Yellowstone National Park: Grizzlies

Grizzly encounter in Yellowstone National Park

The goal for our trip to Yellowstone National Park was Grizzly Bear (actually, Brown Bear, but Grizzly is typically used for interior Brown Bears) COYs (“cubs of the year” that have emerged from the den for the first time).

 

The goal; Grizzly cubs; This was in Alaska in 2023

We failed. But we did have some great Grizzly encounters, all around the Lake Butte Area of the Park. Most of the action was within a mile either way from the turn-off to the Lake Butte Overlook. 

First One

As I mentioned in my Grand Teton post, the first encounter was a day that we hadn’t even planned on being in Yellowstone. Things were dead in Teton, so we took a quick drive north and saw Bear #288 (he is tagged, so he has a number) as he walked across and then over a hilltop across the road from Lake Yellowstone.

Quill, taking care of business

This Bear, which had been seen for the past few weeks pursuing a celebrity female name Jam (I will talk about her later), was given the name Quill, because, when first seen, he had a Porcupine quill in his face. He seems to have recovered fine from that.

Quill is smaller (and presumably younger) than the other boar, Timber, also pursuing Jam, so he has had a lot of alone time. He has, I have heard, successfully mated with Jam, but he wisely keeps his distance from Timber.

Buh-bye

Our first sight of Quill was brief and probably wasn’t worth the drive north, except to confirm that, yes, Grizzlies do still exist in Yellowstone.

In the Park for Real

The next day, we packed up and moved north, where our first night’s lodging was in Canyon. We chose (as it turns out, unwisely) to start out driving up the west side of the Park, where in past years we have had spectacular Bear experiences and where we had heard there were some COYs and some yearlings.

Courtship on the west side, 2022

This time, we saw nothing. Nothing. But, we continued to look.

Yellowstone Bears was telling us that most of the action was over by Lake Butte.

Where it was happening

So, over the next three days, we ended up spending most of our mornings (after the long drive) and afternoonx (before a long drive) there.

Who's Who

Before I outline the three great photo opportunities, let me introduce the cast of characters.

I already introduced Quill, with his pretty red ear tags; Right photo: Caty Stevens

And the big boar, who might be named Timber (we’ll see if that sticks)

Neither of these Bears has any known ancestry. The others we saw are among Bears in Yellowstone that have somewhat celebrity status, primarily because they tend to hang out near the road where they are often spotted.

First up is Jam, a female that we saw and photographed extensively back in 2021 when she was a year old.

Then

Now

As Caty says, she hasn’t changed much.

Silly ol’ Bear; Photos: Caty Stevens

Jam’s mom is named Raspberry. 

Raspberry in 2021

She is normally a fixture at Lake Butte. But, this year she has been scarce. The belief is that she is staying away because of all the attention Jam is garnering from male Bears. Raspberry has a yearling to protect and she is keeping it as far as possible from the big males, who frequently kill dependent young Bears to throw the mothers back into heat.

Jam has an older sister (most likely half-sister) named Snow that is also a well-known Lake Butte Bear.

This may be Snow, 2019; We didn’t see her this year

Snow has two-year-old twins, Storm (assumed female) and Rain (assumed male), that she “released” just a week or so before we visited this year. Female Grizzlies generally keep their cubs with them through three or four seasons. COYs, yearlings and two-year-olds are commonly with mom unless some disaster occurs; sometimes cubs, especially females, stay an extra winter.

Storm and Rain both resemble Snow, with light silverly coats.

The twins; Photo from video: Geoffrey Tipton, Yellowstone Bears

When releasing cubs, the moms can be combative or just sneak off when the cubs are sleeping. In more dramatic separations, boars chase off (or injure or kill) the youngsters.

Essentially Storm and Rain are Jam’s niece and nephew.

Storm has been seen frequently by the roadside; Rain less so. As a male, Rain might actually have higher risks.

Storm (wet from a reedy marsh)

We had a good time photographing Storm. We may have seen Rain briefly on a hilltop, but that may have been Storm. It’s hard to tell. 

 Which one?

OK, now that that is cleared up, what happened?

My Find (and a Mystery)

When we went back, we came upon a Bear jam (cars stopped for a Bear sighting) and missed what we were told was Snow as she went back over the ridge. Then a few minutes later, I had an exciting moment while driving where I spotted a Grizzly on the hillside.

My spot

Why was this exciting? Normally, we come upon other peoples’ spots, whether it is Bears just emerging or exciting action already in progress. Getting your own spot is always a win. Generally, Caty gets the spots – primarily because she’s good at it, but also because I am usually driving and that does interfere with scanning for critters.

I thought my spot looked very large and dark (maybe Timber?).

Who is it?

I lost it as it walked around the ridge as I drove to catch up. Then, Quill appeared. Might be tricks of light and distance; might have been separate Bears. But the sighting around the bend was definitely Quill. It was hard to see them in person, but photos revealed red ear tags.

