Yellowstone and Jackson Hole winter wildlife!!!

2010-01-25T11:00:00.000-08:00

Hello,

I have just returned from my trip to Yellowstone National Park and Jackson Hole photographing the incredible local wildlife! I flew into Bozeman Montana and stayed with Donna and Jack Hunt good friends of mine who have lived there for nearly 10 years and they are loving it! After a few days of adjusting to the cold weather of Montana and preparing for my 4 day safari. Greg Falk my guide picked me up early morning in Bozeman on Jan. 15th and we started heading toward Gardiner, the northern entrance to Yellowstone National Park. Our first sighting as we came into Yellowstone were of a large herd Bighorn Sheep along the dramatic hillside. Bighorns are known to climbing steep terrain where they seek cover from predators such as eagles, coyotes and cougars. They are named for their large curved horns that can weigh up to 30 pounds. Greg had spotted a female Bighorn jumping over the Gardiner River...he couldn't believe she made the jump! There was a male not far behind her and Greg was certain that the male would follow female. I ran down the hillside to get ready for him to jump! Just in time I caught a photo of him mid air jumping across the Gardiner River!!! I was in shock, he cleared about 20 feet.....unbelievable! During the day we spotted Elk, Bison, Pronghorn and Coyote. I was fortunate enough to get within 15 feet of the coyote along the Lamar River. When we first came across this Coyote he was eyeing down a Bighorn Sheep that was up high on the hill. After a bit of a staring contest between the two of them the coyote proceeded to continue on his business in hunting mice. He was trying to figure out a meal before sundown so he was very active the entire time we were with him....which was exiting! 7am the next morning at negative 8 degrees we were out and about beginning our journey for spotting wolves in Lamar Valley. At about 10am we spotted a gray and black wolf up high on the hill about a half a mile away. It was very exciting to see them in the wild! Occasionally, single wolves are found in the wild but packs are more common. Lone wolves are typically driven from their pack or young adults in search of new territory. Greg believed the two we spotted were from a pack that they were returning to over the hill. It was challenging to get photos due to the distance. I was fortunate enough to go to a Wolf Sanctuary in West Yellowstone where I was able to capture some photos of their natural behavior. On our way out of Yellowstone we came across a herd of Buffalo blocking the road we were driving on. They were trying to climb up the steep challenging hillside knee deep in snow. Greg had expressed concern for their survival. When they burn so much energy climbing they don't have enough weight to keep them warm during the long winter. In the winter Bison forage in the snow looking for grass. If there is little available, Bison have to resort to eating twigs of shrubs. A couple of miles down the road we came across another Bison herd that was running, I jumped out of the car for some action shots and Greg had to leave and go turn around at a pull off point. Looking through the lens I could see two Bison stampeding my way I grabbed my equipment and I started running for my life! Greg had said to be sure not to get close or they will attack. Needless to say I survived! Leaving Yellowstone we had to take a "Road Trip" to Jackson Hole, Wyoming due to gates being closed in the park during the winter time. It was about a six hour scenic drive which was absolutely stunning! Waking up in Jackson we were on the look out for Moose. Bull moose drop their antlers in mid January so Greg was not sure if we would come across a bull Moose. The male will drop it's antlers after mating season to conserve energy for the winter. A new set of antlers will then regrow in the spring. Antlers take up to three to five months to fully develop. Greg with his excellent eye spotted a Bull Moose about 3 football fields away! We decided to get out of the car and get closer on foot. It was absolutely amazing the view of the Bull Moose and the backdrop of The Grand Tetons. I was so lucky to see him! I was convinced he was just waiting for the day for those antlers to drop, they looked very very heavy on his head.

Well thanks for reading and I really appreciate all of your support! It has been an exciting journey, I will keep you posted on what's next!

If you have any questions please contact me at carrie@zellerphotography.com.

If you would like to contact my guide Greg Falk here is his website www.upstreamanglers.com he was a fantastic guide!

Yellowstone and Jackson Hole in Winter

Yellowstone and Jackson Hole winter wildlife!!!