We read Maniuk's note about the carcass at Canyon and decided to try for an extra-early morning start with Helene and Rene to see if there was any wolf action.
Hitting the road at 5:30, we buzzed through the park past Mammoth and Norris without any stops (one pause for a bison in the road). When we arrived at the snow-covered flats just west of Canyon Junction, a long line of vehicles and big lenses stretched out before us. There was little light out, but intermittent bursts from the one shooter with a flash extender gave us early warning that there was indeed action on the carcass.
We picked out our places in line near Maniuk and Brett and were treated to a 20-30 minute show of the collared gray and uncollared black wolves, thought to be part of the Mollies splinter group that had been sighted anywhere between Canyon and Sheepeater Cliff in recent weeks.
Two wolves were on a kill near Canyon. |
The story, which we later learned from Kevin and Laurie (Top Notch), was that the kill was made yesterday morning, and there had been a couple of nice shows in the morning and later at midday.
The wolves finished up and then moved off toward the tree line. They worked their way through the woods briefly before coming back out in the snow. The black was in a very playful mood, chasing and tackling the gray wolf.
Eventually, they'd had enough of the shenanigans, and moved on out of sight. Ravens and a couple eagles took the opportunity to move in on the kill. After chatting with Kevin and Laurie, as well as Patty from the Norris bookstore, it was time for breakfast. Jenn agreed to make pancakes, so we set up one of the picnic tables at Canyon in front of a business that hadn't yet opened. Maniuk bought some uber expensive blueberries from the general store, which were promptly used up. Rene chose to go a different route, pouring half a box of Dutch chocolate sprinkles into his pancake batter, then showed off his pancake flipping skills while dancing about the table and avoiding stepping on chipmunks. It made for one gruesome-looking, yet undoubtedly tasty pancake.
Checking back on the kill, all was quiet. We received word that a grizzly was seen a mile south of the junction, so we hurried around the corner. Sure enough, a huge bear was tearing into the ground just over the hillside. This may have been the infamous boar (Bart's good friend) that roams the woods where the great gray owls are found. He was sporting a nice new radio collar and ear tags, perhaps in honor of Hollywood Star, but wasn't really into showing them off, as he kept his head down for a good 20 minutes. Finally he looked up and gave the crowd a brief glimpse of his face before turning his big galoot to us in one final salute and trotting off into the woods.
Nobody really felt like waiting on the carcass just yet, so we drove further south to investigate Hayden Valley and the Lake area. In Hayden we stopped for a trio of pelicans which were surprisingly cooperative as they bobbed their heads into the water.
Further on we passed a small bear jam. A small grizzly speck could be seen up the hillside. Continuing south to Fishing Bridge, we were greeted by all-too-familiar rain and dreariness. We checked Mary Bay, Steamboat Point (where Bryan had seen otters yesterday) and Sedge Bay (just missed a cinnamon bear) before turning around.
Looking for a place to have lunch, we chose the bear jam in Hayden. It turned out that the bear was a grizzly sow with a 1 year old cub. They were bedded down up on the hillside, and with a pause in bear action we had a perfect opportunity to chow down. Just as we finished up lunch, the sow rose and looked north, suddenly alert. A moment later, she and the cub were sprinting in the opposite direction and out of sight. Someone mentioned another grizz up the road, so we can only assume this is what set her off.
We did stop at the next bear, which was down the hillside digging around at this point. Since it was still fairly distant, Jenn and I hustled off to Canyon to camp out at the carcass. Our hope was that the wolves would make a lunch time visit, just as they had yesterday. Alas, there was still nothing, but I was feeling way too beat for further exploration. I decided to nap while Jenn kept lookout. The rest of the group departed to points unknown. Moments, minutes, hours... I didn't really know how much time passed before I was stirred awake by new visitors. Kevin and MaryBeth had recently arrived, and mine was the first Y-Net decal they saw. I filled them in on the latest news and just as they were heading off to explore Helene and Rene reappeared and introduced themselves.
A little more social time with the Dutchies and Dave, after which Jenn and I chose to slowly head for home. Jenn noted that Maniuk had passed through the Canyon area a little while beforehand, and as we neared Sheepeater Cliff, we finally learned where he had been headed. There was a wolf jam just past Indian Creek, and it was started by Maniuk!
I saw the small black wolf that had been spotted in the area recently and hopped out of the car to take some pictures.
As I was shooting, Maniuk walked up and asked, "Hey, what are you doing with my wolf?" It turns out he had made a fortuitous stop at the carcass at Sheepeater, and the wolf was on it! He got some fantastic photos and had the wolf to himself for 15 minutes before passers-by noticed his ever-present orange cap and wondered what was going on. He vows to hide it the next time he sees the wolf.
Now that the wolf has been seen here the last couple of days, we'll have to stop by at least once tomorrow to see if we can get as lucky as Maniuk. One more day, and then we get to enjoy a long drive home. Woo.
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