TIME-TEMPERATURE- WEATHER:

Early AM (first light-9AM): 49 warm degrees at 4:30 in SG

Late AM (9-noon) not recorded but already approaching 80 at 11

Evening: 4:30-9PM not recorded

CROWD: normally nutty for this time of year

SUMMARY FOR THE DAY: Rick and I go to Hayden again today and see 2 pups with a single adult. While we were south, Paul got a glimpse of two Mollies pups (1B/1G) to the right of the den forest from Confluence East. In the evening, Laurie and Dan and I see one Mollie’s gray returning to the den forest from the south, around 7:30 from Confluence East.

WOLF SIGHTINGS (total; pack; individuals, pullout, time of day): 4 total wolves from two packs

3 Wapiti wolves; 1 uncollared black adult and 2 black pups from North Alum in Hayden around 7AM

1 Mollies wolf (uncollared gray) arriving at the den forest around 7:30PM from Confluence East

NON-WOLF SIGHTINGS (what & where)

Grizzly: Evening from Confluence East. Two grizzlies up on Norris. One is dark and big while the other is smaller and more golden. They mate, then move into the forest. A half hour later, big male grizzly shows up again. He ambles slowly downslope, forcing two bedded bison bulls to get to their feet, just with his presence.

Bison: Lamar, Little America, Hayden, and in the evening, two bedded bulls up on Mt. Norris forced to their feet by the big boar grizzly

Coyote: When I check the coyote den in the late morning, I don’t see any activity. It’s probably too warm for them, now.

Mule deer: in the early morning around Warm Creek

Elk: a few in Hayden

Fox: We see the local fox on our way in this evening

Geese: Lamar and Hayden

Moose: On our way back to SG in the late morning we see the mama moose with her new calf north of the road near the Owl meadow. On the way back in the evening we see a young bull at Warm Creek to the south.

Pronghorn: Lamar, Little America

EARLY MORNING HIGHLIGHTS (first light-approx 9AM) I plan to go to Hayden again this morning. On my way I stop at LCW in case the Junctions are at home. Nope. Rick pulls in and we decide to carpool to Hayden.

The drive is easy and pretty. When we arrive in Hayden, it’s already 52 degrees and it’s only 6AM!

We start in the double Alum lot where we were yesterday but find no wolves. However, we hear radio reports that those north of us DO see wolves, so we move there.

Too late. Out of sight. So we go back to the double lot. Still nothing. Then people on Grizzly Hill (south) start reporting wolves. We go there. Too late. Out of sight.

We go back to the north Alum lot where Melba has wolves and I can see one via her phone attachment.

Its a single black adult which I finally see in my own scope on Wapiti Slope. A moment later, I see two pups just beyond the black. They are not in view very long but at least I am no longer wolfless!

Rick admits he doesn’t know Hayden like he knows the Northern Range. Neither do I. Each of the pullouts offers a slightly different angle on the prominent Wapiti Slope/runway hill which has become the most common place to find Wapiti wolves since they stopped regularly using the Sour Creek rendezvous on the east side of the road.

But the background view of each is radically different. For example, from Grizzly Hill, the “den forest” is the immediate background of Wapiti Slope and makes you think the two features are next to each other and connected. It’s an illusion.

From the Double Alum lot, the den forest seems to be a mile or so away and far to the right of “Wapiti Slope”. Whereas, from Alum North, the den forest is even further to the right and not connected at all.

To make it more confusing, there are certain obvious landmarks visible from each pullout that are not visible at all from the other pullouts (such as rally rock) which is ONLY visible from Grizzly Hill and from there looks to be right next to Wapiti Slope.

But the weather is great and the Hayden regulars are very helpful. I chat with Melba and Terri from Colorado and meet the couple Kurt and Beth who were long-time camp hosts at Slough a while ago.

We leave around 8:45 to return to Lamar.

LATE MORNING HIGHLIGHTS (approx 9AM-12 noon) I catch up with Paul at Slough. He looked for Junctions today but did not find them either. However, he happily relates that he finally saw two Mollie pups (one black and one gray) very briefly this morning, about an hour after I left.

I find Laurie and Dan at the Ranch, chatting with friends. They saw the coyote pups earlier, but they are underground now, due to the heat.

I continue east and scope for Mollies from Lower Exclosure. Alas, I see no wolves. Laurie and Dan stop by around 11, and I follow them back to Silver Gate.

We see the mama moose with her new calf at the Owl Meadow.

EVENING HIGHLIGHTS (approx 4:30PM-9PM) We have a bittersweet sendoff with Maureen and Rick this afternoon. They will be back in September, though. Laurie and Dan and I go out around 5.

We scope from Confluence East, which offers as good a view of the Mollies den area as Geriatric, without having to climb that hill. However, the steady stream of passing cars makes it less pleasant.

Nevertheless, we enjoy ourselves.

We see two grizzlies up on Norris. One is dark and big while the other is smaller and more golden. Turns out these two are courting. And it further becomes clear that she likes him, a lot!

They mate for several minutes up in their Mt. Norris penthouse while we are rude enough to watch. Once they finish, she leads him into the forest to the east, where I think she shows him her ideas for their dinnerware.

I decide to check out the view of the Mollies area from Hitching Post. I set up right in the lot and begin scanning to get my bearings. I recognize some distinctive trees and suddenly see an adult gray arriving from the west. He is on a route that will lead to the line of trees where they always disappear.

I drive back to Laurie & Dan to tell them about the wolf (they dont have their radio tonight) and find they have already spotted the gray.

He’s now out of sight. We stay a while longer but see no more wolves.

But then the big male grizzly shows up again. He’s not the marrying kind, I suppose. He ambles slowly downslope, forcing two bedded bison bulls to get to their feet, just with his presence.

On our way back to Silver gate we have the local fox and a different moose (a young male) south of Warm Creek.

WHAT I MISSED: Paul saw two Mollie pups (one black and one gray) very briefly this morning, approx. 6:30AM from Confluence East.

TODAY I SAW: two grizzlies, bison (and calves), mule deer, a fox, 3 moose (including a calf), pronghorn, 4 wolves from 2 packs (Wapiti black adult and 2 pups plus Mollie uncollared gray) and the spirits of Allison, Richard, Jeff and Chloe.

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS, IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER:

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 hill’s 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)