Yellowstone Science

[Jackson]

I came across a print version of this publication today and found that you can read it online. I just thought I'd pass this along for those of you who, like me, love learning in depth about Yellowstone (and didn't already know about this). This month's issue was of particular interest to me because it was all about grizzly bear recovery in the GYE over the last 40 years. I haven't read the whole thing, but I did see some cool maps showing the increase in the grizzly range, the locations of their food sources, etc. I had been really frustrated because all the range maps I could find online were outdated and didn't show that grizzlies had reached the Northern Winds and other areas. Now, we finally have updated maps, at least of the Yellowstone area. Anyway, here's the link to the latest issue. http://www.nps.gov/yell/learn/yellowstone-science-23-2.htmhttp://www.nps.gov/yell/learn/yellowstone-science-23-2.htm

Maps of the grizzly bear range can be found here. There was also an interesting analysis of grizzly bear behavior around occupied backcountry campsites in this section that could ease some people's fears of camping in grizzly country.
http://www.nps.gov/yell/learn/shorts-part-one.htm

And this one has a map of bear food sources, who manages the land, and stuff.
http://www.nps.gov/yell/learn/grizzly-bears-ultimate-omnivores.htmhttp://www.nps.gov/yell/learn/grizzly-bears-ultimate-omnivores.htm

 

[scatman]

Great information @Jackson. I went to see Thomas Mangelsen (renowned nature photographer) and Todd Wilkinson (environmental author) give a presentation at Rowland Hall on their collaboration on the book Grizzlies of Pilgrim Creek. Mr Wilkinson spoke extensively on the cutworm moths, diminishing whitebark pine and the plight of the cutthroat trout in Yellowstone Lake as they related to grizzly bear expansion. A fascinating topic to me. Of course Mr. Manglelsen had some wonderful shots of grizzly bears too.

I was fortunate enough to participate in the campsite study in 2008 as our group carried a GPS unit for the Park Service into the backcountry to the south end of Yellowstone Lake. The park ranger who supplied us with the GPS unit, sent us the data after we returned from our trip and according to him only two black bears got within 100 yards of us. While this might be true, I have a hard time wrapping my head around their conclusions. On this same trip, I did a day hike from campsite 6A3 to Trail Lake. After hiking from the spur trail from our campsite to the Trail Creek Trail, I headed east towards Trail Lake. As soon as I began hiking the main trail, I was following grizzly tracks that had not been there the afternoon before. The tracks led east all the way to campsite 6A4 where a family was staying. The footprints turned into the campsite. The family at the campsite asked me if I had seen the grizzly bear. I told them that I had been following his tracks but no I hadn't seen the bear. They told me that the bear had wandered into camp while they were eating breakfast. They claimed that they had made a lot of noise and the bear left. Perhaps this grizzly wasn't collared (I forgot to ask).

Other occurrences that make me think twice are: About twenty years ago I was in the Thorofare at campsite 6T1 on Thorofare Creek. We arrived at our campsite around 6:00 in the evening, our tents were set up not thirty feet from the trail. When we awoke the next morning to go to Bridger Lake, there were grizzly prints heading south along the trail. The bear had passed our tent in the night. On the same trip, on our stay at Mariposa Lake, we had a bear circling our tent in the middle of the night woofing and popping its jaws. I was to afraid to get out and see what it was; perhaps it was only a black bear but I suspect not. On my trip to the headwaters of the Yellowstone ,@Joey and I had two more stealth campsite encounters. The first, at campsite 6Y2 in the Thorofare again. A grizzly crossed the Yellowstone River at 2:31 am (I was awake at the time) and walked the trail right next to our tents. Its footprints were there in the morning and they were not there the night before. The second came in the Teton Wilderness near Castle Creek. We stayed at a dry campsite (bear boxes present) and had to walk a quarter mile to get water from Castle Creek. The next morning we hiked on towards Castle Creek and beyond and there were again grizzly tracks on the trail that were not there the night before. The only thing separating our tents from the trail was a thin row of willows. Essentially we were set up right next to the trail.

