Bull Moose and an Injured Grizzly Bear

It was about 300 plus miles from Jen and Eric’s house in Hamilton Montana. After saying our goodbyes, we drove back to our spot in Star Valley. Oue house had been winterized so we ended up staying at a motel in Thayne. We finally finished our doctor’s appointments, all was well, and headed out for our winter spot in Texas. It was going to be a long drive, but we were not in a hurry, so we planned on traveling about three hundred miles per day.

The weather had been nice, so we decided to drive through Grand Teton National Park and over Towgotee Pass in the Wind Rivers, (9600 feet in elevation). Passing through Jackson we arrived at Blacktail Butte and saw a crowd of cars and people/

The attraction wasn’t bear but Moose and what great Bull Moose they were! Two were feeding and one was resting with just its monstrous rack peeking overt the sage brush.

All three of the bull moose were trophy class animals. They were the largest I have ever seen, and they were close! We took picture after picture. The bull that was laying down, stood up and watched the other two bulls, glared at them as if daring them to fight. All three faced each other but no fight ensued. The large bull grazed towards us as one of the other bulls hooked a sage brush with its horns and tore it from the ground, What a display of power! Th bull then paraded in front of the other bulls as if to say, look at my strength! He kept the bush on his antlers and held his ground. The other two were not impressed.

Meanwhile the largest bull started to graze and looking directly at Renita and edged nearer I finally told her that the moose was at the safety limit and we should both get in the car! By this time, we had taken several hundred images, so it was time to go. What a farewell gift!

At the high point of the Pass, several cars were stopped and glassing the field below. Renita saw an animal laying down, it was a large grizzly bear. It stuck its nose in the air and smelled us, (it was about three hundred yards away).

We couldn’t understand what it was doing but as it tried to run, we could see its left leg appeared to be broken, probably from being hit by a car or truck, (we always are upset when we see visitors speeding through the park, what the matter with you?

A bear management person drove up and so we left (we are trying to find out if the bear has since been euthanized). Clear skies

North American River Otters at Grand Teton National Park

We traveled to Grand Teton National Park, hoping to hike the Grand View Trail. On the way we stopped at the Oxbow turnoff, as it was crowded with people. It was a shock to see the low water level.

The water is now a few shallow braided streams, filled with feeding birds. Renita suggested we should drive to Cattlemen’s Bridge, (no longer there). Taking the short gravel road, we neared the Snake River and saw three photographers with huge lens. They were concentrating on the south shore, and we quickly spotted a family group of four River Otters! They were the nearest we have ever been to the otters, (and by they way they are viscous animals and have been known to severely bite people, (taking off extra fingers and attacking the faces of idiots who want to pet them, (they also can carry rabies).

The otters were swimming upstream, and the female was leading the way for the three young ones. She was breaking the current for them, heading upstream looking for water that was deep enough to hold prey. They find prey as the fish touch their thick whiskers and then quickly catch the fish with their sharp teeth, (I haven’t heard if they eat the fingers they remove). They also catch and eat small mammals, shellfish, and birds.

If you ever visit GTNP be sure to stop at the Oxbow Area, and if you are really adventurist, rent a kayak and paddle the area, (only do this when the water in the Snake is higher than in this picture). Clear skies

A day on the Greys River and a day in the Grand Teton National Park

After the reunion our daughter Jen drove down to visit us in Star Valley. We knew what she wanted to do, fish the Greys River and spend a day in Grand Teton National Park. Knowing her expertise in fly fishing we first planned on spending a day on the Greys The Greys River is the longest undammed river in the forty-eight states, (seventy miles). It flows into the Palisades Dam which was built across the Snake River and provides power to Star Valley besides holding water for Idaho’s farmers. Entering the canton, between the Salt and Wyoming Mountain range we drove up the rough road. Its usually graded before the Fourth of July and is good for a few weeks before all the idiots drive as fast as possible down the road destroying the temporary smooth road, (it turns into a potholed washboard mess). Stopping at our first spot we donned our waders, tied on our flies and waded into the river.

Renita had spotted two sheep which had escaped from a Sheephearder and Renita took their picture. Meanwhile, It wasn’t very long before Jen had a fish on!

