstone National Park are massive creatures that can weigh as much as 2,000 pounds, yet to a Tesla they are recognized as something else entirely.

Bison are the largest land animals in North America and can weigh as much as 2,000 pounds, yet to a Tesla they are recognized as something else entirely.

Trent Sizemore, who conducts photography workshops in Yellowstone National Park, provided the revelation recently after driving alongside a bison herd while using his Tesla Vision feature.

“I’ve been hoping to drive by some bison to see what our Tesla sees them as,” Sizemore explained on Instagram. “Apparently, they’re people, and then large and small dogs.”

Tesla Vision is a camera-based autopilot system used in newer models. Part of the feature helps discern the environment around vehicles.

As viewers can see, the bison are perceived as humans that, in some cases, appear to be transformed into dogs.

(Sizemore told FTW Outdoors that he was using only the visualization feature and not the self-driving mode.)

His Instagram followers were intrigued and amused and one aptly chimed in, “AI only goes so far.”

Click here to view the same footage as a Facebook Reel.

Yellowstone-area grizzly bear linked to fatal mauling euthanized

A grizzly bear linked to a fatal mauling in July was euthanized Saturday after it broke into a house near West Yellowstone.

A grizzly bear linked to a fatal mauling in July was euthanized Saturday after it broke into a house near West Yellowstone.

Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks was called to the residence after the bear broke a window to enter the house and steal a container of dog food.

FWP staff and local law enforcement trapped the bear and her cub Saturday evening. With approval from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, the adult bear was shot and killed.

The bear was a 10-year-old female known to biologists and believed responsible for a fatal attack on a woman on the Buttermilk Trail near West Yellowstone in July.

According to FWP, the same bear injured a hiker in Idaho in 2020.

The FWP stated in a Wednesday news release:

“While both incidents were assessed to be defensive responses by the bear, multiple efforts to trap and remove the bear were made after the fatal attack in July due to the incident’s proximity to residences, campgrounds and a high-use OHV trail system. These efforts were unsuccessful.”

The 46-pound grizzly bear cub is being held at a wildlife rehabilitation facility in Helena and will likely end up at a zoo.

West Yellowstone is just outside the West Entrance to Yellowstone National Park.

–Generic grizzly bear image courtesy of the National Park Service

Montana angler kills grizzly bear north of Yellowstone

A Montana angler shot and killed a grizzly bear Wednesday north of Yellowstone National Park in an apparent case of self-defense.

A Montana angler shot and killed a protected grizzly bear Wednesday in an apparent case of self-defense.

According to Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks, two anglers surprised the adult male bear while hiking on private land along Tom Miner Creek north of Yellowstone National Park.

The bear charged both anglers in what Fish, Wildlife & Parks described as “defensive behavior” in close quarters. One angler shot and killed the bear.

The case is under investigation and further details were not provided.

The incident occurred four days after two hunters shot and killed a female grizzly bear in self-defense near the Montana town of Whitefish.

The men were scouting in advance of the fall hunting season for non-protected game when they surprised the bear. Both men opened fire and one was shot in the shoulder and required hospitalization.

The grizzly bear had a cub that ran off after the incident.

Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks stated in a news release that anyone venturing into bear country should make “localized noise” to alert bears and reduce the likelihood of surprise encounters.

–Generic grizzly bear image courtesy of ©Pete Thomas

Llama loose in Yellowstone after being spooked by bison

A llama that escaped during a commercial trekking expedition in Yellowstone National Park has been on the loose since Aug. 12.

A llama that escaped during a commercial pack trip in Yellowstone National Park has been on the loose since Aug. 12.

Susi Huelsmeyer-Sinay, owner of the Yellowstone Llamas, told FTW Outdoors that the llama was tethered with other llamas near a Lamar Valley trailhead when bison stampeded through the area.

“He was terrified when a group of bison thundered through camp and ran towards the trailhead and the trailer he knows,” Huelsmeyer-Sinay said, adding that the llama, Joaquin, broke his tether. “[Then] he was diverted again by a group of bison milling around the area.”

Buckrail reported that a Yellowstone Llamas guide waited at the trailhead overnight but Joaquin “did not come back.”

Trout Lake image courtesy of NPS/Dave Krueger

Huelsmeyer-Sinay said Joaquin was sighted near Trout Lake on Aug. 14. But he has not been seen since. The search effort has focused around Trout Lake, Buck Lake and Shrimp Lake, north and northeast of the trailhead.

“Wolf watchers, wildlife companies, construction crews, horse outfitters, Park Service staff, and park visitors have been alerted,” Huelsmeyer-Sinay added. “We are still hiking the area and encouraging hikers to keep an eye out for Joaquin, who may still be dragging his line.”

Joaquin is a tall, brown llama with a white face. Anyone who spots the animal is asked to call the Yellowstone Backcountry Office at 307-344-2160.

While Joaquin faces danger from bears and wolves, another llama named Lewis once survived three months alone in the park before being located by Huelsmeyer-Sinay and led back without a harness.

Yellowstone Llamas is a licensed outfitter that specializes in single and multi-day pack trips.

–Image showing Joaquin is courtesy of Yellowstone Llamas