Maybe I am just unlucky or perhaps lucky depending on one's perspective, or I just happen to be an outlier but it seems to me 400 meters from a campsite is too much. I suppose it could be that bears in and around the Thorofare are the ones that ignore the 400 meter distance.

Thanks for sharing Jackson.

 

[Devo]

very cool, thanks!

 

[Langdon Greene]

Thanks @Jackson (and @scatman too!)

I was not aware there even was/is a journal called Yellowstone Science until I ran across that link a couple of days ago. I'm a research scientist myself, so now I have more bathroom reading for my 'To Read' list. ;-)

 

[Jackson]

Dang, @scatman! Reading about your bear encounters and experience is awesome. I suppose you can't really make a concrete conclusion about the behavior of bears around campsites if all the bears aren't collared. The fact that grizzlies can easily smell stinky backpackers from very far away and usually don't come around the campsites to kill and eat people in their tents is evidence enough for me that most don't have a drive to go after people. But that's coming from my rather limited personal experience.

However, the instance of the one popping its jaw outside your tent... That's a strange one. It must found your tent to be very threatening. Haha.

 

[scatman]

Dang, @scatman! The fact that grizzlies can easily smell stinky backpackers from very far away and usually don't come around the campsites to kill and eat people in their tents is evidence enough for me that most don't have a drive to go after people. But that's coming from my rather limited personal experience.

However, the instance of the one popping its jaw outside your tent... That's a strange one. It must found your tent to be very threatening. Haha.

I believe the bears were just passing through doing what bears do with no intent of disturbing us. The one at Mariposa Lake must have been nervous of our presence though. At the time, the two campsites at Mariposa Lake were open campsites, meaning you could camp in the general area instead of an exact spot. I'm not sure if they are still that way today or not. Perhaps we just picked the wrong location for our tent.

Here are a couple of shots of the bear that crossed the Yellowstone River by our campsite 6Y2, located in the southwest corner of the Thorofare.


@Joey , filming the grizzly tracks of the bear that crossed the river the night before. Our campsite 6Y2 is to the left of Joey just off the image by maybe ten yards.


Tracks left by the grizzly that crossed the Yellowstone River

 

[Outdoor_Fool]

Scatman, I guess I am a little dubious. Those grizzly tracks do not look fresh at all. Perhaps if it was raining really heavily, they were fresh. With the river so roiled, it looks like there was a lot of recent rain, and of course, the soil is damp. Did you actually look out of your tent and see the grizzly walking across the river? I'm not necessarily calling BS on this, just curious.

 

[scatman]

@Outdoor_Fool - Nope, I did not get out of my tent to verify what I heard; I just listened as it crossed the river and passed by. We were at the spot where @Joey is filming the tracks the evening before watching a muskrat swim along the opposite bank. There were no bear tracks in the mud next to the river at that time so even if what I heard was not the bear, it still puts a bear within the 400 meters of our campsite that the study seemed to say rarely happens. The tracks reemerged next to our site on the main trail heading out into the Thorofare. I assumed the same bear made all of the tracks since the trajectory of his tracks seemed to line up, but I used no scientific method to determine if it was the same bear. If it wasn't, then we had two bears next to our site because the tracks heading off towards the east were not there the night before either.

 

[Chuck the Mauler]

I call BS. Have you ever SEEN a brown bear before? Those tracks were there the night before. I'm sure of it.

Was last night "beer night"? @Joey was all worked up.

Sorry, I couldn't resist.

 

[Absarokanaut]

I think Mr. Mauler needs some barley pop himself.

Thanks for sharing this Jackson.

