Our first sighting of bear 399 and her cubs, May 18th 2021

 

Our neighbors, Fred and Becky are just as crazy as we are about seeing wildlife and birds. So, we invited them to join us as we headed over to Grand Teton National Park looking for bear 399. The plan was to take two vehicles so when one spotted a bear the other could phone the location.

Entering the park, we drove along the Teton Park road and did not see any bears. A moose walked out of the Willows and posed for pictures.

It was our first moose of the year and so we took its image. Stopping at the Potholes we discussed the plan and decided that Renita and I would drive up Signal Mountain and glass for bears while they would continue on to Pilgrim Creek. We agreed to call each other.

Renita and I headed up Signal Mountain road and after a winding drive, not recommended for anyone with acrophobia, reached the parking lot at the top. As usual a crew was working on the cell tower at the top and we walked past them heading to the open area to glass the land below.

Not spotting any bears, Renita did spot two herds of buffalo plodding along in the sagebrush below. I took several pictures and zoomed in with our 600mm telephoto lens. They still looked tiny. Returning to the car we headed back down and as we neared the bottom of the mountain lines of cars passed us going back uphill.

At one spot cars were parking and so Renita stopped as our cell phones both pinged with an incoming message. Just past the Signal Mountain turnoff Fred and Becky had run into a giant bear jam and they pulled over to watch bear 399 and her cubs feeding on a grassy hillside.

Now the message had reached us after they sent another text telling us that the bears had headed into the trees and were no longer visible. Renita dropped me off as there were quite a few others who said that the bears often crossed the road near where we were parked. Hoping to spot the bears I stayed there, and Renita continued on looking for the bear family.

As I stood there, four of the cars loaded up and took off after they received a phone call saying the bears had moved again. I texted Renita but she never got my message. My phone pinged again as Fred and Becky had driven on to the Leeks Marina looking for other bears.

We looked for Fred and Becky everywhere but never did see them again. As it was noon, we stopped at Sargent Picnic area and enjoyed the view but did not see any wildlife. After lunch we headed back down past Pilgrim creek, (nothing there). Reaching Willow Flats, we spotted a herd of cow elk getting ready to cross the road. A Canadian goose flew by and I got a great shot as it passed, with Signal Mountain in the background.

Willow Flats is a place where cow elk calve, and the grizzly bears hunt the newborn calves. One of the cows wore a radio collar and while we watched them a coyote ran across the road.

I did not get a chance to take its picture and we headed back south on Teton Park Road. Past Signal Mountain Road, a few cars were stopped, and people were glassing an area eat of the road. Renita pulled over, and we both rushed to where they were pointing. Reaching the edge of a large field of tall sagebrush. I quickly spotted 399 and her cubs.

The bears were over five hundred yards away and I took picture after picture hoping to be able to have one good enough to display them. A Park bear safety volunteer asked where the bears were and when I told him how far away, they were and said he did not need to be there and left.

The sagebrush was so tall that the year-old cubs often disappeared from sight, (we only spotted three of the four cubs as one has developed an independent streak and often leaves the others, typical of a young male grizzly).

Renita and I were happy to have finally spotted the bears and we watched as they disappeared into the trees. They were still heading south and so we went back to the car and drove to the next clearing where we parked and took a stand. The bears never came into the clearing and the only excitement was watching a robin as it watched us form a pine treetop

. Driving further we saw quite a few cars at the Potholes, (another name for glacial kettles), but no bears and so we headed back toward Moose.

As we neared Moose a fox moved through the trees and then turned toward us. Renita pulled over and the fox walked up to our car and stopped, we think it has been fed. 

It crossed the road and finally trotted out of our view, (we do not believe in wildlife welfare and never feed animals, fed animals are captured and euthanized).

Becky texted us to say they were heading home, and we decided to also head home. It had been a great day with lots of wildlife and our first sighting of bear 399, (the opening picture is one Fred took while we were on top of Signal Mountain, he agreed for our use of his image). Clear skies