TIME-TEMPERATURE- WEATHER:

Early AM (first light-9AM): 14 in SG; 11 in valley. Crystal clear making first light early

Late AM (9-noon) 40 at 10:15AM (Slough);

Evening: 4:30-9PM: 55 at 4:30PM from SG; back to SG 8PM

Snow Level (roads/landscape): remaining snow rapidly melting

Water/Ice Level (ponds and rivers): Lamar muddy

CROWD: normal for April

OVERNIGHT NEWS: Sometime around 8:30PM (well after I drove through) people in Lamar watched several Mollies chase bison near the foothills. They attacked and wounded an adult bison near the double foothill right as it got dark.

SUMMARY FOR THE DAY: At Slough, Junctions are seen both north and south. They howl to each other, resulting in most of the south-side wolves crossing to join 1385. They inspect the dens, roam about, then bed. 1 black & 1478F remain on south side as of 10:30AM.

In the evening, a Junction hunting party 6B/2G heads west (seen from Slough roadside) and again from Aspen.

WOLF SIGHTINGS (total; pack; individuals, pullout, time of day): 11 total wolves (all Junctions)

11 Junctions (8B/3G) (full pack) from Daves in AM

9 Junctions (7B/2G) are seen in the den area from Slough roadside, including a hunting party 6B/2G that goes west. 1385 remains at/in the natal den.

NON-WOLF SIGHTINGS (what & where)

Grizzly: 3 bears! A single boar is visible north of the road in the SBV early morning, just below the two Mollies wolves.

In the evening, I see a single boar right of Mixed Forest from Aspen while looking for the Junction hunting party. The bear spots a lone elk below and runs at it. The elk sprints downhill to safety. Griz turns east and quickly disappears.

Black bear: 3. Cinnamon black bear and two black cubs in Lamar Canyon (west end of north side)

Bison: various, usual spots

Coyote: on south side near bison carcass from LCW

Elk: from Daves in AM and Aspen in PM, mostly north side between Moms Ridge and Slough Den

Fox: at Warm Creek from car, 7:30PM

Moose: in RP around 7-8AM

Pronghorn: various, usual spots from Daves and car

Bighorn sheep: on cliffs above Slough den from Daves

EARLY MORNING HIGHLIGHTS (first light till 9AM) Many of us spread out in Lamar this morning looking for Mollies because people reported that they wounded a bison near the foothills last night. But no one finds the wolves, nor any sign of a carcass. Some go to Slough to check there.

I stay in Lamar, checking the Confluence area when Gabriel calls. He has spotted a gray north of the road from SB Midpoint. By the time I arrive, the animal is out of sight. I drive up to Round Prairie and find a single moose to the north.

I scan around a bit longer, as do a few others, but no wolves appear.

Around 7AM I am at Slough, climbing up Daves where a Junction sighting is already in progress. At first I see 2 Junctions in the den area: 1385F and the front-limping black yearling. They are howling.

There are also wolves on the south side (spotted by Jakob) chasing bison below Crystal Rock. Chorus howl from the south side wolves, answered by north side two.

Eventually I see 8 wolves on south side (6B/2G). They head downhill in an attempt to cross.

1385 stands on the porch of the natal den. Then she and limping black move down slope below the western trees.

Several Junctions have already crossed to the north and are running quickly through the flats. I see them near the beach. 5 blacks and 1 gray swim/wade the creek and continue loping towards the bottom of the lion meadow. In this group is 1392M, the non-limping uncollared black adult, the uncollared gray, GPS black 1545M and two cocoa/brindle blacks, one with bling collar. (1489M)

The group makes steady progress uphill and are greeted by the limping black, then have a second joyous greeting with 1385F.

South-side wolves are 1478F, 1484M and a single black. These three move west, looking for a spot to cross the road.

North side wolves gather to sniff the sage den. Several go inside; others just stick their heads in. The uncollared gray male continues his rambunctious behavior, jumping on his fellow pack members. He rests his head over the shoulder of 1385F for a brief sweet moment before she shrugs him off.