 

[scatman]

Alright @Chuck the Mauler, you have crossed the line in the proverbial mud of the Yellowstone River! "Fisticuffs" I say. Of course I've seen a brown bear, I went to the Revenant last Monday! And yes, those bear tracks were already there. I have two sticks with grizzly bear paw prints imprinted on a block of wood at the end of each of them. One with the front paw, the other the back. I keep them under my kilt at all times until the deed needs to be done. When, in a flash, I pull them out and place twenty four foot pounds on each to imprint the tracks. I can do this for miles without anyone suspecting me, not even by backpacking partners. I can place them in all kinds of terrain including solid rock. Occasionally, I will return home with grizzly tracks on my calves, thighs and hamstrings (I still need to work out the kilt logistics).

Next thing you'll tell me is that I have never backpacked in the Tetons! Oh wait..... that's actually true. The only thing that will calm me down now is if the Dolphins win in the AFC Championship Game tomorrow!

What is up with Joey? Yes, it was beer night last night and I had a pint of American Smoked Stout and a clone of Founders Porter. I must say the porter is particularly good.

Sorry for high jacking your thread @Jackson but I just couldn't let this continue.

Back on topic: It looks like a couple of those cutworm moth locations might be in the Gros Ventres if I'm looking at the map correctly. Anybody concur? The Gros Ventres are really a hidden gem by the way.

 

[scatman]

Good to see you back @Absarokanaut .

 

[Jackson]

@scatman hijack away! Haha. I don't mind.

I'm dying to get out and see the Gros Ventres. Just not sure about access in my Civic. Their awesomeness would surely be augmented by the sight of grizzly bears on scree slopes. Did you guys see any sign of them while you were there last Summer?

 

[Chuck the Mauler]

@scatman , Joey had 2 very entertaining comments following post number 7. I Nearly spit my coffee out. Then I realized he really WAS upset. Stoopid internet. You'll have to ask him.

 

[Jackson]

@scatman , Joey had 2 very entertaining comments following post number 7. I Nearly spit my coffee out. Then I realized he really WAS upset. Stoopid internet. You'll have to ask him.

Those comments had me thinking an internet fight was inevitable.

 

[Nick]

Those posts were removed because the number one rule here is keep it civil and friendly. It's OK to disagree but keep it civil.

 

[Chuck the Mauler]

Sometimes ones passion wins over politeness. Kind of like the notion that the 72 Dolphins are a top 20 all time NFL team. Blasphemy I say!

 

[Absarokanaut]

Jackson,

I have never seen a Grizzly in the Gros Ventres but heard there was one on Frenchman Creek a few years ago. Grizzlies now range through the Gros Ventres and one went well south on the Western Front of the Winds before it was shot a few years ago.

As for access your car should be fine to get up Granite Creek and well back the Gros Ventre. If hard rain comes just be prepared to wait for a little drying, but I've seen Hondas and Subies get through some good mud. I wouldn't try Leeds Creek or anything like that.

I know a few moth sites in the southern Absaroka where I've seen multiple bears multiple times in September. I also see a fair amount of wolves in the area, even on my dayhikes which have all but replaced my backpacking days. I do however REALLY want to get back to Marston Pass and think two days off work with a weekend in late July or August should do it. Can you see Grizz in this pic?



I can see grizzlies in the Uintas in the coming years.

 

[scatman]

@Jackson - Ditto on Absarokanaut's assessment of the the road up Granite Creek. I saw a variety of cars using it on our way out from our trip. The hot springs at the end of the road seem to be a pretty popular place to spend some time.

One of our hiking partners said that he saw a grizzly near the pass between Flat Creek drainage and Turquoise Lake. He said it took off down the ridge when it became aware of him. We were all spread out at the time so no one could verify his sighting but he seemed pretty thrilled at seeing one. We did all see a black bear along the hillside above Bear Cabin Creek on our way to The Six Lakes.

 

[John Goering]

http://www.nps.gov/yell/learn/shorts-part-one.htm

Not sure I put a lot of credibility into those maps. My wife and I have personally observed grizzlies at the north end of the Tobacco Roots as far back as 2012 and several friends have also observed them in that vicinity. They are also apparently in the Bangtail's on the east side of the Bridger Range north of Bozeman and Livingston. I have to believe their actual range is a good deal larger than shown.