We leave the Super 8 just after 9AM and start our Yellowstone adventure as tradition demands by driving through the Arch.

There are numerous pronghorn and quite a few elk in view as we wind up the OGR.

We say hello to Allison just before the road descends into Mammoth.

Our first stop is at Nature Trail but we find no one about.

As we crest the hill going east, we see several cars, including Kathie’s at the North Butte lot. She is out of her car, folding up her scope.

She tells us the Rescue crew watching their wolves way up on the eastern slope of North Butte, from which she just returned. She is going to Hellroaring to see the Junctions on a fresh bison carcass.

We perk up at this news and head to Hellroaring ourselves.

Luckily, this sighting has been going on a while so there is room for both mine and Kathie’s car.

Becky is using Chloe’s scope with a new light-weight titanium tripod.

The Junction crew is here, including Ruby (whom I met in January) plus Anna, and the charming Cameron.

Wolf watcher friends Jeff and Sian are also here, as is champion pup-watcher Paul. They all assist us in finding our first wolves of the day.

The carcass is just west of Little Buffalo Drainage, about half-way up the slope, out in the open. It’s a hard spot to find initially since there are few “markers” to guide you. But once I find it I commit it to memory.

I see two black wolves feeding and a gray walking away. Panning about I find several other pack members bedded in sage and snow upslope and left of the carcass.

The carcass itself, as is nearly always the case, is hidden in a depression, but the many birds, including 3 bald eagles, help pinpoint the spot.

Ruby tells me this is the sixth kill in six days for this pack. That sounds like an amazing record. Perhaps the infusion of young males into this pack has energized it.

The wolves have a rally but they are too far away for us to hear their howling.

Most of the wolves have now left the carcass and are heading up to the bedding spot. I follow the last black as he trudges up the hill.

In their absence, the birds move in. Cameron says he;s counted five bald eagles on it.

A small four-legged animal approaches the carcass from the left. Oh! It’s a fox!

Before the fox gets to feed, though, the last black spots him and dashes back to give chase. A gray joins the black as the fox dashes to safety in the trees.

The wolves give up and return to the carcass, flushing the birds. They make a show of feeding again, but were really only trying to catch the fox. In less than a minute, both wolves are headed upslope again.

Around noon, Becky and I continue east, giving credit to Chloe for getting this lucky sighting today.

We drive through the beautiful Blacktail Plateau landscape, then into Little America and Lamar, finding lots of snow along the way.

As we enter Lamar, we admire the ever-changing braids of the Lamar in the valley and at the Confluence.

We continue east through Soda Butte Valley all the way to Silver Gate. I stop to take a photo of Laurie’s driveway because someone has plowed it. She and Dan are arriving in April, so it will likely be in good shape for their return.

We drive up as far as Cooke City and then turn around.

The day has turned warm and sunny, making all the views delightful.

We see only bison on our return journey then stop at Tower where we run into Calvin & Lynette. They suggest dinner again at the Rusty Nail to celebrate Bill H’s arrival. We say yes!

We also invite Jeff, Kevin M and Sian.

Our next stop is at the big ski lot near Petrified tree. Again Chloe delivers good luck to us. The black bear is visible – out of the den!

Becky sets up her scope while I use binos. The bear moves sleepily, as if she is drugged (which I guess is sort of similar to being in a hibernating state). She slowly and repeatedly scrapes dry vegetation that looks like straw into the den hole.

After several minutes of this, she backs into the den and settles down. As she turns, I see tiny pink face briefly appear near her own. It’s a cub! (She has two).

We stop again at Hellroaring and watch the Junctions sleep a while. Looks like they have moved a bit further upslope.

The radio crackles to life and we hear Bill’s voice. He’s found a grizzly from Elk Creek on his very first day!

We pack up and drive back there to welcome and congratulate him. The bear is quite a distance away, up on Specimen, above the Canyon. It happens to be in an area where I have seen Junctions hunting elk in past visits.

I credit Chloe again (although I’m not sure she meant it for Bill or us. I guess both! The bear remains visible for a good half hour, roaming back north. It spooks a herd of bighorn sheep and they dash away.

I have noticed that when sheep run in a group to avoid a predator, they seem to flow across the ground, almost like water. It’s a cool “special effect”.

The herd stops and looks back at the bear, noticing that he is not chasing them.

Several cars stop to ask what we’re seeing and we happily show them the bear, crediting Bill for the sighting.

Around 4PM we head back west.

The Rescue Crew is still perched on North Butte. They will remain their till dusk unless their wolves move.

We enjoy our drive back to Gardiner, seeing elk and pronghorn again from the OGR.

We have another delightful dinner with our friends. The bar graciously opens it’s dining room for us to use since there are eight of us!

Today I saw: 2 black bears (mom and a piece of one cub), 1 grizzly bear, bison, 5 bald eagles, elk, a fox, pronghorn, bighorn sheep, 7 of 11 Junction wolves (6 blacks and one gray, including 1385F, 1479F and a large collared black) and the spirits of Allison, Richard, Jeff and Chloe.