Yellowstone - Part Three - Wolves continued

We had gone on our first hike of the tour.  It was a short distance and our destination was a former wolf den.  The den had later been taken over as a grizzly for hibernating, so modifications had been made.  Either way, it seemed tiny!  I'm sure both creatures were cursing that large root that obstructed the opening.  I hope that it goes back a lot farther then it looks, because it looks like I could barely fit in it. 

On Day two, we had the carcass in Lamar Valley that had a lot of action  The carcass was in a low spot so I couldn't see it, but was told there was a wolf on it.  I could see two coyotes lurking around and a bunch of ravens.  But then something happened.  That grizzly started coming in as I previously discussed.  The wolf sensed that and was not happy. It started to run down Lamar Valley away from us and the incoming grizzly.   We to choose between the wolf and grizzly.  After watching the grizzly for a bit, we decided to drive down the road to see if we could follow the wolf. 

Wolf realizing a grizzly was coming in.

As we got there, we found out the wolf had already crossed the road was heading up the hill.  We crept along hoping we could catch another glimpse. Sure enough it popped into view for a brief moment before it was again absorbed by the rolling sagebrush. 

Wolf on the move

We ended up last day of the tour with another short hike.  At that point, we could either hike around a small lake or as I had suggested that we spend that time looking for wildlife on the road on our way back.  We were quite a distance from our hotel so there would ample opportunity.  Somehow without a vote, my suggestion had won out.  We were already running terribly late, which I didn't care since I would be twiddling my thumbs back at the cabin.  It was not great wildlife viewing time.  But fate was on our side as we cruised along. I spotted something in the road....."It's a wolf!"...I yelled.  A lone gray wolf was casually and slowly walking away from the road. It was panting and probably was a long run.  We even had a great spot to pull off the road.  Everyone got the chance to take photos. Even the camera phone and point and shoot folks.  Just as it was about to disappear in the sagebrush, it turned around and came back.  It seemed to be checking if it was being followed/chased.  Then back into the sagebrush and it was gone.  Barely anyone else on the road saw this.  Perhaps one other car (Kermit green jeep, I'm thinking of you).  No mob scene. No lunatics getting too close or parking in the middle of the road.  Time seemed to stand still. I can't even tell you how long we were there. It felt like ages.  Long enough to take a million photos and stop and just enjoy what was happening.

No rush! I'm pretty tired.

How's this pose?

Be sure to check out my dark spot scent marker on my tail and notice my long legs. 

The tour was now over and I had a day and a half left at Yellowstone.  On the full day, I tried to "see everything else" at Yellowstone and tried to do it as quickly as possible so that I could drive those same roads as we did on the tour.  It wasn't as much fun since it was just my eyes on the road and I had to worry about parking my car.  I didn't have access to binoculars or spotting scopes.  I had made it back to Lamar on the day I was flying out.  I arrived to another distant carcass being visited by some bears and a lone wolf.  It also was that point of the vacation of when you know it's pretty much over and really really don't want to leave.  You just want to absorb as much as you can so won't forget anything.  The view on this wolf wasn't great at the time, but I got a bonus when I went home and looked at the photos.  I realize now that this wolf was carrying probably a leg in its mouth as it ran off.  I suspect that the wolf had been on the distant carcass , grabbed the leg (too many other visitors), and was now on the move.

Wolves, foxes, and bobcats oh my!

I went and saw the wolves again this week. This time I went during the week to avoid the flocks of small children. It was mostly a success. Also as compared to last time, most of my photos were in focus. These two wolves in the above pic were doing the typical contest most dogs owners will witness. One kicks up some dirt and marks and then the other nonchalantly, of course, will do the same. Then repeat until completely empty.

Midway through our tour, the wolves took a howl break. Here's a portion of the action. They preempted the howling section of the talk.

After the wolf talk, it was time for the bobcats and foxes. Apparently the one bobcat we saw last time no longer comes out for presentations. The characteristics in house cats that some people don't like is amped up in the wild ones. These bobcats can be demanding divas and when they don't get their way you won't win. I wasn't able to capture the nearly instant transformation from sweet meow to low guttural snarl.

Lakota Wolf Walk

Following our attempt to get to Raccoon Ridge, a diner run, and refueling, we headed to the Lakota Wolf Walk. The parking area was packed and we decided to walk to the Wolf Walk rather than being driven in the bus. In theory, it wasn't that far and was through the woods. We huffed and puffed our way up the hill. Mind you we just came from a long hike, so our legs and lungs were already burning. But we made it and the wolves were seen lounging about or occasionally running along the double chain link fence. There were four enclosures for each of the wolf packs/types. They had ample woods, a small pond and a water trough. The wolves knew that it was time for doggie treats and they headed to the fence. They were rewarded for their appearance with a doggie treat and a pet through the fence by the tour guide. I still can't pick my favorite wolf let along my favorite wolf pack. We then got to try to make the wolves howl. Of course, it didn't work. But our tour guide called forward his howliest wolf (a puppy) and then howled to the wolves. Howlie started right in and soon enough it became a case of the crying baby syndrome. More wolves chimed in (the other half of the wolves couldn't even be bothered to even sit up and continued with their naps) and just when you thought there were done another wolf started in and the whole cycle began again. It was very cool! Each wolf knows its name. I could've stayed there all day just watching them. Unfortunately, it is very difficult to take focused pictures through a chain link fence. The camera focuses on the fence and the wolves get blurred out.

Reluctantly, we left the wolf area and headed over to hear the fox and bobcat talks. The foxes were cute. I don't know why I didn't take any pics. I did have a bad vantage point (thanks to our late arrival) and was disheartened from all the blurry wolf pics. So that's probably why. But one of the foxes was super enchanted with the tour guide. He wouldn't leave her side and just gazed at her for at least 20 minutes. The promise of occasional treats and dinner! We heard a bunch of cool fox stories. I won't retell so you guys will have to go there and hear them for yourselves. Then the foxes were put away so the bobcats could come out. They were super cute and apparently are ferocious. More funny bobcat stories ensue. The entertaining part was watching the tour guide try to avoid being bitten by Cache the male bobcat. Below is apparently an action shot of Cache coming close to attacking. Did you know that a bobcat can take down a deer? Yes. It's true and crazy!