The alpha male and two other blacks take a trip to the natal den. All three go inside, one after the other. As each comes out they shake dirt off vigorously.

GPS black 1545M makes a solo visit to the sage den and sticks his head in for a bit before joining other wolves near the eastern trees.

Most of the pack beds between the eastern and western trees. 1385F takes a walk to the natal den and disappears inside for almost 20 minutes.

LATE MORNING HIGHLIGHTS (9AM-12 noon) At 10:30 I start to pack up to leave when suddenly several bedded wolves lift their heads. In another minute they get up to greet a collared gray (1484M) now arriving at the western trees. 1385 bursts out of the natal den and rushes to greet him.

After a while they settle back down. I check the south side and find 1478 and a single black headed up Divide Ridge.

EVENING HIGHLIGHTS (4:30PM-9PM) At 5:20 from Slough roadside I see a few wolves wagging their tails, having a rally in the bracken below natal den.

They visit the natal den, jostling and wagging their tails. They form a hunting party and set off up the den cliff, hooking a left (west) at the top. I count 8 (6B/2G).

I move to Aspen and find a grizzly. I keep scanning and notice elk staring intently the east at…the Junction hunting party! They appear from behind a hill due north of the Aspen lot, not as high as I expected.

They move at a steady trot, in a tidy line, silently through the sage. Small groups of elk above and below them nervously watch their progress. They pass several bison herds. One bunches but they ignore it. The wolves run towards the next herd, making them run until one cow in the group wises up, and they stop and bunch, foiling the wolves.

The wolves move on and stop to assess small group of six or seven bison below them. They circle the bison, and several wolves press an attack, making contact with one bison. But the that kicks forcefully and get away.

Wolves give up and continue west, passing above the mixed forest. When they reach the far west side of the forest they begin going downhill.

They stop on their haunches, looking intently into a ravine or gully. A line of trees blocks my view of what may be below. One by one the wolves move down and out of sight.

At 6:45PM I head back east to look for Mollies but dont find any.

TODAY I SAW: 3 black bears (including 2 cubs), 3 grizzly bears, bison (and calves), coyote, elk, a fox, a moose, pronghorn, bighorn sheep, all 11 Junctions (8 black 3 gray) and the spirits of Allison, Richard, Jeff and Chloe

ALPHABETICAL INDEX OF ABBREVIATIONS:

DF: Diagonal Forest (a feature east of the Slough den)

DPH: Dead Puppy Hill, the partly treed hill below the crest of Mt. Norris immediately south of Footbridge pullout. Named by coyote researchers before the 1995 wolf reintroduction. The hill has been a popular area with local wolf packs since wolves were reintroduced. It has held several coyote dens over the years, but to my knowledge, this year is the first time a wolf pack has denned on it. The Mollies chose an area on the western slope above the new growth forest, and produced at least two pups, one black and one gray, which were seen infrequently during June.

HF: Horizontal Forest (another feather east of the Slough den

HR: Hellroaring (large overlook pullout on the Blacktail)

LCW: Lamar Canyon West (pullout on the western side of Lamar Canyon) that overlooks a lot of, but not all of, the area wolves use at Slough.

MST: Marge Simpson Tree (distinctive tree in Slough Flats) In 2024, the Junctions used the meadows below and left of Marge as their August-October rendezvous.

OGR: "The OGR" Old Gardiner Road (current name for the new road hastily constructed after the 2022 flood on top of the former gravel road between Mammoth and Gardiner)

RP: Round Prairie (big meadow south of Pebble Creek campground)

SB: Soda Butte (or SBV Soda Butte Valley) where Soda Butte Creek flows between Round Prairie and its Confluence with the Lamar River)

SG: Silver Gate (small town just outside the northeast Park entrance)

SRT: Southern Round Tree (distinctive tree south of the Marge Simpson Tree)

UCG: Un-collared gray (Junction 2 yr-old bouncy male). Born to the Rescue Creek Pack, he joined the Junction Pack sometime in February 2025.

YGM: Yellow Grass Meadow (a feature east of and upslope of the Horizontal forest at Slough)