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.

Three Days In Yellowstone Park, with the wildlife cooperating

After studying the landslide detachment, we headed into Yellowstone. Pilot Point was ahead of us, (it was a waypoint for pilots to get their bearings),, when Renita spotted two Red Tailed Hawks perching in a tree alongside the road’.

I pulled over and she jumped out, heading closer for a better picture. Deciding she was having too much fun I grabbed my camera, after parking, and joined her. As I approached one of the red tails flew off and it was soon joined by the other, Both if us got great shots of the hawks in flight.

Driving through Cooke City we reached the entrance, and not long afterwards cars and people were pulling over. The attraction was several small groups of Mountain Goats. The problem was that they were so far away that all of our pictures were mediocre at best.

As we watched them a mule deer doe and her two fawns came out behind us as if to see what everyone was watching.

We didn’t see much else, so we continued driving along the Lamar Valley. Large herds of buffalo filled the valley. Nearing Slough Creek, a large group was watching a black bear looking for food. We both got out and one of my pictures caught the young bear and the light just right. It’s one of my best black bear pictures this year.

Many people were looking north toward the place where the Slough Creek Wolf Pack had denned. Parking we talked with several of the wolf watchers, and one told us that there were five new wolf pups lying in a small copse of trees. He set up his spotting scope and allowed us to look for them When it was our turn to use his scope I saw two running thought the shadows and Renita saw three.

The wolves must have laid down in the shade and so we headed west and then south as we drove e across the Yellowstone River to Roosevelt Junction. From there we continued to Canyon Tower. There were warning cones at one spot but there were no bears or car jams so we continued. We headed to Hayden Valley, where we saw many buffalo and a grizzly bear with two cubs feeding. They were on the other side of the river, at an extreme distance, but I did get one shot that showed the hump, It was definitely a grizzly.

We had heard that Harlequin Ducks were again at Le Hardy Rapids.

Upon stopping we discovered that not only were the Harlequin ducks there, but a huge hatch of salmon flies was occurring.

The two and a half inch insects were flying and crawling everywhere. Som of the others screamed as they thought the harmless bugs were dangerous. We shook our heads, the bugs are harmless, and wished we had a Yellowstone fishing license as the trout had to be in a feeding frenzy. At the fishing bridge, we turned and saw nothing else until reaching Buffalo Bill State Park.

A few days later Renita got great pictures of a herd of bighorn sheep and a cow and calf moose at Sylvan Lake,

(which is at Sylvan Pass).

Any day in Yellowstone is a delight and this trip, we got to spend three days in the park! Clear skies

More Grizzly Bears in Grand Teton National Park

Leaving Jen and Eric’s house we headed to our place in Star Valley. A day before we arrived we received an email from Josh who told us or place was all set up, (in other words he had dewinterized hooked up the water, etc). The next two days involved unpacking, cleaning, and checking our rock collections, (they all survived the winter). Deciding we needed a break we decided to visit Grand Teton National Park, hoping to find a bear or two. Soon after entering the park, we drove past the Oxbow Bend and found a huge bear jam.

Our cameras were ready and so Renita dropped me off, found a parking spot and walked back to meet me. The bears were still visible. They were on the other side of a copse of trees and Renita started taking pictures, using the manual focus. Whenever the object is in or behind trees the automatic focus is worthless as it puts the trees in focus and the subject is blurry, (the first pictures were all Renitas).

The bears teased us, as two of the cubs were sleeping. Bear 1063, (nicknamed Bonita), was grubbing. Grizzly bears are diggers. If you look closely, you can see the hump which is not present on Black Bears. The hump is a mass of muscle and bone which provides support for their digging. Finally, the other two cubs woke up and joined Mom and the largest cub digging for grubs and plants.

It always amazes us that grizzly bears graze like a herd of cows. That is until the cow elk calves are born at which time the bears, wolves, and coyotes all hunt the newborn calves.

Several times the sow, Bonita, herded her cubs towards the road, attempting to cross. The members of the Wildlife management team blocked the road, and one drove his vehicle in front of the bears hazing them using his horn, siren, and flashing lights to prevent them from crossing. In past years they were allowed to cross, and we wondered why this has changed, (perhaps because 399 and another of her offspring were hit and killed by cars). Do not speed!.