Quill, taking a break

Bears are tagged primarily for research and monitoring. Tags, sometimes paired with radio collars, help scientists track bear movements, behaviors and health, which is crucial for understanding their ecology and managing the population. Some Bears are tagged to identify them as having gotten in trouble for aggression or being too habituated to humans.

Tags are good identifiers

Right after we saw hillside Quill, some real action unfolded.

The Chase

Caty and I had returned to the picnic area when Scott (we took two cars, so he was coming from a different spot down the road) told us excitedly that “the Bears had just crossed the road.” I was confused because Quill was so high up and it seemed odd that he could get down without us seeing him. Plus, he was one Bear, not plural BEARS.

It wasn’t Quill, it was Jam being pursued by Timber

Scott told us to drive just a bit instead of walking – great advice. We hustled and got a series of wonderful shots as Jam walked along the edge of Yellowstone Lake.

We couldn’t see her very well until she walked up from the lakeshore below

She moseyed a bit ...

... before speeding up and taking off in earnest

Jam then walked quickly and we hurried to get ahead of her (you never want to be too far from the car when photographing dangerous animals). Caty saw her go into the water while I was driving. 

I parked and we got out of the car just in time to see her emerge from the lake

She climbed up on a sand spit

Just a little extra hop

She shook herself off ...

... while picking up speed

Now, she was really moving ...

... and, we were barely keeping up

As you can see from the photos, the weather was stunning. The sky and lake were bright blue and the lake surface was calm. 

I realized I was missing great reflection shots as I tried to focus on fast-moving Jam

So, I was trying to keep up with the Bears, while adjusting focal point and length without missing a beat. And, I was also staying mindful of where the Bears were going in case they changed direction, forcing us back to the car.

A bit tricky, but I got some nice reflections

I did better with Timber ...

... who arrived, huffing and puffing, right behind Jam

Trying to keep up

Jam left the shore and dramatically splashed through a lakeside marsh as she ran.

She entered the water ...

... and took off

More great reflections

Timber took a drier route

We noticed that Rangers had blocked traffic in both directions at a bridge just down the road. We figured that this was not their first rodeo and Bears had been crossing beside the bridge for a few days or weeks.

The crowd was pretty thick by now. How does it go from a few watchers to a jam (a Jam jam in this case) so quickly? It is a bit spooky.

You don't want cars connecting with a fast-moving Bear

I lost sight of the Bears as I ran to get ahead of some cars. I missed Jam crossing and just barely caught Timber. I wanted to get a nice telephoto of a crossing Bear with an out-of-focus car jam I the background but wasn’t fast enough. 

This was all I got

They ran up the hill and disappeared. Whether he caught up and mated with her this time, we’ll never know. But reports are that they have been seen mating on other occasions. That’s why next year might be good for COYs.

Quill Action

We found our way back to our car and caught our breath. Then, as we were chimping on our photos, we heard some commotion and realized that Quill was now coming down the hill back by the picnic area where we had been parked before we took off to follow the chase. So we took off.

As we rounded the corner, Caty practically screamed, “he’s right there; RIGHT THERE.” And, he was – about 10-20 feet up the hill from the passenger side. I stopped briefly so she could take a few photos (pulling that long lens into its shortest focal length).

Caty's shots

Then, I pulled over and jumped out to get my shots. I swung around and realized Quill had descended more than I thought. He was maybe 15 feet from me. Maybe less. He looked at me quizzically. Threat? Food? Something to ignore?

I froze for a second and then snapped a few shots as he turned away. I missed the best eye-contact shots because I was, well, very aware I was too, too close.

Not my best

Simultaneously, a woman yelled at me to get back in the car.

Yes, ma’am. That was my plan. I deserved the scolding. I was way too close.

As I was pulling over to the parking area at the Steamboat Point picnic area, Quill crossed the road and went down to the lake.

We hoped he would swim, but he didn’t

What he did was leisurely climb back up.

I was pretty close at this point

He posed for a series of glamor shots

Scott (left) and Caty (right) got virtually identical shots

And, then he ambled across the road and started going back up the hill.

A look back and then up the slope

Superb!

Quill gave us quite a show

Another Hilltop Bear

The next day we had another brief glimpse of a Bear at the top of a ridge.

Coming out of the trees

We’ve been told it was Storm. It can be hard to distinguish these Bears based on color because sometimes (often) they are wet, making them appear much darker than when dry.

Combine that with differences in the angle of the sun, clouds and shade and it can be tricky. 

But, our Yellowstone Bears friends say this is Storm

 Would this be our only shot at her?

Nope!

A Stormy Day

Our last day was truly Storm’s. Caty and I had decided we would stay no later than 4:00 p.m. because we had to drive to Thermopolis, three hours away that evening. We had extended our stay by one night because Caty got a last-minute extra day off. My bright idea (combined with a lack of available Yellowstone rooms and the outrageous costs of lodging in the Park) was to go part of the way home that day and finish up the next day (it is, after all, nine hours to my house).

But, since things were getting exciting at Lake Butte, I wish we had stayed outside the East Entrance at the Pahaska Teepee.

