Wolves!

 Yellowstone 2016 con't:

We left the Lamar valley around 11:30 Wednesday morning, having not seen any wolves, and drove all the way to the North Entrance and out to Gardiner to visit the Yellowstone Association headquarters. We were told the folks there would have up to date info on wolf sightings throughout the park. But when we asked, they didn't seem to know much at all, and had no knowledge of the bison that had been hit the previous evening. But the ladies were very nice, and we bought some books and a few souvenirs, then went next door to an ice cream shop for a treat.

Back in the park we stopped along the Gardiner River. The only places where we could let the dogs out of the van were within 100 feet of a road or other developed area. This spot along the river had a picnic area near the parking lot--this is actually just across the road from day use area at the Boiling River--so we took the boys out for a walk along the river.

Gardiner River

It was a nice, sunny afternoon, so we took our time and enjoyed the scenery.

These two beagle that we adopted last year, Stanley and Cooper, more than likely spent most of their lives in a pen. They were both heartworm positive when we adopted them (the shelter did the treatment) and had a host of other parasites. Neither is neutered, and neither was housebroken, and both had clearly been abused. But they've come a long way in the year we've had them, and we love traveling with them, even if it limits what we can do and where we can go. They are good boys, quiet and pretty chill.

Cooper surveying the river, hoping I'm not gonna make him go swimming!

A bit farther down the road we came across this beautiful meadow full of blazing yellow willows. We stopped for some shots...

...then noticed a big bull elk with his harem up ahead. What a remarkable animal. He was bugling away, calling the girls. I noticed the big crook in his muzzle--not sure if that's something that happens with age, or if he had been injured at some point. In any case, he was simply magnificent.

Bull elk.

He eventually caught up with the girls...

...then continued to move uphill through the sagebrush. I swear he's posing.

We eventually made our way back to Lamar Valley, and found a spot to park and set up our scopes. There were lots of folks there, but not much activity. We were one pull-out west of where the bison carcass had been dragged to, and could not see it. We asked some folks near us about wolves but no one seemed to know.

Evening in Lamar Valley.

I had my scope up and was scanning the valley when I noticed a few lumps about 150 yards out. As I looked closely, one of the lumps moved, and I realized I'd found all four wolves, lounging on our side of the Lamar River!

Three of the four wolves--the fourth was off to the left, another tan and gray.

Oh boy were we excited! It wasn't too long before the black wolf on the left got up and stretched, and started making his way towards the carcass. He howled and called to the others, who seemed reluctant at first to join him. It seemed pretty clear that these were in fact the four pups from the Prospect Peak pack--pups this age (probably around six months old) have spiky hair on their backs, kind of like a warthog.

Young pup ambles across the Lamar valley.

He eventually got the two gray and tan pups to join him. We were all hopeful that they would finally make their way to the carcass.

The trio howled and howled, and I tired some "digiscoping" with my iPhone

Digiscoped image showing two pups howling.

The black pup got within 50 yards or so of the carcass, then turned and trotted away to the west, ultimately passing in front of us before disappearing behind a ridge. It seemed like such a sudden move, and we wondered if  the rest of the pack was off that way somewhere. We hadn't heard any howling from that way but they were definitely moving with intent.

We watched until they slipped from view.

The ever-present coyotes watched them leave too.

We had to leave the following morning to get down to Madison campground, so there was no time to revisit the Lamar valley the next day, but we did hear that the wolves were on the carcass overnight, and were still there the next day. But nonetheless we were thrilled with the looks we had gotten, and it's another experience with wolves in the wild that I will never forget.

Next up: Norris and Madison areas.

Tracks

The wolf stood as still as the morning at the far end of the lake. Having seen me before I'd seen it, it watched alertly as I walked along the shore.

I had risen early, stiff and tired, and decided to go for a walk to loosen up a bit before the girls got up. I left my camera behind on purpose, not wanting to be weighed down with it. Later I thought about my binoculars, but something was telling me to not to go back, not to dawdle, and I decided whatever there was to see I would see with my own eyes.

I scanned the trees for early rising birds, and watched the shore for fresh tracks or scat. As I approached the far end of the lake I looked across to where the creek runs out of Crescent Lake and into MacGregor. A solitary loon floated on the surface and I stopped to watch. That's when I noticed, nearly directly behind the loon on the far shore, an animal staring at me. My mind ran through the possibilities: Deer? no, too stocky. Moose calf? no, too light in color. Coyote? no, too damn big.

The sun was not yet risen, and the light was dim at the far end of the lake, but I could judge its size against the drift of sweet gale behind it. I was afraid to move, afraid to end the stand-off. I don't know how long we stared at each other, but eventually the wolf walked away towards the creek and I watched until it disappeared.

Back at camp I told the girls what I'd seen. We ate a hasty breakfast and jumped in our kayaks to go look for tracks.

We approached the area quietly, not really expecting at this point to see anything but being careful anyway. The water level on the lake was down from where it had been in June, and there was quite a bit more exposed land near the creek than there had been two months before. I beached my 'yak and got out to look for tracks while the girls patrolled along the shore.



There were tracks everywhere, moose especially, some old, some fairly fresh, sunk deep into the mud. (The lens cap is 2" across.)


There were some beautiful beaver tracks and scrapings, and we moaned about not having any casting material with us.





I moved across the mudflat, searching for evidence that I hadn't imagined the morning's encounter, stepping carefully to keep from sinking in the mud. After several minutes I finally found what I was looking for, very near the creek bank--the prints of a large canine, fresh in the black mud.


And here, a place where an animal had bedded down.


When I found the tracks the girls decided to come have a look too. I moved farther up the creek, and found more fresh tracks, moving farther into the valley.


To top it all off, that evening Lisa and I walked back down the shore towards the place I'd seen the wolf that morning. I still didn't take my camera, but we both had binoculars. As we rounded a bend along the shore I looked up and saw a shape, just on the other side of the creek from where I'd seen it that morning. We both stopped dead and looked through our binoculars. "Do you see what I see?" I asked Lisa. "Sure do" she replied.

We watched in utter amazement as the wolf stopped, looked at us, looked around, then lay down on the shore facing us, and stared. We stared right back. This went on for several minutes, until Lisa moved slowly down the shore, when the wolf eventually rose and headed back down the creek.

Over the next several days we went back to the place where we'd seen the wolf, but he had apparently had enough, and did not make another appearance. None the less, that morning alone on the beach being watched by a wolf is a moment I will never forget.

It's OK with me that I didn't get a picture--some things are meant to live only in your heart.