She has learned a lot and knows how to lay out line, casting further than I can. She landed and safely released the fish. (the water temperature was near sixty-five and meant the fish must be released quickly or they will die). My biggest accomplishment was to keep my footing and not fall face first in the river. Heading further up river we stopped at several other spots where I finally caught and released two while Jen out fished me again. It makes a me proud to know how much she loves fly fishing, (and how good she is at it). After lunch the water had warmed up we called it a day and we headed back home. The weather was going to be hot and so we decided that we would spend the next day in Grand Teton National Park.

Driving through Jackson was tough. The number of people made for long lines of cars. It was an ordeal. Entering the park, we got the cameras ready. We wanted to hike up the Heritage trail but it was closed due to bear activity. Not seeing any wildlife, we drove to the old cattleman’s bridge, demolished a long time ago and then crossed the dam.

We have never seen the water so low in Jackson Lake.

Many of the gates were opened and the water was further emptying the lake. The plan is to only leave about six percent of the water in the lake. Driving across the park we did not see any bears, elk, deer, or wolves. It was really the wrong time as one needs to be early to have any luck. It’s a very bad berry year and the Parks Wildlife management people are worried that the bears will be attracted to careless people leaving their packs unattended. Leaving the GTNP we returned to Jackson for shopping but the parking spots were all full and so we called it a day and headed home. We did end up stopping for Lobster Rolls at a restaurant, luckily finding a place to park. It was a great visit by our daughter! Every day we see either of the kids brings us memories, peace and joy. Clear skies

The Western USA is in a terrible drought, not just the Colorado River System

We needed to make the drive to Jackson as we had a prescription to pick up. Crossing the Snake River at Alpine the river wasn’t its usual pristine self but instead was a reddish brown color from mud. We had heard that there had been a mudslide up the Hoback River and as we neared the tributary with the Hoback we could see where the Hoback River poured into the Snake. The Hoback looked like it was half mud and it didn’t take long for it to mix and discolor the clear water of the Snake. We also noted that the Snake River banks were full. That’s because the Bureau of Reclamation was dumping most of the water from Jackson Lake into the river. The reason for this is the drought. Almost all of the water, in Jackson Lake was claimed long ago by agricultural users in Idaho. In fact, the plan is to remove the water from the lake, about 95%, so that by this fall Jackson Lake will only contain about five percent of it’s water. Water rights out west are complicated but the claim to the water was first made by the farmers in Idaho and the law states that the first one to claim the water has the right to the water in perpetuity. Yup, forever!

THE LAKE WHEN FULL HAS ABOUT 833,00 ACRE FEET WHEN FULL! That will leave about 50,000 acre feet in the Lake, (an acre foot is enough water to cover one acre of land with one foot of water). Some of the downstream water will hopefully keep the Palisade’s Reservoir with enough water to power its generators. If not our electricity rate will jump much higher! We are currently paying about ten cents per KW, (it was 4 cents) because our power is from cheap hydro power. This will force us to buy much more expensive power from the grid. As bad as it seems imagine what is happening to the states along the Colorado River that makes our problems pale in comparision. If Lake Mead and Lake Powell reaches dead pool,(estimated as early as December of this year), Las Vegas, Phoenix, Much of Arizona, the Imperial Valley, and much of California will lose their water and electricity from Lake Hoover and Lake Mead, (This includes the Mexico portion of the Colorado, which Mexico is also entitled to by law). The Imperial Valley will also lose the water needed to grow winter produce. That’s where 95% of the winter produce comes from….Pray for rain and snow. Cloudy skies, Mark and Renita According to Jaclson Hole news and Guide, right now the Bureau of Reclaimation is releasing about 5000 cubic feet per second so the river is higher than normal. This Fall the plan is to release only abot 250 cubic feet per second and currently the flow is being reduced to 280 cubic fete per second.

Two Ocean Lake Birding and Bear Closings

Before I get into our birding day at Grand Teton National Park, I need to stress that a fed bear is a dead bear. Once the bears get used to people’s food, they become problem bears and are captured and euthanized. A bear can easily rip open a car and eat any food, (this happened to our friends whose car was destroyed because the bear smelled the M and M’ s they had in their ash tray). Its not unusual as bears have an incredible sense of smell! A black bear in Grand Teton National Park was caprutred and euthanized last week, (five more black bears have been fed by people and are being monitored). We heard that there were bears at Two Ocean Lake and the road was open, Driving the short but rutted drive we arrived at the parking lot and were greeted by lots of cars and few parking spots.