I may be beating this into the ground, but STAY NEAR THE BEARS

Anyway, we were just hanging at Storm Point after a good Black Bear morning.

A real beauty at the Tower/Roosevelt Junction

The number of cars waiting had shrunk to just a two and it was dead. Scott decided to head into Cody to get his oil changed before heading to Thermopolis.

We warned him that he might miss something, but he went.

He missed something.

Caty and I had been patrolling all the usual spots: drive about three miles and turn around and then drive again. Normally, I would make a turn at the Nine-mile Trailhead parking lot to the southeast and then just do a U-turn into a turn-out to the northwest. I would turn and then stop while facing the target area before heading back to Nine-mile.

The area we were patrolling

This time, because of traffic, I pulled out facing away. Caty and I were looking at our photos from earlier when I looked in my rearview mirror and saw that the two cars had grown to at least a dozen.

Something was up. We headed back.

First we saw a Bear at the Ridge that might have been Storm or might have been Rain.

Who is this?

Then, just minutes later, a Bear appeared a bit further down the ridge. It was probably close enough to be the same Bear, but that would have been a very fast transit. 

Bears are fast, so, who knows? 

Not that important. Because, this time, Storm came down the slope.

She hesitated a bit

And, then followed gully down

She then headed to some trees, where I hoped she would sit down for a shady break.

That looked like a nice place to nap

But, she did us one better. She found a tree and scratched her back. She reached, stooped, craned and wiggled.

I wish I could have handled the camera (from which I had removed the strap) and my cell phone (which was still in the car) at the same time because this would have been great video.

This just doesn't do it justice

I am sure Scott would have gotten a video if he had been there.

After a lengthy scratching session, Storm headed down the field farther from us.

She appeared to be on a mission

We think she wanted to cross the road to go for a swim. We hoped she wanted to cross the road to go for a swim.

Cool Yellowstone Lake water

But, the crowd had grown and she hesitated, plunking down in some tall reeds to contemplate her next steps.

Hiding in the reeds

She was bit far from where I parked and I needed to change my camera card (it was processing slowly because it was getting full). Since I was on the opposite side of the road and because Storm was heading away from us, I decided to move my car to the same side of the road (good for Bear security), facing the way she was moving. Caty decided to stay put with some other photographers.

I had trouble getting a space and went a bit farther than I thought I would have to. 

I ended up right in front of her

First, she ran towards the crowd and I thought we might have to seek the safety of our cars or part for her to cross the road (a little tweak of guilt because I couldn't find Caty in the crowd). 

Coming at us fast

Storm turned and ran …

Moving fast

I wasn't sure where she was going

But, she was getting there fast

… and then she went for a dip in a reedy pond.

Contemplating a leap

Getting soaked

Splashing

Twirling

Throughly enjoying herself

Shaking off the water

Standing up

Then, as quickly as she jumped in, she jumped out of the pool ...

Gotta go!

I am so sorry Scott missed it.

After her bath, Storm ran rapidly back up the hill ...

Leaving us in the dust

She gave us a glance and disappeared

What a show!

We waited a bit, but she didn’t come back.

That was a perfect end to our trip. As we headed out of the Park, it clouded up and started to rain. I guess the weather was telling us it was OK to go.

After we got home, I read that Rangers were hazing Storm because, with all her roadside activity, they were afraid she would get hit by a car (that happens frequently).

Regrets

While we were at Yellowstone, we did have those great experiences, but, mainly because of distance, we also missed a few.

The one that hurt most was when Quill encountered a Pine Martin. 

Damn! I have seen a Pine Martin before, but do not have a photo

This was unbelievable! Photos: Brian Allen, Yellowstone Bears

I regret missing early morning shots, especially when Storm went down to Yellowstone Lake and went swimming. 

Both shots from Yellowstone Bears; Left: Brian Allen; Right: Steve Franklin

 I wish we had seen Storm’s brother, Rain (and, maybe, we did). 

From Yellowstone Bears; Left: Shaun Sackett; Right: Carolyn Fox

And, we soooo wanted to see a COY.

Bear 1063 and her COYs; Photo: Carolyn Fox, Yellowstone Bears

Drive Home

But, wishes aside, we had to go home.

The stay in Thermopolis at the Hot Springs Hotel and Spa inside Hot Springs State Park was a bit disappointing. I was looking forward to enjoying the springs and we did go in the hot springs-fed pool. But, the water was murky.

This looks better than it was; Photo: Booking.com

Plus, the hotel seemed rundown and we thought the waitress at the restaurant was going to cry or have a meltdown when we said we wanted dinner (and it wasn’t even that busy).

Our trip home was alternately sunny and rainy, punctuated by a chance to photograph some Common Nighthawks flying around at mid-day. 

I usually see them only at dawn and dusk

Then, we encountered several small herds of Pronghorn with lots of babies.

Unfortunately, they spook easily

So cute.

The best shots were from the car; Photos: Caty Stevens

Trip dates: June 6-12, 2025