Bonita was blocked and so she tried to walk around a tree and cross at another place. Again, she and the cubs were hazed and again we wondered why. In the past, bear 399 and her cubs were allowed to cross. One of the team spoke to us and said that they didn’t want them at Colter Bay as there were too many workers getting ready for the summer season.a S

wainsons hawk soared overhead an I managed to get a decent photograph, We decided we had enough pictures, about four hundred, and so we had a picnic lunch at the Jackson Lake overlook.

Calling it a day we drove back home, stopping at Jackson to buy necessities. It had been another great day as we spotted four grizzly bears, numerous elk, and even a yellow rumped warbler. We did use the app Merlin, to record the singing birds, but it was just the usual red crowned kinglets. Clear skies

Another Grizzly Bear spotted and photographed April Sixteen, 2025

It was a nice day and so we drove to Grand Teton National Park Entering the Park we tried to photographed a hawk, and a pair of soaring bald headed eagles. ,

At the Oxbow we photographed a pair of Barrows Goldeneye,

and just before leaving the park, another grizzly bear! One of our new set of images this year is to try to photograph the face of the bear to look for scars from fights. This would allow us to identify bears that do not have tags. We were not the first ones to spot the sleeping grizzly bear. It was so well camouflaged that we had to have it pointed out(see top photograph). There were quite a few cars parked, an obvious bear jam. Do you see it in the photograph? As it woke up the shape of its head became visible

and it was obvious as it walked out of the thick brush on all fours.

Comparing it with other pictures of Bruno and Bear number 610, we were able to eliminate both from the facial scars and chewed up ears. It maybe one of the three subadults 610 released last year.

If so 610 could emerge with a new coy, (cub of the year. However last year was a poor berry year and so she may have not been able to implant any fetuses/zygptes.

Time will tell. Clear skies

Bruno, A huge Grizzly Bear in Grand Teton National Park

Our first day in Grand Teton National Park and we encountered the largest Grizzly Bear we have seen at GTNP (we saw a larger brown bear in Alaska). The bear was on a walkabout to the south and didn’t seem to care about the photographers.

While some stuck their bodies out to take pictures we drove ahead and tried to maintain a safe distance.

At one point the bear walked next to our car and I could hear the snow crunching from its footfalls, (windows were up, car was running and we tried not to antagonize him). We could also see the ice crystals being dislodged as it strolled along at a fast and steady pace.

As he passed our car, he glanced at us and not losing a step kept walking. The bear is a big boar, (male), and we think it is the one named Bruno. It’s the first time we have ever seen Bruno and we are glad it was not on one of our hikes.

We left Texas earlier than we ever had hoping for pictures of a bear in the snow.

Notice the claws! Clear skies and remember I am using a 600 mm telephoto lens.

Rest In Peace 399

It was reported two days ago that our favorite grizzly bear, 399, was hit and killed. She was hit by a drvier going the speed limit at 10:30 pm. Luckily the drive was not injured an drepored the accident.

I am posting a few of the hundreds, perhaps thousands that we have taken of her over the years. The last was taken when her cub Spirit was looking at her with a mouth full of flowers.

Clear skies and a special thanks to 399 The U s Fish and Wildlife annpunced that 399 was creamated and her ashes were scattered at Pilgrim Creek. Its where she denned and made so many appearences with her cubs.

Doctors, A Birthday Present, Wildlife In the Park, and getting the New Park Model Ready for Winter

We made plans with our friends for our yearly hike up to Taggert Lake. It’s a well-loved place and you have to get there early, or you may have to hike a long ways just to get to the trailhead. Unfortunately, the smoke from a nearby forest fire was so thick that we decided to postpone the hike until it cleared. The next day I went to a doctor and found out other tests were needed. After that tests I had to make an appointment to have surgery and so our hikes, for this year, are done. The surgery went fine and I was released but confined to the house.

