YELLOWSTONE'S WILD WORLD

So glad that I went down to Canyon today because Laurie told me tonight that she had been told that 712M, the Canyon pack alpha male, had been shot and killed in Gardiner.  Luckily, I did see both Canyon alphas today and they were very much alive and playing and running like puppies.  They looked great and looked like they were feel terrific.

Not sure if a wolf was indeed shot in Gardiner – I hope not!  Hunting season does not start for two more weeks and I can’t imagine why anyone would be killing any wolves now, unless they were baiting them onto their property to create a problem.  But, if one was killed, it worries me which one it might have been.

Not a great wolf day, despite the happiness in seeing the Canyons, which always makes me happy!

First thing this morning I approached Doug to find out if he was seeing the Lamars and he shook his head and said, “No, it is your worse nightmare.”

I knew immediately that he was talking about Mr. and Mrs. Disaster being in the Lamar rendezvous area.  Damn it anyway – those two drive me nuts.

Doug said that they found the rogue pair in the main hangout of the Lamar puppies and that they had traveled west.  There were very faint signals, at different times, on both Lamar alphas so they were in the neighborhood.  But, no howls and no sightings of anyone.  None were seen last night either.

I worried all day about the Lamars and thought that maybe the wolf plane had seen them but found out that the plane was out for another reason.  So, no answers.  Doug and Rick think that they are fine and that the pups would have hightailed it out of there.

Nothing seen tonight and no signals – so, maybe tomorrow.  I worry like a mother hen!

The Junctions were seen – I only saw 890 off by himself.  But, apparently, the others killed a coyote and were eating the thing.  I hate when wolves kill the coyotes!  It has been a bad year for coyote survival.  They were watching them from Dave’s Hill and my lungs were hurting too bad to walk up there and I did not really want to watch anyway.

Love the wolves and think that they are essential but they aren’t without fault, just like us.

The only other things to report are:

Touchdown is already in Mammoth and getting ready.

And hikers going up to Specimen Ridge from Crystal heard a bear growling and called rangers.  The rangers, about 4 of them, hiked up there and closed down the trail.  No one saw the bear or made contact and I am not sure if the rangers found her either.  Cub prints were reported, meaning that it was my girl.  I hope folks leave her alone!  She wouldn’t hurt anyone unless threatened.  But, according to the reports, there was a lot of growling and grizzlies only usually growl at each other, or maybe other predators.

The bison are going off into their corners to heal from the rut and the younger guys are finally getting their turn.

The bison jams continue but folks seem to be getting fed up with them.

The pronghorn are getting ready for their rut.

The elk are beginning to come down from the high country.

And, I am seeing more big horn sheep.

That is it for now.  Enjoy the holiday weekend.  A lot of camping spaces still open late this afternoon.  Oh, and it is supposed to rain tomorrow.  Had a big storm last night and it has rained off and on today.

The prediction is a nasty winter.