I leave Silver Gate at 6:40. It’s a pleasant, normal 16 degrees

The general store is still sporting its Christmas lights!

Jeff sent Laurie a note that he spotted a single gray wolf in Round Prairie on his way home. So, I stop here to see if the wolf is still around. However, I find thick fog this morning, so I don’t stay long.

Alas for me, shortly after I left, two Shrimp Lake wolves appeared.

I also heard that the Druid Peak cougar was seen from Footbridge again about a week ago, so I stop to look but have no luck.

I have the pullout to myself, though, this cold early morning, so I relish it.

I hear a coyote start to yip to the northeast, so I turn my scope in that direction hoping to find it. Next, I hear what sounds like a low, sustained howl. Imagine my surprise when the “howl” turns out to be the sount of Jeff’s camper! Hah!

He stops when he sees me and asks if I heard the call on the radio. I didn’t because I left it in the car to try to find what was “howling”. He grins and says “Sian just called; Animals at Hellroaring”.

And off we go.

About 40 minutes later I arrive at Lower Hellroaring, since Sian updated us that the Upper lot has already filled. Luckily, the wolves she spotted are high enough on the slope for us to see from here.

I train my scope on the Coyote Creek drainage of the main Hellroaring slope. I see several wolves and recognize the Junction the alpha male. Next I see 907F and 1479F, all moving east towards two groups of elk.

As the wolves spread out I count a total of nine: five blacks and four grays. The right group of elk begins run and the wolves give chase. They continue higher and higher then both predators and prey go out of sight. A few minutes later, we hear a beautiful group howl.

Even though we cannot see them, we know where they must be. It’s a gorgeous sound.

Ten minutes later, I find them coming out of a different drainage, a bit to the east. They bed in view for a while, then get up and move back west towards another group of elk.

These elk run into the Hellroaring Creek drainage. The wolves give chase and again we lose them all.

Then three bull elk emerge from trees that line the eastern side of the drainage, lit beautifully in the glow of the morning sun. They turn and face downslope, very likely watching the wolves chase different elk.

We never see the wolves come back out so Laurie thinks they may have gotten one in there. Those at the Upper lot can’t see them either. Around 11:30, with no wolves in sight for over an hour, we head back east.

In Lamar a coyote crosses the road just west of Yellowstone picnic.

I stop at Footbridge to try again for a cat sighting. I end up chatting with a visitor named Scott whom I met in February looking for this same lion. He was one of the lucky folk who saw a single gray wolf this morning at Round Prairie. He says he also saw 3 moose and a fox there.

I join Laurie & Dan in Silver Gate for a break and do my stretches.

Later in the afternoon, Laurie gets a report from guide Michelle that she saw several Shrimp Lake wolves on the north side in Lamar, near Hubbard Hill.

A gray pup from that pack ran down the hill to the road, chasing after a bison. The bison reached the road and galloping along it well past Mid-Point. The pup soon stopped and climbed back up to its family, but the bison continued galloping on the snow-free road all the way to the Confluence.

We decide to head back out to look for the Shrimps.

I hear later from my photographer friend Veronica that she happened to be having lunch in her car in the Confluence lot when this bison came galloping by!

Once it passed, she headed back west and stopped when she saw Michelle’s scope pointing north. Michelle showed her the gray pup as it was still climbing towards its family.

I find the Crew in Lamar just east of Hubbard Hill with scopes pointed north. Jeremy kindly puts my scope on the spot. THank you! I don’t think I would have found them if he hadn’t!

I see three bedded grays; the alphas and one of the pups. As Laurie and Dan arrive the wolves begin to move, one at a time, to the east, in the direction of a very large bison herd, grazing just below skyline.

Eventually I see five grays (the alphas, the almost 2-year-old male, and two of the three pups.

Before I can help Laurie and Dan with directions, the wolves move out of sight. So, I follow them to Picnic to try looking back. As soon as we set up, Dan finds them.

They are now higher on the hill. Their progress causes the bison to bunch and move away. I see four of the five grays I saw before.

When I look up from my scope, I am surprised to see that we are the only people in Lamar Valley. It’s a very pleasant evening, warm for March (40) and very sunny.

We watch the wolves as they remain on skyline a while, then trot out of sight.

As we head back east, there is beautiful golden light on the fingers of Norris.

With no other traffic around, we cruise slowly through Round Prairie. Sure enough, we catch a glimpse of a single gray wolf, very likely the third Shrimp Lake pup. It’s bedded on the hill above the willows, howling. Poor thing seems to have missed the train.

So, the only Shrimp Pack wolf we didn’t see tonight is the black female. I wouldn’t be surprised if she was in the area, sticking close to the remaining pup.

We pass two foxes between Baronette and Warm Creek.

Today I saw: bison, a coyote, elk, two foxes, 15 wolves (9 Junctions including 907F, Alpha male, 1479F and six others) and 6 Shrimp Lake wolves (including 1228F, 1488M, the 2-year-old male plus all three gray pups) and the spirits of Allison, Richard, Jeff and Chloe.