Luck and careful observation allowed us to see 9 of the 11 Junction Pack. They have been frequenting their rendezvous site in the Lamar Valley. The pack has 3 pups at this time but had given birth to 7 others who apparently died over the spring and summer. The Wolf Watchers saw one of the pups killed by one of the adult males, they also witnessed a number of dead pups buried by one of the female wolves. What happened? That is a mystery which needs to be researched and observed in the future. Several of the wolves in the pack are collared so they can collect data and location of the pack. There is so much to be learned. It is so good to see a pack that is doing well. Hopefully on our Wolf Day which is on Thursday we will revisit the Junctions and maybe see other packs. One of the main hikes, weather permitting, will be to the Acclimation Pens where in 1995 they reintroduced the wolves to Yellowstone. The wolves that stayed in the acclimation pens were originally from Alberta and British Columbia. Yellowstone decide to get them used to their new home and were released and so began the story of the wolf reintroduction to Yellowstone. Idaho brought wolves to the area at the same time but they were not kept in acclimation pens but released and as a result many of them headed back to Alberta. There are approximately 73 wolves in the park which is small compared to several years when wolves were nearly 200. The more wolves the competition for territory increases clashes between packs. These clashes are the main reason for the death of wolves in Yellowstone.
It is always great to see the Lamar Valley with its herds of bison, elk and antelope. We did see a herd of elk and antelope running from something. We could not see what was chasing them. Could it be the other two wolves from the Junction Pack? We don’t know….hence the need to be a wolf watcher that spends hours and hours just watching the area. We also saw a nice pack of coyotes playing out in the valley. Now out of 12 years making the October trip there has been only one year where I did not see a wolf. I consider it a great privilege to have seen wolves over these many years. Many people never see a wolf. I hope all of you reading this get the opportunity to see a wolf in its natural environment.
It is always great to see Travis Wyman and hear his updates. He is the Bear Biologist at the park….in addition he also monitors elk, bison and other ungulates. I often see Travis in older films about Yellowstone keeping people away from bears in the park. Many of you probably do not remember or know of the early days where you could come to the park and be part of car bear jams and seeing people feed bears. The policy has totally changed in bear management and is now focused on people management. We did not see a bear today but I am still holding out in seeing bears in the upcoming days. They are almost ready for hibernation. I got Travis to talk about potential jobs in future research of bears. I would really like to see someone from Valley City State University to maybe someday participate in future bear research.
Tonight when I walked to dinner I heard a familiar call. The bugle of a male elk trying to establish his harem. A smile came across my face…this is Yellowstone.
Tomorrow at 6:00 am we put our boots and hiking gear on and venture again to the Lamar Valley to explore the Northern Range of Yellowstone. I have pictures but having some problems downloading them…stay tuned.
Until tomorrow…
Dr. Gary Ketterling