TIME-TEMPERATURE- WEATHER:

Early AM (first light-9AM): cold and clear 19 in SG; 12 in Lamar 5:40

Late AM (9-noon) I leave Slough at 10AM. By 11AM it has reached 35

Evening: 4:30-9PM 35 in Gardiner back to SG at 8PM

Snow Level (roads/landscape): About 2 new inches at SG, Lamar and Slough. Mammoth got 3-4.

Water/Ice Level (ponds and rivers): Blacktail ponds mostly melted out.

CROWD: normal for April

SUMMARY FOR THE DAY: No wolves on Crystal East carcass. From Daves 10 Junctions total, most on the south side getting a new baby bison. I leave at 10 to go to Bozeman for resupply. Upon my return to Slough around 7PM I find Junctions in the flats.

WOLF SIGHTINGS (total; pack; individuals, pullout, time of day): 10 total wolves

10 Junctions (7B/3G) One of the blacks is first seen in the flats from Daves in the AM. Most of the others are seen to the south, taking a newborn bison calf. Evening sighting from Bobs of Junctions in the flats.

NON-WOLF SIGHTINGS (what & where)

Black bear: a jam at Phantom Lake for a single bear roughly 6PM from car

Grizzly: around 7PM from Bobs. A single bear close to Marge. He finds something to eat and lies down to eat it.

Bison: various usual spots

Coyote: from Dave’s in the AM. 1 near sage den. Sticks its head in, then runs east. 2 more near wolves as they are eating placenta on the south side

Sandhill crane: In Slough flats from Daves

Mule deer: on sidewalk in Gardiner; also one crosses the road at HR in PM

Elk: near airport in Gardiner; big herd east of Tom Miner

Osprey: on nest east of Emmigrant, East side of 89

Pronghorn: Little America and OGR from road in late morning then more south of Longs in PM

Swan: 3. A single swimming in Slough creek near the beach as yearling passes by. And a pair flying across 89 at Emmigrant

EARLY MORNING HIGHLIGHTS (first light till 9AM) First stop at Lamar Canyon West, nothing on the carcass. We move to Daves.

Ginny finds a single bedded black in the meadow left of Marge, likely the missing wolf Bill found yesterday. It’s the small uncollared yearling with the white chest-spot.

We hear howling. The yearling does too and moves towards the creek, then goes east. We follow it to where it crosses creek near gravel-pile lot on campground road. Then it goes up towards Secret Passage.

We still hear faint howling coming from the south. Sam finds wolves to the south, low, just above the trees that line the Lamar on the west end of the Canyon.

The mom is away from the herd, probably because she just gave birth.

The Junctions are just above the Lamar near the west end of the Canyon, trying to get a brand new calf away from a fiesty mom.

At least 6 wolves (probably more) are excitedly focused on the poor isolated cow as she continues to try to defend her tiny, overwhelmed calf. She he knocks it over several times, wheeling this way and that. I think she even steps on it a couple of times but the tiny thing survives each accidental blow and gamely stays close to its embattled mom.

The wolves take turns bedding down to rest while other continue the siege.

The limping black wolf picks up a mass that I think is the placenta. He carries it uphill and settles down to eat it. A gray steals it and starts to feed. A third wolf, a bit silvery (1385F) joins these two. Eventually the three wolves share the morsel.

The cow and calf move downslope behind thick trees. Pursuit continues. I dont think the calf has a chance, though, since mom is far from herd.

After about an hour, we see wolves heading down behind trees. Birds flush. Mom re-appears. Looks like the calf has been killed.

Soon one black wolf comes up carrying the small body.

Black puts carcass down, wolves start to feed. Cow stands over the remains, sniffing and pushing with her hoof. Wolves annoyed but do not attack the cow.

Cow leaves at 9:20 and moves west. Wolves converge on carcass and feed.

LATE MORNING HIGHLIGHTS (9AM-12 noon) I leave Slough around 10 and go west, heading to Bozeman. I see a few animals on the way but no wolves

EVENING HIGHLIGHTS (4:30PM-9PM) I return to Slough (Bobs) around 6:30PM and see 9 Junctions (7B/2G) now on the north side, bedded low in the flats, close to the creek below the bottom of the Lion meadow. I dont stay long, but head east round 7:15

TODAY I SAW: a black bear, a grizzly bear, bison, coyotes, sandhill cranes, mule deer, elk, an osprey, pronghorn, swans, 10 Junction wolves (7B/3G) 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)

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)