Planning to hike the trail I discovered that I had forgotten the bear spray and so we decided to bird just the beginning of the trail. We only walked a short way before we spotted a huge flock of swimming Common Mergansers. They were accompanied by two American White Pelicans and as they neared us they dived and fed on a school of baitfish.

They had been herding the baitfish to the shallow end of the lake and all dived at once. If you have never seen this behavior, it’s common.

We also spotted a Song Sparrow,several Ospreys, and Renita got a great shot of a tanager flying overhead.

Finally, being chased by mosquitoes, be sure to bring bug spray, we headed to our next spot, the Hermitage Trail. The trail begins at Colter Bay and after parking we were greeted with a bear warning and closure signs. A grizzly with three cubs is in the area and no one wants to bother a mother with cubs, (it's different when a bear uses people to keep any boar away).

A hiker approached and stopped for a visit. We mentioned to him that the bear spray he carried was in a bad spot, attached to the back of his pack. We had been chastised several years before for doing the same thing and warned that we would never have time to reach it when we needed it. Keep it in front! Deciding not to hike the trail we headed to our usual lunch spot, a small pond near the Moose Entry! On the way we watched as a helicopter was being used to move supplies to an area of a trail being repaired.

As soon as we left the car, we spotted two Sandhill Cranes with their chicks. The parents, which are usually shy, were feeding directly below us and feeding the young,

Every so often the chicks would practice flapping their wings, getting ready for they day they would take to the air.

It has been a short but fun day. No bears but lots of birds! Clear skies

Hollywood and a two-bear day! 5/29/2026

Once we saw our first grizzly bear of the year, we were anxious to return to Gand Teton National Park. Leaving early, we stopped at our usual fast-food place, bought breakfast, and then drove to Moran Junction. Once inside the Park, we headed towards Leeks Marina but no bear jams or bears. Next, we drove toward Moose but didn’t see any wildlife. Returning, we drove by Signal Mountain and encountered a traffic jam, It was the resident elk nicknamed Hollywood, so named because he spends the summer feeding and posing for pictures alongside Teton Park Road. He uses the tourists to keep bears and wolves away while he feeds and grows his impressive antlers!

Even though he is somewhat benign in June he still poses a danger and everyone should stay at least twenty-five yards away. Toward August he will feel the approach of mating season, the rut, and become aggressive! As it was nearing lunch we went to one of our favorite picnic spots. I forgot our bear spray, so trail hiking was out for the day. I don’t keep it in the car as I am concerned that it might get too hot and explode. If that ever happens, I will face Renita’s wrath. That’s something I do not want to endure (again).

After lunch we headed back to Colter Bay and there were cars parked alongside the road, it was a bear jam! Parking safely, you must be outside the painted white line. We walked down the hill but as we neared the crowd of people, they started to leave! The bear had sauntered into the woods. Waiting for a bit, people suddenly began to take pictures and so we headed further downhill. It was the grizzly bear Miracle who moved into an open space and was digging for tubers and worms. Watching, she eventually moved up and towards an area where seasonal workers lived. The show was over, so we headed back to the car. Later we learned that she had been captured and relocated to a place away from the workers and roads. Hopefully she won’t return as that usually ends in a bad outcome for the bear, (a fed bear is a dead bear, never feed the wildlife)!

Renita wanted to go shopping in Jackson and after a brief discussion we headed to the Moran exit. Just before we reached it we encountered another bear jam!

This time we were some of the first to arrive and we found a great parking spot. Getting our cameras out we walked down the road and there was a feeding bear! At first, I thought it was a grizzly but after spotting the triangle shaped ears and lack of a hump, we both agreed it was a cinnamon black bear. It wasn’t bothered by the people and simply kept grubbing.

