Wild Encounters: Bison, Elk, Wolf, Bear, and a Fox in Yellowstone

“Since we have to go to Island Park and West Yellowstone tomorrow, why don’t we make a short trip to Yellowstone Park?” asked my wife last Monday evening. She didn’t have to beg as I was up for a little trip, so we got enough things done to leave Tuesday morning.

The only downside of the trip was sitting in traffic in West Yellowstone for over an hour to get into the park, but once in Yellowstone, the traffic was not too bad. We were not the only ones having trouble with the traffic, as we watched a red fox running back and forth trying to cross the line of cars.

The first “animal jam” we encountered was near the Madison River, and it looked like a long one. However, I spotted a pair of sandhill cranes in a meadow, so we pulled over. Near them in the tall grass, I also located their chick, which is called a “colt.” The colt kept wandering off, but the mother tried keeping it close.’

The animal jam was actually caused by a herd of cow elk with their spotted calves trying to nurse while the cows were feeding. The car behind us informed us that a black bear had run between us just before we stopped, but it was long gone. “Dang it,” I said as I got back in the car.

“What are your goals for today, since we have to be back in West by 3:30 p.m.,” asked my wife as we neared Madison Junction.

“I would like to go hit Hayden Valley to get pictures of some baby bison and see if the harlequin male ducks are still here,” I replied.

“Then we will have to hurry,” she responded.

Traffic was light as we turned north at the Madison Junction heading toward Norris, but about two miles down the road, we spotted a big mule deer buck with three does and a fawn. We turned around quickly, but the fawn and its mother had disappeared, but the buck posed for us. The road from Norris to Canyon was uneventful, but the road through Hayden Valley never disappoints, as there are always things happening there.

As we entered the valley along the Yellowstone River, we were greeted by a large flock of tourists gazing at a black spot about half a mile away. We came upon two groups, with one group saying it was a black bear and another group claiming it was a wolf. It finally lifted its head, confirming that it was indeed a wolf. Bull bison dotted the rolling hills, and we found a couple of small herds of cow bison feeding while their red calves frolicked in the deep swampy mud.

When we got to LaHardy’s Rapids, we found that the male harlequin ducks had migrated back to the Pacific coast, and the females were all sitting on their nests. We did see a couple of American dippers trying to keep some distance between themselves and seven rambunctious children running on the boardwalk.

It was time to backtrack to meet some family members in West, but there was still some unfinished business – we had not seen a bear. Just outside of Canyon, we ran into a “bear jam” as a medium, brown-colored black bear was feasting on dandelions. We also saw another herd of elk.

It was a cool, lovely day for us; the only thing we would change would be to get to West Yellowstone earlier to beat the rush to the gate. Sitting in traffic is not my idea of fun, even if a red fox is entertaining me, but once you get into the park, we did not find the traffic bothersome.

Have a great and safe Fourth of July holiday!!!!

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