As I sat at the dining room table Renita, and I noticed movement across the street in our neighbor’s flower garden. Her flowers were doing great, and it attracted a deer which stood there eating flower after flower. Cars were stopping and the deer ignored them. Finally, it had eaten its fill and moved on, (the deer may have cronic wasting disease). The deer come into our park when deer season starts and even elk, moose and bear have learned the park is a safe haven. While we haven’t seen the bear others have and it also leaves large scats, one of which was in our backyard.

We usually go to Grand Teton National Park for a birthday present. Instead, our friend Barbara called us to tell us that she had a consignment of larimar rough, so we bought it all. Larimar rough sells for a dollar a gram.

Nothing like buying yourself a birthday present, (when we saw, grirnd ,and polish we lose seventy per cent of the original rock), so a twenty gram piece will end up as a six gram finished cabochon, which by the way is now about a thirty karat stone).

Finally, our place is almost ready for winter! A local glass man replaced our two broken windows. Next our contractor skirted it and now we are waiting for a warped door to be replaced and an electrician to replace the wiring where a nail caused a short. It won’t be long before we leave on our migration. We have a person lined up to shovel our roof, when needed and another to winterize it, (two years ago we received twenty-one feet of snow, the houses here have to withstand a snow load of eighty pounds per square foot). Clear skies

Yellowstone 2024 Grizzlies and a New Life Bird

Each year we look forward to the Cody, Wyoming Wild West Arts Festival. It’s three days of parades and fun and we set up our booth to sell our Jewelry. We always plan on a few extra days to enjoy the surrounding area by making day trips to Yellowstone National Park. This year was an exceptional year as we spotted a new bird for a life list and encountered three grizzly bears. Our friends Fred and Becky had already made a trip to Yellowstone and had encountered several Harlequin ducks. These ducks are small sea ducks that nest in areas with rapids. They had told us that the ducks were located at Le Hardy Rapids. As we drove through Yellowstone, I spotted the sign for the rapids, and we parked in the lot hoping that the Harlequinn ducks were still there. As we walked down the short trail, we could see them perched and resting on a flat rock! We were both elated to see the beautiful ducks and told other visitors, (they did not seem terribly impressed, definitely not birders).

Continuing our drive, we hoped to see some black bears and perhaps a grizzly. The day before we had encountered a bear jam where a sow and her new coy, (new cub of the year), put on a show. The bear has been given the name Raspberry and her new cub is called Snow. The sow was grazing in open spaces between fallen trees and it was comical watching the cub keeping up with mamma bear. Raspberry didn’t have any problems crossing the log jams, but each fallen tree was an almost insurmountable problem for the little cub. It would pull itself up and then lose its balance as it fell off the fallen timber.

Still, it managed to tag along, and we watched them for forty-five minutes before they disappeared in a cove of fallen timber. The next day we drove back but just missed the pair and so we headed to the Hayden Valley and Lamar Valleys. We didn’t see any bears at Hayden Valley, but it was filled with Buffalo.

Many of the bull bison were dusting themselves in dried wallows to give them some relief from insects. At one spot the bull was very near the road, and it glared at us as we quickly stopped to take its picture.

Forgetting us it rolled over in the dried ground creating a cloud of dust!

What a sight. We decided it was time to go even though we were at least twenty-five yards away, which is the required distance to safely view the huge animals. Passing Canyon Village and Tower Junction we decided to drive up the Lamar Valley looking for bears and wolves. The valley was full of buffalo herds, but we didn’t spot much else. However a coyote posed right next to the road.

Further on we used our binoculars to glass the canyon walls and spotted several mountain goats. They were so far away that you really couldn’t see much, just a white goat shaped object. Reaching the Northeast entrance we passed through Cooke City and then Silver Gate. As we left Siver Gate we saw about twenty people watching something.

The something was the largest Grizzly bear we have seen in quite a while. It was grazing about one hundred yards away and we didn’t get a great image as it was surrounded by bushes. It finally disappeared into the brush and several people decided that they would try to push the bear back into an open area for more pictures. What could go wrong? We decided to leave as we didn’t like their idea. Continuing we turned right and drove the Chief Joesph Highway. At a rest area you can walk out to enjoy the view of a steep and narrow canyon. It had been a great two days with new life birds and a huge grizzly bear. Of course, any trip into Yellowstone is always filled with memories of wildlife and scenic views to calm ones soul. Clear skies