We both realized we were too close to the bear and backtracked to the car. A park ranger arrived and using his loudspeaker cautioned everyone to get away from the bear. In other words, get in your car! We always keep others between us and any wildlife. After all at my age, I would be the slowest person in the crowd. Sitting in the car the bear moved into a clearing and Renita was able to get some pictures by sticking her camera out the window. That’s ok to do that as long as you don’t extend any part of your body outside, (imagine a fast-moving bear). This includes putting your body above the sunroof, which is never a good idea, (we once took a picture of a person doing just that as three grizzlies walked around their car. I took a picture and posted it on the blog only to discover that I had the license plate in the picture. It turned out to be a law enforcement person from Utah, the picture got lots of comments).

It was a great end to the day, two bears and Hollywood. It was a relief to see that he made it through last fall and winter’s hunting seasons, (humans, bears, and wolves). Clear skies Renita’s shopping was successful

Miracle, A lucky Grizzly Bear and the Jenny Lake ferry

Arriving back home, we had a list of things to do. On the top of the list was to get the rock shop ready, weed the yard, rake leaves, and the list went on. We procrastinated and after a few days headed back to Grand Teton National Park.

We still hadn’t seen any grizzly bears and of course that’s our number one thing to do. Entering at Moran Junction we drove to a road where we have previously seen bears and glassed the area, but nada. The next stop was to check out the dam, sometimes the bears like that stretch of the Snake River for an easy crossing but again no luck. Our next stop entailed a place where we sometimes find Grizzly Bear Tracks and Renita identified two small and old grizzly cub tracks, (she is our tracker while I am scanning the nearby brush for any bear. Leaving we next drove to Pilgrim Creek, where 399 used to show up with her cubs. Other bears also use the area but again no bears were present, No wolves ran out of the forest chasing elk, which we have see twice in that area. We sat for a bit and ate lunch but again no bears, elk, or any other wildlife. Next on our list, was to head to the North Park entrance but we never got there as we ran into a bear jam! The bear turned out to be the grizzly bear nicknamed Miracle because it’s a miracle, she is still alive.

Last year she showed up with two siblings, and her sow 1063. That sow is a grizzly bear nicknamed Bonita. Shortly after that a male grizzly boar found the cubs and killed two of them. Luckily Miracle survived and was later reunited with her mom, but they were later again separated.

No one knew if she survived the winter until this Spring when she returned to the area. This year Her mother also came out with three new coys, (cubs of the year). Hopefully she learned from last year and will be able to keep the cubs safe from any boar grizzly. We both took picture after picture, there were lots of watchers, photographers, but she didn’t seem to be bothered by all the people. She worked back and forth moving grass and rocks and eating her fill of grubs.

The cars all slowed down and she ignored them until a semi-truck filled with cattle drove by. The diesel engine scarred her and she ran over the nearest hill until it passed. Several other loud trucks also passed by and again the bear fled but retuned each time. Finally, she ran into the woods and disappeared. We heard she usually returns but after a while we decided to drive to Leigh Lake and see if we could spot a black bear. It’s early in the season and there were parking spots. After Memorial Day weekend you will be lucky to find one, unless you get there early.

If you ever go there, you can ride the ferrry across the lake and take a hike up to Inspiration Point. If you are fit you can hike around the lake to the Landing where the Inspiration Trail begins.

We still had other places to look but nothing stood out, except for a soaring bald eagle. Tired we decided to call it a day, Besides, we spotted and photographed our first grizzly bear of the year! Clear skies

A Day filled with Moose

We had heard that the grizzly bear Miracle, (not an official name), had appeared and so we headed back to Grand Teton National Park. We weren’t sure of the right spot to sit and wait but as an Ecotour bus showed up and waited, we figured we were probably in the area. After having lunch, we waited for several more hours with no luck. We needed to return home as we were driving to Montana for Mother’s Day. It is always a great day when we are in a National Park and this day turned out to be exceptional one as we saw and photographed four moose in three different spots, (often it is difficult to see any moose as they are hiding from bears and wolves).

The first Moose was a bull that was feeding of willows near Willow Flats, (Imagine that). It was a Mature Bull, and you can see in the photos that its antlers were beginning to grow. The willow trees produce a chemical from which aspirin was discovered, so besides being a food source, the trees also act as a pharmacy especially for cow moose that have given birth to their new calves, (not sure if you should call them foals).

We also had spotted a smaller moose in the same general area, and a little further down the road a very pregnant moose was sitting on a snowbank, along with a two-year-old calf.

Our day’s total was five moose, which is really great! It was a moosey day! In case you are wondering the park service recommends you stay at least twenty five yards from Moose, Elk, and Buffalo. This is the minimum distance for safety and two often we see people getting to close. Later that day we saw people trying to get close for pictures of a bull elk growing a nice set of antlers. Thwy pushed the bull into the willows and lucky for them did not enter the thick growth.

Clear skies

A bear encounter day in Grand Teton Park, Always carry bear spray

We decided to go back to the park in hopes of seeing a bear. Our friend Vickie has taken great pictures of several Grizzly! Earlier, we encountered a Cinnamon Black Bear while birding. It was on trail that usually has posted signs, during berry season. They state that one should carry Bear Spray/However the Wildlife management team had removed the sign and so we decided to take a short walk, looking for birds. On the way out we heard crashing brush and a Cinnamon Black Bear, probably a four-year-old, ran out into the clearing and stopped to look at us. It was about thirty yards away! The bear had new ear tags and a radio collar, so we knew it was probably a bear that had recently caused trouble. As we were only thirty yards away, we knew not to run, never run as you become prey. Instead, I raised my camera and started to take pictures and the bear decided to leave us alone, not the first time this has worked. None of my three pictures turned out, I had just taken pictures of a bird and had my camera on manual focus. Returning to Jackson we drove to REI, and bought their largest canister of Bear Spray, (to go with the one our friends Dan and Barb had given us. Now we have four canisters. For anyone hiking, eveb a short hike, in Grand Teton National Park, ALWAYS CARRY BEAR SPRAY! We will. We were lucky. Ps Last weeks Grizzly Bear attack in Yellowstone National Park, was on a trail that had been closed and had just been reopened. It appears that the grizzly might have been protecting a kill. They will often cover a kill/carcass with brush, and lay on it. That’s one of our fears when hiking, surprising a bear on its kill or encountering a cub.

Spending an afternoon with Bison, Elk Ranch Flats, Grand Teton National Park

At one time there were an estimated 60 to 80 million, American Bison, in North America. The destruction of the great herds was caused by many hunters, but the massive kill happened when the hide market hunters found they could make lots of money by killing the bison for their hides. The hides were turned into belts used to run industrial machines in Europe.

The hides of cow bison were easier to make into belts due to the lack of scars and so it was estimated that in the first few years thirty million cow bison were slaughtered, (if you want to exterminate a species, kill the females). Later a technique was developed to make bull bison hides into machinery belts and by 1900 only about 500 to 1000 bison were left.

Today there are around 500,000 in the herd due to individuals that saved them from extinction. One Ranch Lady in Oklahoma instructed her ranch hands to round up all the red dogs they could find, (a red dog is a first-year calf and who were left behind by the hunters as their hides were useless). Yellowstone Park also had a small, protected herd and other herds were also gathered in other places.

If you travel to Grand Teton National Park a small herd grazes at Elk Ranch Flats. The herd moves back and forth across the highway blocking traffic. These bison were introduced in the park as Jackson Hole, (historically), did not have any bison. As the bears were playing hide and seek, from us anyway, wee decided to spend an afternoon watching the herd. Parking we spotted a red dog with its mother. As she grazed and moved, it kept up with her. The red dog kept close to her, and she nursed it often. At times the red dog calf would lay down in brush.

When the cow and calf crossed the road. It was protected by other bison cows and after crossing the cows surrounded it as it nursed. When there are more red dog calves the cows will have them gather them into a safe area and will form a protective ring.

When threatened the bison form in a circle, form a circle, threatening any predators with a ring of horns.

Meanwhile the bull bison were grazing, rolling in the dust to give them a break from insects, and butting heads, practicing for the rut. Some were scratching themselves on some sections of broken fence posts, (fences don’t really keep bison out they mainly keep dumb tourists from attempting to pet them, (don’t pet the fluffy cows). Clear skies Ps if you ever watch bison bulls one thing to watch out for. If the bull raises its tail, and stares at you. It is getting ready to charge. Do not approach and stay at least 25 yards away.